Introduction: Reports the conduct of a national survey in Sweden to establish the desired research priorities for libraries. The research sought to establish what evidence-base is needed for evidence-based practice. Method: The Delphi method was employed to solicit opinions on the kinds of research needed by libraries of all kinds in Sweden.…

The four papers contained in this volume were presented at the August 1994 meetings of the American Statistical Association as a session titled, "Public Policy and Data Comparability: New Interest in Public Library Data." The first paper, "Public Library Statistics: Two Systems Compared" (Mary Jo Lynch), describes two systems…

Presents the results of a 1971 survey of the demographic characteristics of the adult population of North Carolina as they relate to library use. Each of 14 tables of data is accompanied by a short discussion, and the average library user as depicted by the data is described. (JVP)

Reviews a study by the RAND Corporation on the changing ethnic nature of California which focused on the impact for public library services of having the majority of the population composed of what once were racial and ethnic minorities. The report is criticized for the narrowness of the questions addressed, softness of data, and simplicity of…

This report is a part of Phase I of the Detroit Metropolitan Library Project and contains suggestions for methods and procedures for Phases II and III of the Project in which patron use and costs of patron services at the Main Library are to be measured. The report includes recommendations for new instruments for measuring patron use and…

Based on a doctoral dissertation, this paper describes a study of why displays of books increase use. Two hypotheses were tested using standard pretest-posttest experimental designs at two small Illinois public libraries. Increased accessibility and visibility were found to be causes, while narrowing the browser's choice was not. (Author/EM)

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)

The direction and development of public library services to children are of vital concern; but socioeconomic "status insecurity" on the part of chilren's librarians may confound their ability and willingness to fulfill both personal and professional commitments to librarianship and to children. (Author/CMV)

Investigates the nature of published literature about public libraries based on a search of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Findings show that authorship is dispersed, recently published journals and books are most often cited, and the specific subject matter is diverse. (EA)

Issues 266 through 282 of "Fast Facts" from the Library Research Service present data collected from libraries in Colorado and throughout the nation. Topics addressed in these "Fast Facts" from 2009 include interlibrary loan in academic libraries, public librarian salaries, book, newspaper, and periodical prices from 2004 to…

Issues 256 through 265 of "Fast Facts" from the Library Research Service present data collected from libraries in Colorado and throughout the nation. Topics addressed in these "Fast Facts" from 2008 include computer usage by public library patrons, Colorado summer reading programs, children's' use of public libraries, and the…

Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

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…

This study concerned pre-school programming in public libraries and the impact of such programs on (1) the circulation of children's books and (2) the number of children visiting the library. The hypothesis was that effective programming for pre-schoolers increases the number of children coming to the library, which, in turn, increases…

The unique feature of this survey lies in its ability to define the type of user and the percent of library use based on the potential number of users in the service area. This survey classifies users by their educational level and compares the number of these users having a particular kind of education with the number in the community as a whole…