Following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, New York City's essential infrastructure needs were made a top policy priority for the first time in decades. The scale and severity of the storm prompted numerous studies to assess the damage and led policymakers to take steps to shore up the city's coastal infrastructure weaknesses.…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…

Nearly two years ago, the Center for an Urban Future published "Branches of Opportunity," a report documenting that New York City's public libraries have become more vital than ever, and are serving more New Yorkers in more ways than ever before. This new report provides an exhaustive analysis of the libraries' capital needs and offers a…

Describes the activities of the Monroe County Library System's Urban Information Center. (PF)

Insights from focus groups from nine rural and urban areas served by the Mid-Hudson Library System (New York State) show that nobody dislikes libraries, but many people have almost forgotten that they exist. By drawing on perspectives of different social groups, libraries can develop new approaches to building their audiences. (SLD)

This article takes a look at WritersCorps, a program that aims to provide opportunities for youth to discover, develop, and share their writing. The program's success depends on contracting with teaching artists who have the skills, knowledge, and heart to encourage youth to write well. All its teachers are published writers, active community…

The Lifelong Learning Center (LLC) of the Buffalo and Erie County, New York, Public Library is described with emphasis on objectives and programming developed for a grant project. The objectives included the following: conduct monthly support services for literacy tutors; sponsor training and information sessions for tutors; provide assistance to…

A study was made of the Baldwinsville (New York) public library and nearby developing areas, including the Lysander New Community, in order to discover current and future library service needs and to make recommendations for meeting those needs. Existing data, library statistics, and a survey were used to analyze the library and its community. The…

The period of this study extended from August, 1968, through June, 1969. New York University provided a study team to refine the methodology to be used in the study, to collect and treat relevant data, and to prepare this final report containing findings and recommendations. The library systems provided data on existing programs for the…

This brief article focuses on the career and accomplishments of Coordinator of Information Services, New York Public Library (NYPL), Jane Fisher. Her professional and academic career has spanned the fields of librarianship, health care, and public administration. Based on her most recent experiences and advancements, she has learned how libraries…

Several hundred films contained in the New York State Division of Library Development's collection are listed in this reference work. The majority of these have only become available since the issuance of the 1970 edition of the "Catalog," although a few are older. The collection covers a wide spectrum of subjects and is intended for…

"Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development: Lessons and Voices from the Field," published by the Forum in partnership with the Urban Libraries Council, captures key challenges and lessons learned from an innovative, four-year initiative sponsored by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds that awarded six million dollars to nine…

Attended by representatives from the New York State Education Department, the Library Extension Division, library systems in New York State, and other relevant agencies, this conference was held to gain better understanding of the various antipoverty programs and to encourage cooperative planning and better use of available resources, with…

An eight-question survey was mailed to every fifth home in Plainedge, New York, on January 10, 1974. The questionnaires were color coded according to election districts to aid in determining if there were any differences in attitudes toward, or use of, the library, in relation to location, or possible correlation with census tract data relating to…

A nine-question survey was mailed to every fifth home in Plainedge, New York on January 13, 1977. The questionnaires were color coded according to election districts to aid in determining differences in attitudes toward, or use of, the library in relation to location, possible correlation with census data relating to education, income level, etc.,…