The Functions and Roles of State Library Agencies
Auteur: Ethel Eileen Himmel, GraceAnne A. DeCandido
Nombre de pages: 66 pages
ISBN: 0838981054, 9780838981054
Edition: American Library Association
Date de publication: American Library Association
Description: "This publication replaces Standards for library functions at the state level (3d.) published by the American Library Association in 1985. While it replaces the previous standards, it is different in both its form and fuction. ASCLA and COSLA chose this new format quite deliberately for several reasons. First, while there are certainly commonalities among state library agencies (SLAs), there are also great differences. Like local libraries, state library agencies serve diverse audiences. No one set of standards is appropriate or applicable for all fifty state library agencies plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Thus, the first section of these standards provides a descriptive summary of the totality of collections, functions, and services offered by state library agencies throughout the country. Second, this publication presents both common and uncommon services and provides insight into what is typical and what is unusual. We also hope it illuminates emerging trends in state library agency practice. Third, state library agencies are expected to lead and to advocate for the libraries they serve. The second section of the publication deals on a more conceptual level with the roles that state library agencies can play in their respective states ... Finally, state library agencies are increasingly asked to evaluate and to document their contribution to the welfare of a state and their use of both state and federal funds. A final part of the second section discusses this movement toward more substantive evaluation. Thus, this new document acknowledges and celebrates the richness and diversity of the state library agencies while documenting the reality of what they currently do"--Foreword.