This paper discusses public library services to remote communities in Australia, focusing on New South Wales (NSW). The first section presents background on the public library network in NSW, including statistics, descriptors/characteristics of public libraries, and funding to establish public Internet access. The second section addresses regional…

This paper discusses performance measurement in the Blake Dawson Waldron (BDW) law firm, a partnership with five offices in Australia, as well as a number overseas. Three levels of performance measurement are described: (1) personal level--through annual performance appraisals; (2) team level--the annual team meeting; and (3) service…

This annual report of the Digital Library Federation describes projects initiated in response to the following program priorities: (1) focus attention on libraries of materials that are born digital, including a social science data workshop and guides to quality in visual resource imaging; (2) integrate digital materials into the fabric of…

The Making of America (MoA) Testbed Project, coordinated by the Digital Library Federation, is a multi-phase endeavor. Its purpose is to investigate important issues in the creation of an integrated but distributed digital library of archival materials (i.e., digitized surrogates of primary source materials found in archives and special…

Based on information from the 1996-97 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Academic Libraries survey, this document presents statistics on libraries in U.S. higher education institutions. Specifically, data are provided on: circulation and interlibrary loan transactions; public service hours; number served, number of reference…

This evaluation of Vermont's 5-year LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) plan begins with an overall report of results in achieving goals and objectives. This section offers an overview of Vermont's geography, population, and history and use of library services. Results are then described for each of the plan's seven goals and related…

Users' expectations of libraries are changing as they find and obtain more information directly from the Web. To better understand how usage patterns are changing, the Digital Library Federation (DLF) and Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)commissioned Outsell, Inc., to conduct a large-scale study of undergraduates, graduate…

This report describes Biblored, the library network in Bogota, Colombia, that received the 2002 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning Award. Biblored is a network of 19 libraries that attract about 200,000 users per month and serve some of the poorest neighborhoods in Bogota. The network's success in making information and…

Needs assessment in legislative libraries has three critical components: a well-thought out strategy to identify what should be understood about Members' research and information needs, expectations and preferences; a range of reliable, effective and appropriate methods to find this critical information; and ways of building what is learned into…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit presents the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries designed to document how ARL member libraries are collecting, using, and modifying their data on reference service transactions. A total of 74 of 124 ARL member libraries responded to the survey. A…

In 1993, the Colorado State Library published "The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement." This follow-up study focuses attention on the library media specialist and the services she or he provides throughout the building, rather than just the library media center as a specific place, and emphasizes the fact that…

The purpose of this study was to find out how school and public libraries were performing as education providers and how well they were responding to the country's urgent demands for school improvement. This general audience report summarizes the results of the assessment of school and public libraries. It discusses staffing and patronage, the use…

The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) serves the information needs of Alabama public libraries. As a state agency, APLS is charged with improving library services throughout the state to ensure that all citizens have access to quality library and information services. The agency is responsible for receiving and administering federal and state…

This paper describes the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries' experiences in developing distance education services as an example of how to meet the challenge of providing comprehensive, customized information and instructional support for both on- and off-campus learners. The first section provides historical background on distance…

This paper examines the background and roles of prison libraries in North America and Europe. Identified roles include: popular reading materials center; independent learning center; formal education support center; leisure and recreational activities center; legal information center; treatment program support center; information center on outside…