This volume is the pilot issue of the "Transforming Libraries" series, a quarterly subseries of SPEC (the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center of the Association of Research Libraries). Each issue will focus on a different application or aspect of library technology. This issue discusses electronic reserves. It is divided into five…

Storytelling, a powerful means of providing children and adults with life-enhancing mental images, has been a tradition practiced by most cultures throughout the world. Passed on from one generation to another, the stories freed the imagination and stretched the capacity for such feelings of joy, sorrow, sympathy, and hope. The stories usually…

It is the responsibility of school librarians to provide the specialized assistance necessary to serve inner city children. Although there have been new titles depicting the life of the inner city child, these are not abundant in the library collection. School librarians must understand how children learn to read so that they can provide proper…

As part of a college-wide assessment effort, St. Petersburg Junior College (Florida) conducted a survey of enrolled students in October 1995 to determine their perceptions of the quality of the college's academic and student support services. Questionnaires were distributed to 6,197 students, asking them to rate 28 college services on a 5-point…

This report summarizes the activities of the South Carolina State Library. Sections include: (1) the library governance and mission statement; (2) a brief library history; (3) details about the organization and operations of the library, including a list of the responsibilities and personnel assigned to each of six departments, as well as charts…

University and public librarians faced with an increasing demand for reading materials in alternate formats need to develop the skills required in providing adequate library service to people with visual or physical impairments. This work, written by library professionals, is intended as a basic reference source which librarians in training can…

This reference book provides the latest information about the vast collections of U.S. and overseas federal libraries. The nearly 2,300 entries have been updated, and 123 new entries have been added. Entries include details such as the name of the library administrator, type of library, number of staff, size of collection, special subjects and…

This handbook serves as a guide for the information professional who operates in cyberspace. The book provides practical explanations on technology and its applications to libraries and networked information systems, and easy-to-understand discussions of how new technologies will affect libraries and library careers. The book contains 64 articles…

This compilation of statistics on Colorado's school media centers (LMCs) consists of three major components: (1) a 220-page tabulation of data arranged by school level and student enrollment level; (2) tables reporting statewide totals for school library statistics; and (3) tables with benchmark ratios for school library media center resources and…

The staff of libraries and the populations they serve grow increasingly more diverse. Library users of different ethnic backgrounds, with different abilities and different needs, challenge libraries to be the place for everyone to get the information and materials they need. At the same time, library staffs should mirror the diverse population…

The Assessment Committee of Library Services at Central Missouri State University conducted a telephone survey of 500 (41.2% completion rate) university students. The goals were to use a random sampling in order to gain more information regarding usage patterns of library services; to identify factors which inhibit patron use; and to reveal…

This book examines real-life projects involving Internet access, use, and financing in libraries. It focuses on how becoming an Internet provider has improved many libraries' public visibility, level of service, and communication with other educational or community institutions. Chapters include: (1) "Setting Up an Internet Users Group in the…

This report contains the results of a study sponsored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to investigate the implications of converting its audio magazine program from flexible disk to audiocassette. Specific issues to be considered included whether or not such a conversion would represent: (1) a financial…

This guide is built on librarianship training literature and customer service research from a variety of professions. It tells library managers how to identify and describe service ideals, to translate these ideals into realistic goals, and to lead new and experienced staff in fulfilling these service ideals. They are encouraged to focus the…

Not intended to be all inclusive or even representative, this manual explores a few areas of our world with books, activities and ideas. It is a very simple introduction to the idea that all over the world people are different and similar, even in our own neighborhood, and should be supplemented with other ideas to create a full multicultural…