This review of the literature on undergraduate libraries, the historical context from which they arose, and their status at the end of the 1970's points out that a long tradition of lack of concern for undergraduate bibliographical needs was broken dramatically in 1949 by the construction of Lamont Library, the Harvard undergraduate facility.…

Review of academic library planning developments highlights modular design concept prevalent in 1960s. Problem areas (irregular shapes, interior or exterior courts, monumentality, too much or too little glass) and the use atria, designer lighting, monumental effects, and unusual shapes to relieve perceived monotony are discussed. Five sources are…

Overview of growth and progress of American librarianship from 1945 to 1970 ("Golden Age") highlights library education; expansion of American Library Association; library philanthropy; federal aid to libraries; library buildings and new technology; changes in academic, public, school, and special libraries; general trends; and end of…

Arguing that the study of use of personal space is an important aspect of understanding the total communication process in libraries, this document reviews the literature on personal space research that has been conducted over the last 20 years. Following a general review of the roots of such research, the numerous studies that are described are…

As early as the sixth century B.C., China's imperial library served as a depository of national literature and archives, and in 1905 China's first public library was opened. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, however, library development has been sporadic. Brief examinations of some of China's major libraries reveal the status,…

Shelf browsing demands open access for the browser and a resources arrangement that groups related concepts together and thereby permits retrieving hitherto unknown items by association. Many resources, especially in large academic libraries, are technically open to the public but arranged in a way that prevents shelf browsing according to the…

Discusses gradual emergence of reference service in today's liberal arts college libraries through a century of changes in the liberal arts curriculum, in teaching methods, faculty attitudes toward librarians, library facilities, and research tools. The relatively recent acceptance of reference service has obscured difficulties early proponents…