Services of Small Public Libraries

Lamont, Bridget L.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/1657 Copy

Description

Title

Services of Small Public Libraries

Author(s)

Lamont, Bridget L.

Issue Date

1977

Keyword(s)

Children’s libraries

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss both state library agency services and children's services in small public libraries. I will present my perspective on some of the realities of these two institutions today and the effect of these realities on library services for children in those communities with small public libraries. Small is a relative term and, no doubt, everyone has arrived at his/ her own concept of a small public library from personal experience as a library patron, as a practicing librarian, and/or from the literature about the small public library. Elizabeth Gross's study defined small libraries as those serving populations under 35,000. Informal conversations with fellow state library agency children's consultants lead me to define small libraries as those serving populations of less than 20,000 or even 10,000. Of the 597 public libraries in Illinois, 56.4 percent serve populations of less than 5000, as do 54 percent of New York's 737 public libraries. 2 Therefore, employing the term small in reference to libraries serving populations of less than 5000 is very realistic. I will refer primarily to these very small public libraries when discussing services because I believe they deserve some attention and should be remembered when planning for the future. Small libraries do not always indicate rural location small libraries are also situated in maturing suburban communities.

Publisher

Graduate School of Library Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Series/Report Name or Number

Allerton Park Institute (23rd : 1977)

ISSN

0536-4604

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1657

Copyright and License Information

Copyright owned by Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1977.

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