Chatbots have experienced significant growth over the past decade, with a proliferation of new applications across various domains. Previous studies also demonstrate the trend of new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, being adopted in libraries. The purpose of this study is to determine the current research priorities and findings…

This article presents a substantive grounded theory that shows how senior library leaders can achieve the library's strategic alignment with the university. The theory suggests that increasing uncertainty causes the library's leadership to consider how the library's strategic contributions can support the university's core priorities while also…

In 2008, we started by pulling a sample of 483 public libraries from across the country, using 2007 public library annual report data. Because small libraries have different needs and resources than larger libraries, we stratified the sample to make comparisons by size, according to the following population groups: fewer than 10,000 served;…

Digital inclusion is the ability of individuals and groups to access and use information and communication technologies. Not all members of a community benefit equally, and some communities have been left out altogether. This paper is a guide for fostering digital inclusion throughout the United States so that everyone can take advantage of…

Public libraries in the United States have a long history of providing resources and education to immigrants. This tradition may be traced to Andrew Carnegie's support for public libraries as a place for immigrant self-education, enlightenment, and the study of democracy and English. This role is especially relevant today as the immigrant…

The current ARL report summarizes a multi-year effort that captures evidence in the form of narrative profiles as it delivers the message of the value and contributions of research libraries during transformative times. When ARL library directors were interviewed in 2005 and asked to describe a research library in the 21st century, there was…

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science was created in 1970 as a coordinating and planning agency of the United States Government. In order to gain knowledge of the needs and views of library users throughout the country, the Commission conducted a sereis of regional hearings and supported four research studies. As its major…

This essay addresses the ambiguity and confusion arising out of two values that have been embodied in American public library ideology since at least the last quarter of the nineteenth century: concept of the public library as community institution; the public library's emphasis on service to the individual. (27 references) (EJS)

In response to the United Nations' declaration of 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP), the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) of the American Library Association (ALA) set up an IYDP committee to carry out the objectives of the year. This document, based on state library reports and other…

Efforts to establish a library for laboratory instructional materials is being initiated by a group of concerned university educators. The main function of this library will be to collect descriptions of biological systems and supporting materials that are effective in laboratory instruction. Contributors are being solicited. (Author/MA)

The first Soviet-American Library Seminar provided general comparisons and contrasts, similarities and dissimilarities, between Soviet and American libraries, and stressed the differences in understanding library terms, the need for long-range planning, demographic changes and their effect on library services, and library automation. An…

Reports results of survey investigating aspects of weeding of materials in reference collections at 377 U.S. colleges and universities: existence of written policy or unwritten weeding practice; extent of weeding; frequency; what happens to discards; effect of shelf space, staff time, and use of materials on weeding decisions. (5 references) (EJS)

Papers on the impact of information technology on library services and the provision of library services to ethnic and linguistic minorities which were presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "The Challenge of Electronic Technologies to the Information Society: A Call for…

This overview of the development of scientific and technical libraries in the United States highlights changes since World War II and present-day characteristics, role of the information manager, planning process, fiscal management, collection management, services, impact of technology, networking, marketing library services, and implications for…

This assessment of ten existing academic library instruction programs in the United States and Canada investigates administrative and staff support, instructional methods, and program impact as an aid to writing a guide to academic library instruction programs. A representative sample of ten library instruction programs was selected on the basis…