This study attempts to demonstrate that public library development should be an integral part of the states' mandate to provide public educational services, and that the level and pattern of state fiscal support for public libraries and schools should be more closely related. It examines state-by-state the disparities in state aid systems using…

This general summary of the results of a library study conducted in Hawaii presents the major findings from the survey of residents, the library staff survey, the government agency survey, and the measurements conducted in five Hawaii libraries. Major recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of library performance are…

In this study designed to determine the use of U.S. public and academic libraries, data was obtained by a review of the pertinent literature, a nation-wide public opinion poll, and a survey of a selected group of library experts. Only 11 pertinent published studies were found. Of these nearly half are limited to use of academic libraries, there is…

In order to find reliable methods of ascertaining quality in library service, three public libraries in the Chicago area were assessed using the Rutgers "Performance Measures for Public Libraries." The Rutgers study can reveal the needs and characteristics of library patrons, and may itself be instrumental in increasing patronage. It…

Library Technical Assistants (LTA's) were the subject of a study designed to focus on four areas: (1) the present status of formal LTA training programs, (2) the present and potential job market, (3) the duties which LTA's perform, and (4) the attitude of the professional librarian toward the LTA. Data were collected from two sources--catalogs of…

Usable data relating to six elements of job satisfaction: work, supervision, people, pay, promotion, and total satisfaction, were collected from 190 of a total sample of 310 librarians, chosen by stratified random sampling techniques from library association membership lists. The librarians, both male and female, represented three types of…

A survey was conducted to determine if California public libraries and systems serving 150,000 or greater populations met certain audiovisual standards established by the American Library Association (ALA). Fourteen public libraries and 11 systems responded to questions covering the criteria. Half the public libraries and the majority of systems…

Describes a study which was conducted to test the ability of four motivators to explain adult use of the public library: (1) home and family life; (2) vocational growth; (3) religion; and (4) politics. Other general user characteristics were examined as supplements to the four motivators in predicting library use. (16 references) (LRW)

A reanalysis of data from a national telephone poll (n1181) conducted in 1991 determined that if local libraries faced a fiscal crisis, 47% favored raising taxes, 44% preferred instituting user fees, and 9% advocated reducing services. Frequent library use, urban residence, higher level of education, and greater income were associated with a…

This report of the findings of a year-long policy analysis of New York City's three public branch library systems, carried out by the Nova Institute in cooperation with a study committee composed of city and library officials, opens with a brief historic account of the development of the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and…

This study was conducted to determine how library users in California say library use helps them. While most library effectiveness studies infer effectiveness by looking at the movement of materials or reports of user satisfaction, this study proceeds from the assumption that libraries need to know how library use helps in user terms. The study…

Objectives of this study were to assess public library history, current status, trends, and problems and to suggest approaches to improvement. Trends indicate a new era of library and information services, making it necessary for librarians to decide whether the public library will be an active or passive institution for public enlightenment and…

The DIALIB Project was a 3-year experiment that investigated the potential of the public library as a "linking agent" between the public and the many machine-readable data bases currently accessible via the telephone using online terminals. The study investigated the following questions: (1) Is online search of use to the patrons of a…

This is the final report of the evaluation of the DIALIB project--an investigation of the public library as a linking agent to major scientific, educational, social, and environmental data bases. The report is presented in seven sections and four appendices as follows: Section I provides an introduction to the study and a brief summary of the…

These papers on reading research in the socialist countries were delivered at a conference held in Budapest, Hungary, in October of 1974. Included are the text of the introductory address and papers on the following topics: (1) the library and society; (2) the library as it relates to students, teachers, and engineers; (3) the role and…