When resources are scarce, libraries have three basic options, which can be conducted in combination or separately, to bring them into balance: Seek additional funds, reduce expenses, and identify more efficient modes of operation. The authors explore whether, and if so how, the factors that consume or contribute resources--and the tradeoffs…

The need to plan for operating and service patterns and to establish priorities for services to readers in the new Reference and Bibliographical Center at the Newberry Library guided this self-study. From December 1983 to August 1984, 32 staff members (grouped into 1 study team and 4 task forces) investigated the critical issues of bibliographic…

To study the users and use of the subject searching capability offered by the new online public catalog at the New York State Library (NYSL) a study was begun before the catalog change in mid-1983 and continued for a considerable time after the change. Data were collected during three 1-week periods; one preceded the catalog change and two…

Prepared at the request of the Advisory Systems Committee of the Ontario Universities' Library Cooperative System, this report presents the results of study of the feasibility of a bilingual regional system for maps, or alternatively, the possibility of adapting the Guelph system to CARTESS. The report is presented in three sections: (1) a…

This report of the 95-member Council for the Comprehensive Plan for Libraries, which included representatives from government, libraries, and the public sector, is not intended to answer all the questions for all those concerned about the future of libraries, but rather to bring focus to the issues and to set a direction for solving the problems…

This discussion of ways to solve the problem of overdue library materials reviews three pertinent articles from the library literature, several studies of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library system, and a 1985 study at a southwestern public library. Attempted solutions are cited, including fines, overdue notices, retrieval methods such as the…

As the originator and administrator of the Village Library Project in Alaska, Kuskokwim Community College commissioned this study to: (1) determine the status quo of the 16 village libraries in the delta area; (2) identify the factors which help determine their success; (3) determine whether they can successfully operate independently without…

This report reviews the background and rationale for a cooperative authority file building system and describes the services, products, and operation of the new Name Authority Cooperative (NACO). The document defines the relationship between NACO, other Library of Congress (LC) cooperative projects, and the Linked Systems Project (LSP). The…

This study is designed to illuminate some of the issues, options, and activities related to developing fee based information services at a large academic library, and to suggest the feasibility of developing such services at Memphis State University Libraries. The basis for the study is the realization that libraries, through automation, a changed…

Held to solicit the opinions of experts regarding the preservation of the brittle books in the nation's libraries, this hearing was intended to determine the appropriate federal, state, and private sector roles; learn the magnitude of costs and who should bear them; and explore what procedures are necessary to insure that selection decisions are…

The Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Amendments of 1990 required the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the Department of Education's Research Library, which is a component of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). Data were gathered by reviewing several existing studies of alternatives for…

The Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Amendments of 1990 required the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the Department of Education's Research Library, which is a component of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). Data were gathered by interviewing one researcher and four librarians familiar…

The characteristics of paper or microform library materials, electronic publications, and online databases are compared in terms of equipment needs, cost effectiveness, budgeting, and satisfaction of users' needs. Suggestions for the effective integration of these materials are offered. (13 references) (CLB)

This technical report presents recommendations and plans which are the result of a mission undertaken as part of a project to promote a scientific and technological information service and establish a popular science resource center in Korea. The mission's main emphasis was to help Korean authorities and the United Nations Development Programme…

This booklet presents information about the financial support authorized for libraries and library systems in Chapter 917 of the "Laws of 1990" and advocated by the Regents of the State University of New York for the state's library systems. It is noted that, although Chapter 917 provides for increases in library aid of $5 million each…