Focuses on the accomplishments of the National Commission of Libraries and Information Science including development of a planning document; studies of topics important to the information community; agreements with other agencies to improve service to the elderly; formulation with Canadian and British agencies of an international agenda; and the…

Describes British involvement in a field test of an American Library Association (ALA) project to develop a process which any public library could use in planning its services to meet the needs of the community it served. (Author/FM)

This study was developed on the hypothesis that economic inflation reduced the purchasing power of local support for public libraries from 1967 through fiscal 1976. The total local support for public libraries in each county in each year of the study was adjusted from the reported nominal amount to the relative Consumer Price Index value of 1967…

A discussion of the interrelated aspects of library performance measurement and what data collection means to library planning. Methodologies considered are cost analysis, quantitative vs qualitative measurement, community analysis, and citizen attitudes and opinions. (JAB)

This kit on planning systems updates a 1974 Management Studies Office Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit in which developments in planning activities among Association of Research Libraries (ARL) were reviewed. At the time of the original study, in 1972, planning techniques and systems were a subject of much interest because rising…

Program presentations on issues related to staffing considerations in research libraries and business meeting minutes are combined in this report from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Under the program title, "Organizational Futures: Staffing Research Libraries in the 1990's," a report by the Task Force on Research Library Staffing…

Describes a study which investigated plans of Association of Research Libraries members in New England for total automated library systems, whether compatibility of microcomputers with existing or proposed equipment is a factor in microcomputer selection, plans for microcomputer use, and how appropriate microcomputer tasks are identified and…

LI 500 019 is Part I in this series of articles.

This collection of 34 papers and speeches presented at the conference covers a wide range of topics pertaining to the role of libraries in contemporary society, including issues in library education, library/community relations, library planning and policy-making, technological trends, library services, and library administration. While several…

To evaluate the current conditions and perceptions of school media specialists, a questionnaire was disseminated to 700 school library media specialists in six southeastern states. Participants were asked to rank 18 perception items on a four-part scale, having to do with media center mission and use. Most frequently mentioned as "very…

Vendor selection can mean success or failure of an approval plan; this study evaluates three book vendors by comparing their plans on the bases of speed, bibliographic accuracy, and discounts. (Author/CWM)

The Molesworth Institute conducted a year long experiment on the shelving practices of two academic libraries of comparable size, with similar user populations. Results show that the practice of leaving the middle two shelves empty for future expansion cannot be recommended. Measurements include accumulation of dirt; usage; and incidents of…

Discusses three major motivations for in-house library research--planning, problem solving, and staff development--in terms of the functions and responsibilities of library management. Ten stages in a research project are identified and management contribution to each is described. It is concluded that the role of management is critical.…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit on Bibliographic Instruction (BI) in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) examines current developments as well as anticipated trends based on a SPEC telephone survey of 25 ARL libraries with active BI programs. Two themes which ran through the mid-1985 interviews were the use of new…

Describes the background, goals, methods, and results of a needs assessment study at the New York Public Library. This structured, phased self-examination was designed to form a consensus about the institution's long term needs and priorities. (CLB)