Presents a practical approach to the delivery of library and information services to mentally ill patrons using a disability model based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sources from psychological and sociological literature as well as library sources are discussed. (Author/LRW)

Describes the usability study that was designed at Hampshire College (Massachusetts) to see whether students were successfully using the library's Web site, particularly for reference services. Emphasizes the need for retesting and discusses results of the usability testing, including an increase in Web site hits and database searches. (LRW)

Discusses marketing in special libraries and suggests that librarians need to identify library services that set them apart from others. Highlights include the competitive environment and alternatives for the consumer; value that the library offers; targeting consumers; return on investment; and determining why consumers choose your services. (LRW)

Describes business techniques for mass marketing, where information technologies are used to target discrete individuals or groups and promote customer interaction. Considers the applicability of business concepts to academic library service, including uniquely identifying patrons, issues of privacy, focusing on the most valuable library services,…

Discussion of community support groups for public libraries focuses on how the Chicago Public Library developed programs with a Friends of the Library group. Describes fund-raising efforts; themes that guided the organization; developing library programs; the use of volunteers; restoring state funding after budget cuts; and building public…

Arguing that today's youth yearns for initiation into adult society, this article examines visions of the future of adolescence in Western Society by contrasting the films "Star Trek" and "Blade Runner," and questions the role of information technology. Discusses library services for adolescents and the role of librarians as…

This meta-analysis of research on reference service evaluation discusses how often the same variables are examined, to what extent the observed correlations agreed or differed, and whether the results of multiple studies (59 studies listed) can be combined to obtain a more accurate estimate of the strength of association for a variable with…

Discusses measurement techniques for determining good reference service and describes results from a study of 12 public libraries in California that investigated reference service. Topics include inconsistent reference studies that showed reference service giving good results half of the time; and measuring unrelated outcomes of accuracy, utility,…

Describes the University of the West Indies, focusing on the St. Augustine (Trinidad) campus and the library's involvement with maintaining, preserving, and disseminating postgraduate student theses. Explains quality control efforts and considers implications for the types of scholarship performed by academic librarians. (LRW)

Provides a history of the establishment of the AFL-CIO/ALA (American Federation of Labor (AFL)-Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)/American Library Association (ALA)) Joint Committee on Library Service to Labor Groups. Topics include public learning, labor, and libraries; services to labor; problems and issues, including conflicts between…

Provides baseline data concerning the public's use of public libraries and its use of the Internet in order to identify reasons for which each provider is used; to identify decision criteria that people use when choosing providers; and to assess how consumers evaluate the performance of libraries and of the Internet. (Author/LRW)

Describes the origins of hypertext and reviews the history of the concept of nonsequential access to information that led to hypertext. Technological developments that have been combined with hypertext are discussed, including workstations, video and laser disk technology, and microcomputers; and library applications of hypertext and hypermedia…

Reports results of a survey of state library agencies' research on public library operations and services. The appendix provides information on the contact person, the title of the study, and availability of materials for the 29 agencies responding to the survey. A copy of the questionnaire is included. (13 references) (MES)

Describes three in-house indexes produced at the Texas A&M University Library to facilitate access to energy-related materials, curriculum guides and other educational materials, and reference materials. Production, as well as time and cost factors, are discussed. Recommendations for producing in-house indexes are offered. (10 references) (MES)

Considers the need for family literacy programs and library involvement in such programs. National organizations and local library programs devoted to family literacy are described, and the California State Library's Families for Literacy Program, which provides funding for local library family literacy programs, is discussed. (MES)