Describes the basic concepts of Lotka's law of scientific productivity, Bradford's law of scatter, and Zipf's law of word occurrence. The discussion covers the validity of these laws and useful applications of each law to specific library applications. (13 references) (CLB)

A survey of synagogues in upstate New York was conducted to determine the success of their libraries despite minimal professional input. The areas of circulation, collection growth, staffing, hours of operation and cataloging practices were evaluated as indicators of success. Results showed that synagogue libraries are meeting the needs of their…

An analysis of the occurrence of conference proceedings in physics journals indicates that libraries may be spending a significant portion of their serials budget for conference proceedings that they may not have chosen to buy as separate monographs. It is suggested that conference proceedings should be published as monographs or in an electronic…

Discussion of Harvard University libraries' preservation efforts highlights the contributions of Carolyn Clark Morrow, the preservation librarian. Topics discussed include book decay; identifying important research collections to be preserved; chemical technology to deacidify paper; microfilming projects; components of a good local library…

Describes full-text document delivery services that have been introduced in conjunction with available databases in response to economic and technological changes affecting libraries: (1) CARL System's UnCover database and UnCover2 service; (2) Research Libraries Group's CitaDel delivery service; and (3) Faxon Research Service's Faxon Finder and…

Briefly reviews 41 books and periodicals about antiques and collectibles such as glassware, porcelain, dolls, buttons, ceramics, folk arts, furniture, jewelry, rugs, textiles, and woodenware. Books are arranged in the following topic areas: price guides; general surveys; out-of-print titles; trends; conservation and restoration; dealers; and…

Suggests that librarians should include street newspapers, produced by homeless people and their advocates, in their collections. Discusses characteristics and features of these newspapers and describes different papers from cities across the United States. (AEF)

Discusses the need to develop storage and preservation measures for Internet resources. Topics include Web site authorship versus Web space ownership; physical archives of Web sites; cyberarchives; collection development; acquiring Web sites; and adding Web sites to the collection. (LRW)

Presents an excerpt from an interview with editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant that was conducted upon acquiring Oliphant's materials for the Library of Congress. Highlights include early influences and childhood; role models; political interests; employment experiences; the current state of journalism; and the importance of this collection. Several…

Discusses results of a survey of a sample of manuscript repositories regarding their use of collection development policies and their cooperative collecting activities. Considers impediments to the use of these practices, the benefits to repositories that do use them, and includes the tabulated results of the survey. (LRW)

Discusses academic library collection-development theory and policy. Suggests that a standard collection of works specific to each discipline (a canon), is a powerful tool because such canons can censor the works that fall outside of the prevailing norms, the hegemony of the discipline. (LRW)

Discusses results of the BYTES (Books You Teach Every Semester) project, a consortial study that investigated whether the same books were used for reserve readings at academic libraries and whether they should be made available in an electronic format. Recommends collaboration between libraries and publishers to supply material in electronic…

This summative evaluation of the Public Library Services to Disadvantaged Populations Grant program describes how the grant program is meeting its stated objectives, how it is contributing to library development in Texas, and how Texas State Library activities and policy impact the program. The Texas State Library initiated this grant program with…

This book offers practical advice to school library media specialists for developing and improving leadership skills. It is asserted that societal crises like illiteracy, poverty, alienation, and socioeconomic divisions make librarians "ecologists" of the mind. Librarians ensure equitable access to others' insights into life's concerns, and…

The grant received for the Literacy Program of the Twin Falls (Idaho) Public Library (approximately $24,000) has contributed to the overall improvement of the library system afforded by construction of a new addition planned for completion in February 1991. Grant funds supporting the literacy program complemented funds from a bond issue for…