Random samples of monographic materials from U.S. and Canadian public libraries were matched with collections from similar libraries of different sizes. Strong positive correlation appears between percentage find rate and target library size, with regression analysis suggesting linearity over a wide range of collection sizes. (Author)

A preservation census was conducted of selected Dewey ranges of the volumes located in the mezzanine area of the Social Science Department of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library main branch. This collection is housed in a non-circulating, semi-supervised stack area and includes approximately 500 volumes in the fields of bibliography and rare…

Because advances in medical science can lead to rapid changes in current health knowledge, a library collection of medical science materials can become dated rather quickly. This factor, as well as the many variables of library use and operation which impact the availability of current materials on the library shelves--loan periods, weeding…

The Sydney Public Library began as the Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room which opened in Sydney on December 1, 1827, with 1,000 volumes. The Municipal Council of Sydney took possession of the library in 1909. The library evolved from a closed access, fixed shelf position library to an open access system in 1910. A complete…

Over a 3-year period (1985-1987) site visits were made to selected U.S. libraries that focus on climbing or mountaineering as a specific area for comprehensive collection building to survey their monographic holdings, serial holdings, and special collections. The monographic collections were compared to two lists of outstanding mountaineering…

Data from a research project on the value and impact of public library book reading have provided insights into the role of the public library in the reading experience. The principle of equity of access was seen as crucial, in that it provided everyone with the opportunity to encounter reading material. Respondents also compared the buying and…

THE LIBRARY RECORDS OF A MIDWESTERN PUBLIC LIBRARY WERE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE WHICH AGE GROUPS VISIT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY DURING THE SUMMER, WHICH AGE GROUP READS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF BOOKS, AND HOW MANY OF THE VOLUMES CIRCULATED ARE LISTED IN THE "CHILDREN'S CATALOG" AS QUALITY LITERATURE. DATA COMPILED WITHIN A 6-DAY PERIOD REVEALED…

Provides a definition of reference books based on their organizational structure and describes an empirical study which was conducted in three libraries to identify types of book organization and determine their frequency in reference departments and stack collections. The data are analyzed and shown to support the definition. (EM)

Discusses the development of a legal collection in the public library in terms of the breadth of the collection, ethical considerations involved in public access to legal materials, establishing a core collection, organizing the collection, and bibliographic aids. Fifteen references are listed. (CHC)

This paper reports the results of a circulation study in the government documents departments of a public library and an academic library. Based on a systematic random sample of the records of materials returned in 1981, the study had two purposes: to seek evidence to support the assumption that current documents circulate more than older ones;…

This study was conducted in l978/79 to test the hypothesis that the circulation of books put in a prominent display location would increase because of the tendency of adults to select books in public libraries by browsing, rather than looking for specific titles. The circulation of all copies of a sample of ll5 titles from the adult individual…

The Oklahoma County (Oklahoma) Library executed a six-month experiment in 1974 on one of its five bookmobiles to determine whether: (1) patrons would accept a primarily paperback book collection; (2) the cost of unreturned paperbound books in a no-fine and no-overdue-notice situation would be cost-effective when compared to the predictable loss of…

Describes a two-part book circulation use study conducted to find a simple inexpensive and effective method of weeding a public library branch collection, to determine whether weeding increases circulation, and to compare results with Slote's results. Seven tables, one appendix, and 32 references are provided. (RBF)

Each year, from 1982 to 1986, the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois conducted a study called the Index of Quality of Public Library Service. For this study, unobtrusive tests of reference service and book availability were performed annually in Illinois Public Libraries. When the results from rural libraries were compared with…

This report includes statistics reported to the Missouri State Library by the various public, academic, special, and institutional libraries in Missouri. All data included in the report was supplied by the responding libraries, and the statistics were not edited or altered. The report is arranged alphabetically by type of library. Each type of…