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Theft is a serious problem in our neighborhood libraries if the results of the survey described in this article are any indication. The Sacramento Public Library had purchased 455 copies of 26 Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) titles. Only 71 were found to be available. Ten of the others had been lost and paid for but the remaining 374 copies had been billed but not paid. This represents a loss of $8,900. Books by the author Zane were also examined. The losses amounted to $6,700. The effects of these losses are discussed. Recommendations for handling high-risk titles and improving the overdue process are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recession in the American economy touches all of us. Budget cuts, layoffs, and reduced service hours may be among the most obvious signs in our neighborhood libraries. Beneath the surface, however, one finds resilience in the face of adversity. At the Information Desk in the Colonial Heights, Elk Grove, and Rancho Cordova branch libraries of the Sacramento Public Library one encounters people who are full of life and vitality as they struggle to find work, fix what is broken, and complete difficult assignments, whether at work, home, or school. Some of their stories are recounted in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our neighborhoods are full of life. This life flows into and through our libraries. The cares, worries, joys, and pleasures of everyday living accompany these visits. Members of these communities may walk in, be pushed in, and sometimes perhaps, skate in. Those of us who work in their libraries are the beneficiaries. The stories of some of these neighbors as they use the Colonial Heights, Elk Grove, and Fair Oaks branches of the Sacramento Public Library are conveyed in this anecdotal-based article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Those using Sacramento's Colonial Heights Branch Library for the first time encounter a range of issues to which they must adjust. Some of these issues are behavioral and normally relate to the age of the individual. Others are at the skill level. This article describes some of these adjustments based on the age of the first-timer from pre-toddler to computer-averse senior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patron use of the Internet may appear to overwhelm the public library's traditional role. This is often the case at the Colonial Heights Branch of the Sacramento Public Library. Fortunately the services which are required to support Internet use complement those required to assist patrons with the print and media collections. This essay recounts the important, primarily personal ways in which a branch library in a low socio-economic neighborhood reinforces its traditional informational and instructional role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]