Building on a prior investigation of users' formulations and needs in fiction, this study was conducted to determine dominant patterns in public library user-librarian search interactions. Based on analysis of 134 actual user-librarian conversations about fiction recorded under everyday library conditions in Danish public libraries in 1976, it was…

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…

This collection of papers provides an overview of the status of children's services in public libraries and identifies areas which need to be strengthened. A review of the institute program and an examination of the goals of children's services are followed by 16 papers focusing on the child, the children's librarian, services, facilities,…

This second part of a 3-phase study, which examined the potential of cooperative ventures and combination libraries for improving school and public library services in Florida, analyzed past and present attempts at mergers and multi-type library cooperative activities to assess the present status of combinations and library cooperation in the…

A data comparison was made between 33 rural libraries in Utah and the essentially rural bookmobile service maintained by the Extension Services Division of the State Library Commission of Utah. The comparison revealed that, in terms of cost per item circulated, bookmobile service was slightly more expensive. Using cost per capita served as a…

Discusses the advantages of evaluation of library services and provides examples of decisions that might be aided through evaluation. The three attributes of library service of most concern to the evaluator--costs, effectiveness, and benefits--are considered. Describes general principles of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit studies in the…

Discusses library use instruction in public libraries. The need for instruction is examined, the commitment of public libraries to provide information rather than instruction is considered, academic library and public library users' attitudes are discussed, and a 105-item bibliography of descriptive literature on use instruction in public…

Describes results of a research project conducted in Illinois to obtain detailed information about preferences of public library customers and about how much value they place on various types of library services. Discusses rural perceptions of public library contributions, willingness to pay more for service, and implications for library…

Discusses leadership theory as it relates to the library profession and the importance of factors to identify individuals who are likely to be successful that can form the basis for recruitment strategies. Describes results of testing recruitment theory in academic and public libraries, and recommends further research. (Contains 50 references.)…

This pamphlet summarizes the results of a national survey funded by the U.S. Department of Education which asked Americans how they perceived the role of the public library in their lives. Those surveyed included a cross section of the national population, minority groups, and community opinion leaders. Most of those surveyed regard public…

This document contains validated activities and competencies needed by librarians working in a public library. The activities and competencies are organized according to the functions which public librarians perform: acquisitions; cataloging; circulation and reader services; collection maintenance; interlibrary loan; management; reference; and…

This research report presents the results of a survey of public libraries that serve areas where populations are 25,000 or fewer individuals. The long range goal of the study was to gather data that would help to initially describe some of the circumstances in which and because of which rural information services exist and endure. Questionnaires…

A possibility for improving library output measures would be to incorporate in catalog entries and charging codes a symbol indicating the type or level of difficulty of each adult non-fiction title. Experiments were conducted by the Public Library Research Group to define such categories. (Author/LS)

The State Library of Florida funded a year-long project to examine the concept of cooperative/combined programs between school and public libraries to determine their potential for improving library services and reducing expenditures. Phase I involved development of an interview schedule and evaluation instruments, and visitation of the seven…

Sample selection methodology and findings are described for a telephone survey of residents of the six Hawaiian Islands to identify library users and their characteristics as well as patterns of use. Findings are reported for demographic patterns of use, user and non-user attitudes, leisure time activities, levels of awareness and interests in…