Discusses developments under three relatively new directors in the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Borough Public Libraries. Highlights include budgets and fundraising, technology, mission statements, personnel, ethnicity, services, and renovations. (AEF)

Considers strategies for the implementation of quality improvement in libraries. Highlights include structured quality improvement, especially Total Quality Management; organizational change; customer focus; continuous improvement; data-based decision making; systems thinking; employee involvement in decision making; diffusion of innovation;…

A survey of 4,084 Canadian continuing education students investigated patterns of library service use and factors influencing them, including student characteristics, perceptions of problems limiting library use (for example, collection adequacy, hours, access to materials), and characteristics of the student's program of study (for example,…

Describes the implementation of a user-centered document delivery system at Colorado State University. Evaluates the system via a statistical compilation of system usage and a telephone survey of the service's users. Results indicate that the system usually provided fast delivery at acceptable costs, but fell short as a substitution for mediated…

American Library Association Goal 2000 fails to resolve conflicting theoretical perspectives about the purpose and scope of public library services. While allowing for temporary unity of political action, ALA Goal 2000 may create contradictory service priorities that confuse both the public and librarians. Strengths and weaknesses of the social…

Describes information technology programs in Maryland, including the Sailor Project, that created a statewide telecommunications network providing Internet access without charge from libraries, homes, offices, schools, and shopping malls; University of Maryland initiatives; distance learning in higher education; and a project that allows worldwide…

Offers advice for public librarians serving a Puerto Rican population regarding selection of appropriate material, outreach to the community, and detailed programming for a Latino Heritage Week. An extensive resource list for librarians seeking appropriate children's books and professional materials is included. (GR)

Addresses the future of library automation programs for schools. Discusses requirements of emerging OPACs and circulation systems; the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF), an industry initiatives to develop an open specification for ensuring that K-12 instructional and administrative software applications work together more effectively; home…

Discusses problems that the lack of standardization in electronic journal publishing creates for reference or bibliographic instruction librarians and describes a study that examined science, technology, and medicine journals publishers' Web sites, focusing on those features most relevant to end users. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the increasing demand for digital reference services from government Web sites via email, and describes a partnership between the Government Printing Office and the federal depository library at the University of Illinois at Chicago to create electronic access to the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN). (Author/LRW)

Describes the Eastside Cybrary Connection, part of the Riverside (California) Public Library, developed for young people ages 10 and up in a low-income, minority neighborhood. Highlights include electronic technology and print; collaboration between the public library, academic institutions, and community-based organizations; fund raising; and the…

Refereed articles from "College & Research Libraries" and "Journal of Academic Librarianship" between 1990 and 1999 were analyzed with respect to the research agenda developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries. The analysis found that articles on collections, services, staffing, and the Internet have…

Presents an evaluation of reference services at the University of Arizona Libraries that used a combination of surveys, focus groups, and unobtrusive observation worksheets with a small sample of students. It was found that, overall, students were very pleased with the reference desk. Needs for improvement and plans for action are summarized.…

Provides annotated bibliographies for five books that are recommended professional reading for librarians serving teens. Topics include American Indian stereotypes in the media; a leadership guide for school library media specialists; views of teens; how teens who are different are often outcasts; and tips for public library young adult services.…

Examines the literature on unaffiliated users' access to academic libraries since the 1950s, when post-war population shifts, emphasis on college-preparatory work at the high school level, and an increase in the college-educated population brought greater numbers of unaffiliated users into the library. (Contains 107 references.) (AEF)