Developed by the Task Force on Public Library and Library System Standards and Guidelines, these general standards are designed to give local planners a useful tool with which to assess their own unique programs of service and establish direction for future development. A section on planning and the public library considers (1) imperatives for planning, including the planning sequence, the planning process, and level of planning effort, and (2) options for establishing new library services, including considering alternatives and establishing a new library. Beginning with a discussion of how to use the standards, this section on standards includes six chapters on governance, administration, and funding; staffing; collections; services; public relations; and access and facilities. Standards are presented as simple statements in the form of checklists designed to encourage libraries to copy and use them separately. In addition, discussions on role selection describe how a given role can affect the standards found in the checklist and how a library might want to fine tune the evaluation of its services based on the role(s) it plays. A listing of task force members is provided, and four appendices include public library role descriptions, percentile measures for library services, an 81-item bibliography, and Chapter 43 of the Wisconsin Statutes. (KM)