Whole Library Handbook 4: Current Data, Professional Advice, and Curiosa about Libraries and Library Services (Whole Library Handbook)

593 Pages·2006·8.7 MB·English

by  George M. Eberhart

4
T HE
WHOLE

PEOPLE ฀MATERIALS GUIDELINES TECHNOLOGY
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LIBRARY

OPERATIONS FUNDING STAFF DEVELOPMENT
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HANDBOOK
ISSUES DIVERSITY THE INTERNET LIBRARIANA
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CURRENT DATA, PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, AND CURIOSA
ABOUT LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY SERVICES
George M. Eberhart
EDITED BY
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Chicago 2006
While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information
appearing in this book, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied,
on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and does not assume and
hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by
errors or omissions in this publication.
Composition by Priority Publishing using Adobe PageMaker 7.0 on a
Windows platform. Selected artwork from ClipArt.com.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
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The whole library handbook 4 : current data, professional advice, and curiosa
about libraries and library services / edited by George M. Eberhart.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8389-0915-9
1.Library science—United States—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
2.Libraries—United States—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Z665.2U6W49 2006
020.0973—dc22 2005033619
Copyright © 2006 by the American Library Association. All rights
reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of
the Copyright Revision Act of 1976.
Printed in the United States of America.
10 09 08 07 06 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
PPPPPRRRRREEEEEFFFFFAAAAACCCCCEEEEE ...............................................................................................v
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Basic Information...........................................................................2
Academic Libraries.......................................................................13
Public Libraries ............................................................................20
School Libraries............................................................................28
Special Libraries...........................................................................32
National Libraries ........................................................................35
State Libraries..............................................................................44
Small & Rural Libraries ...............................................................46
Mobile Libraries...........................................................................50
Facilities........................................................................................55
The Past........................................................................................60
The Future....................................................................................69
22222 PPPPPEEEEEOOOOOPPPPPLLLLLEEEEE
Recruitment..................................................................................72
Job Search.....................................................................................82
Librarians......................................................................................91
Managers.....................................................................................105
Media Specialists .......................................................................110
Trustees ......................................................................................117
Friends.........................................................................................125
Support Staff ..............................................................................132
Volunteers...................................................................................137
33333 TTTTTHHHHHEEEEE PPPPPRRRRROOOOOFFFFFEEEEESSSSSSSSSSIIIIIOOOOONNNNN
Events.........................................................................................140
Grants & Awards........................................................................153
Library Education ......................................................................183
Research & Writing....................................................................191
44444 MMMMMAAAAATTTTTEEEEERRRRRIIIIIAAAAALLLLLSSSSS
Books...........................................................................................210
Documents .................................................................................227
Special Collections.....................................................................234
Multimedia.................................................................................252
Children’s Materials...................................................................266
Young Adult Materials................................................................272
55555 OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTIIIIIOOOOONNNNNSSSSS
Bibliography................................................................................280
Acquisition & Selection.............................................................283
Cataloging...................................................................................291
iii
Classification ..............................................................................315
Reference....................................................................................329
Circulation..................................................................................340
Distance Learning......................................................................342
Systems.......................................................................................344
Preservation & Disasters ...........................................................348
Planning......................................................................................364
66666 TTTTTHHHHHEEEEE UUUUUNNNNNDDDDDEEEEERRRRRSSSSSEEEEERRRRRVVVVVEEEEEDDDDD
Ethnic Groups ............................................................................370
People with Disabilities.............................................................381
Gender Issues.............................................................................384
Older Adults ...............................................................................387
Incarcerated Persons..................................................................389
Homeless Persons.......................................................................392
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Promotion ...................................................................................396
Fund-Raising...............................................................................408
88888 TTTTTEEEEECCCCCHHHHHNNNNNOOOOOLLLLLOOOOOGGGGGYYYYY
Low Technology.........................................................................418
Library Systems..........................................................................430
Digitization.................................................................................435
The Internet...............................................................................438
Other Technology.......................................................................452
99999 IIIIISSSSSSSSSSUUUUUEEEEESSSSS
Core Values.................................................................................458
Information Commons...............................................................459
Copyright....................................................................................461
Legislation..................................................................................465
Intellectual Freedom..................................................................468
Privacy.........................................................................................481
Adult Literacy.............................................................................484
Information Literacy..................................................................487
Patron Behavior ..........................................................................491
Ethics..........................................................................................498
Global Concerns.........................................................................503
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Words...........................................................................................516
Books...........................................................................................522
Media ..........................................................................................533
Collections..................................................................................548
Anomalies....................................................................................556
Whimsy .......................................................................................576
IIIIINNNNNDDDDDEEEEEXXXXX ..................................................................................................579
iv
PREFACE
The Whole Library Handbook 4
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SSSSSIIIIIXXXXX YYYYYEEEEEAAAAARRRRRSSSSS HHHHHAAAAAVVVVVEEEEE PPPPPAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEDDDDD since the Whole Library Handbook 3 appeared,
and in many ways it seems as if we are living in a different bibliographic era. In
2000, blogs were relatively unknown, 24/7 digital reference services were largely
untested, and the USA Patriot Act and the Children’s Internet Protection Act
were not around to bedevil intellectual freedom advocates. Y2K forced every-
one to upgrade their operating systems, and Google became the world’s larg-
est search engine in June with the creation of a billion-page Web index.
Many excellent books and articles on library history, theory, and practice
have been written in the past six years, and I have tried offer a selection of the
most informative, practical, and entertaining. About 97% of WLH4 is com-
pletely new or substantially revised, with 16 more pages than the last edition.
However, there are still perfectly valid articles in the earlier handbooks, so
I’d recommend keeping them on the shelves a few years more. WLH3 has a
complete list of library-related movies prior to 1999, how to identify a first
edition, tips on preparing a bibliography, and a history of the card catalog.
WLH2 (1995) offers suggestions on how to photograph your library, a salute to
Ranganathan, and an overview of 20th-century bookbindings. Even the first
handbook (1991) contains still-insightful essays on Soviet librarianship, meth-
ods for moving books, and how barcodes work.
This edition maintains the same 10-chapter structure as the others:
Chapter 1 looks at basic library statistics and types of libraries, and pro-
vides a new definition of libraries for the Information Age.
Chapter 2 examines library jobs and people, from managers to volunteers,
and offers 10 reasons to be a librarian, while crediting the essential work of
support staff, Friends, and trustees.
Chapter 3 covers library conferences, education, and professional writing,
and contains a comprehensive list of scholarships, grants, and awards offered
by professional associations.
Chapter 4 reviews the types of materials found in a library, from books to
multimedia. Ever wonder what the first printed book in the Basque language
was? You’ll find out here.
Chapter 5 takes up the varied operations library workers engage in, such as
reference and cataloging, with basic information on metadata, Cutter num-
bers, and preservation storage.
Chapter 6 surveys a number of underserved users, including Hispanic youth,
Asian-language speakers, gay and lesbian teens, and homeless persons.
Chapter 7 offers promotion and fundraising suggestions for all types of li-
braries.
Chapter 8 summarizes the state of technology in libraries, from paper clips
and staplers to internet filters and RFID tags.
v
Chapter 9 outlines the major issues facing libraries in the 21st century,
including copyright, intellectual freedom, privacy, literacy, patron behavior,
and ethics.
Chapter 10 provides some comic relief with bizarre book titles, famous
librarians’ favorite books, libraries and librarians on film, library postcards,
haunted libraries, and other stimulating trivia.
In short, there’s something in here for everyone who loves libraries and
wants to discover their mysterious ways. As in the earlier editions, please keep
in mind that many of the selections are only extracts of longer books or
articles. The originals in their full glory are always worth seeking out.
If I have, through lack of space or unconscious editorial preference, ne-
glected to include a topic or reprint a particularly magnificent checklist, let
me know and I will consider it for a future edition. Send ideas to me c/o Ameri-
can Libraries, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611, or email [email protected].
Finally, I would like to thank the many authors in this edition, especially
Denise Davis, Lori Ayre, Norman Stevens, Larry Nix, and Jeff Baskin, who
made original contributions. Also, my deepest appreciation goes to my wife
and occasional collaborator, Jennifer Henderson, who has offered tremendous
moral support; and all of the library students, librarians, support staff, and
library advocates who have found something useful in these handbooks over
the years.
vi
LIBRARIES 1
L
P
rofession
the IBRARIES 11111
CCHhAAPPtTerE Rth OrNeEe
“When you are growing up, there are two institutional
places that affect you most powerfully—the church,
which belongs to God, and the public library, which
belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer.”
—Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
2 THE WHOLE LIBRARY HANDBOOK 4
BASIC INFORMATION
What is a library?
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AAAAA LLLLLIIIIIBBBBBRRRRRAAAAARRRRRYYYYY IIIIISSSSS a collection of resources in a variety of formats that is (1)
organized by information professionals or other experts who (2) provide con-
venient physical, digital, bibliographic, or intellectual access and (3) offer tar-
geted services and programs (4) with the mission of educating, informing, or
entertaining a variety of audiences (5) and the goal of stimulating individual
learning and advancing society as a whole.
SOURCES: Heartsill Young, ed., The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science (Chicago:
American Library Association, 1983), p. 130; Robert S. Martin, “Libraries and Learn-
ers in the Twenty-First Century,” Cora Paul Bomar Lecture, University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, April 5, 2003, www.imls.gov/scripts/text.cgi?/whatsnew/
current/sp040503.htm; Deanna B. Marcum, “Research Questions for the Digital
Era Library,” Library Trends 51 (Spring 2003): 636–651.
What we know about libraries
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FFFFFOOOOORRRRR MMMMMOOOOORRRRREEEEE TTTTTHHHHHAAAAANNNNN 111110000000000 YYYYYEEEEEAAAAARRRRRSSSSS the library community has been reporting
figures on its services, collection, staff, and facilities. These data have been
collected by a myriad of associations and agencies, but the most consistent
data are available from the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education. These reports in-
clude:Academic Libraries: 2002 (2003); Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal
Year 2003 (2005); State Library Agencies: Fiscal 2003 (2004); and The Status of
Public and Private School Library Media Centers in the United States: 1999–2000 (2004).
Additional sources are cited where appropriate.
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Keeping track of the various types of libraries
throughout the United States and its territories
is no small task. In addition to the sources noted
above for academic, public, state, and school
libraries, the single best source of information
about special, armed forces, and government
libraries comes from the American Library Direc-
tory, compiled annually by the R. R. Bowker
Company.
LIBRARIES 3
Libraries in the United States
11111
College and university libraries 3,527
Public libraries 9,211*
Centrals* 9,062
Branches 7,479
Buildings 16,541
Bookmobiles 866
School library media centers 93,861
Public schools 76,807
Private schools 17,054
State libraries 50
Special libraries 8,208
Armed forces libraries 314
Government libraries 1,225
Total 116,396
* The number of central buildings is different from the number of public libraries
because some public library systems have no central building and some have
more than one.
These libraries also may participate in cooperative arrangements, either
formally or informally, to provide services to their communities. Libraries
may share collections, technology, and staff expertise or may cooperatively
acquire collections by leveraging the economies of scale possible with group
purchases. The International Coalition of Library Consortia reported as its
members in 2005 more than 170 consortia around the world and nearly 100
in the United States alone. In addition, a 1987 NCES study reported ap-
proximately 760 library networks and cooperatives existed in the U.S. at
that time (Survey of Library Networks and Cooperative Library Organizations,
1985–1986).
Most college, university, and public libraries and many school libraries
belong to at least one network, cooperative, or consortium, and many par-
ticipate in more than one. Detailed information on this participation will be
reportedin the Academic Libraries: 2002 report, which was not yet released at
the time of this publication. Readers are encouraged to review the report
online at nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/Academic.asp.
State libraries also play an important role in providing or supporting
library services in the 50 states. The agency may have a library or may
contract with a public or academic library to act as a resource or reference/
information center. Forty-four state library agencies reported in 2003 that
they supported some form of reference referral services to public libraries,
37 to academic and special libraries, 33 to school libraries, and 25 to sys-
tems. Many states have begun virtual digital reference services, and state
libraries are providing support either through direct coordination or fund-
ing. All 50 states and the District of Columbia administer federal Library
Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding, and 50 states support Uni-
versal Service (e-rate discount) program reviews.