The Communications Director of the American Library Association (ALA) offers five reasons librarians should claim literacy as their top professional mission: the "America Reads Challenge" to ensure that all 8-year-olds can read by the year 2000; the ALA's experience in literacy programs; the issue's universality; the success of past…

Describes a program called Get Real 'n' Read developed by Perth (Australia) public librarians to offer adolescents a greater incentive to use the library and to improve the image of reading. Topics include demographic characteristics of the area; planning; and advertising, including donations appealing to the target audience. (LRW)

Describes DeKalb College, a multi-campus, two-year commuter college of the University System of Georgia. Highlights include the Learning Resources Program, its mission, and campus-level and college-wide services; the Jim Cherry Learning Resources Center and classroom support, media production, and distance learning; the Learning Resources…

Examines the place of public services education in the professional training of archivists. Discusses what public services are; analyzes a course in public services--its objectives (accessibility, use and users, social dynamics, organization, delivery, ethics, program development and implementation), content, and methodologies; and explores the…

Summarizes results from a study of problems blind people using screen readers and Web browsers experienced when reading tables on the World Wide Web. Explains accessibility factors including complexity of layout, use of HTML programming, features of screen-reading software, and user variables; and makes recommendations for Web-based tables,…

Examines questions related to service quality, satisfaction, and outcomes assessment in academic libraries. Relates the literature of library and information science to each concept, identifies major research methodologies used, and offers suggestions for future research. (Contains 65 references.) (Author/LRW)

Focuses on library economic metrics, and presents a conceptual framework for library economic metrics including service input and output, performance, usage, effectiveness, outcomes, impact, and cost and benefit comparisons. Gives examples of these measures for comparison of library electronic and print collections and collection services.…

Examines what differences libraries and librarians make, primarily from the perspective of geographical communities. States reasons why this is an essential research issue and describes contributions of current public library planning tools to the determination of impact. Examines the framework that is essential for the intellectual development of…

Examines four significant unanswered questions related to children's and young adult services in public libraries. After reviewing the existing knowledge base that can serve as scaffolding for the needed research, the author suggests strategies for refining and implementing this research agenda. (Contains 62 references.) (Author/AEF)

Identifies research topics related to outcomes assessment in a networked environment and discusses issues affecting these topics. Proposes a framework to relate traditional evaluation components and terminology to the networked environment and identifies factors in the networked environment that affect assessment methods. Suggests outcomes…

If the effect of bibliographic instruction is to create a more self-reliant library user and information-seeker, does this mean that bibliographic instruction programs lead to a decline in the demand for reference services? This research analyzes data for 83 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic libraries over a six-year period. Each…

Presents a profile of Cherry Creek High School (Colorado) and its library media program and describes the following five elements of power that library media centers have to increase student achievement and love of learning: (1) access; (2) support for data driven decision making; (3) integration of technology; (4) connections between teaching and…

Discusses digital reference services, also known as virtual reference, chat reference, or online reference, based on a round table discussion at the 2002 American Library Association annual conference in Atlanta. Topics include numbers and marketing; sustainability; competition and models; evaluation methods; outsourcing; staffing and training;…

Describes the Pathways to Knowledge model for helping students achieve information literacy in library media programs. Discusses the searcher's thinking, information search or seeking, and instructional strategies; information skills; the six stages in the model, including appreciation, presearch, search, interpretation, communication, and…

Discussion of oral narrative tradition and storytelling focuses on the role of librarian-storytellers. A story of children's librarians and their storytelling experiences at the Los Angeles Public Library is described, the process of acquiring and developing storytelling skills and roles is examined, and implications for administrators and…