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In the early 19th century, public libraries in America tended toward grand appearances befitting seriousness of purpose. Library design changed gradually throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and more dramatically with automation and new technology. True to its roots, the public library continues to maintain areas for quiet, individual study. But, in addition, today's library has become a cultural center in the community, offering art galleries, auditoriums, meeting rooms, spaces for collaborative work, digital information and instruction, and even cafés. Change is inevitable, as innovations in library design and patron use illustrate. Yet, from the earliest libraries to modern times, one overarching constant defines their purpose: libraries inspire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarly or research-based journal articles related to public librarianship and public libraries are posited in previous literature as not being useful to the public library practitioner, and potentially less valuable to the researcher than other forms of research. Building off previous research, this article explores journal-based public library research literature to determine the trends in authorship, coverage, and venues. Publication venues are relatively static, with Public Library Quarterly and Library Quarterly publishing most public library research literature. LIS educators and public librarians dominate authorship of public library research, and the topical coverage of that research is gradually evolving in response to new technologies and a renewed focus on user services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This phenomenological study examines the unique perceptions of immigrant women concerning the public library as a meeting place, a support to integration into American culture, and a provider of programs for acquisition of the English language. The library offers a place for observing the culture of the new country from a distance to active participation; it is an arena for comfort and consolation in a difficult life situation as well as an arena for activity and participation. It provides support in developing friendships, acclimating to a new culture, learning a new language, and providing avenues to employment. Three mothers, who fulfilled the criteria for the study, were selected from an initial focus group. Women from Kurdistan, Mexico, and Indonesia were interviewed individually to gain an understanding on the issues brought forth in the focus group. They participated in interviews over the course of 6 months. These programs became a fortuitous blending of an established community with a group of families looking for a support community in a new country. This study has implications for institutions serving immigrants as they look to find a community of support, to learn English, and to acclimate to American culture as they create a comfortable identity that blends their home country with the new country. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An online survey distributed to librarians at public libraries across North America established some interesting trends in public librarians’ perceptions of ebooks and teens. Some of the findings of this study are that teen library users strongly prefer to read print books for their recreational reading and show very little interest in ebooks or ebook programs offered by public libraries. Survey respondents indicate that teen library users remain largely unaware of or disinterested in the advantages of ebooks in providing them a convenient, private, and customizable recreational reading experience. Even when public librarians offer ebook programs for teens through school outreach, these programs tend to focus on the titles in the collection and the download process, rather than the specific benefits of ebook reading. More active promotion of these advantages could potentially appeal to teens, especially to non-library users and reluctant readers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2013, Bexar County launched BiblioTech, the first all digital public library in the United States. BiblioTech capitalizes on technology to reach beyond the library walls and integrate the public library in facets of everyday life previously unavailable through paper and print. At its core, BiblioTech changes the traditional understanding of how libraries operate. BiblioTech’s digital model prompts a paradigm shift and challenges the library to seek out new ways to serve otherwise disengaged patron populations. This article discusses the launch of BiblioTech---its impetus, mission, timeline, and challenges. The evolution of BiblioTech over its first four years of operation is presented, along with various community and intergovernmental partnerships that the library has forged in fulfillment of its mission. Finally, future opportunities and plans for development are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article is introduced with a brief account of the historical development of free public libraries in the United States. This is necessary to set the stage for sound reasoning for charging for products and services in today's vanishing public library systems. To be sure, these libraries are closing everywhere because of the lack of proper funding for survival, and charging a small fee has been debated continuously for the survival of these cultural, social, and informational centers. This is not only a problem throughout the United States but also globally. There are a few public libraries that are investigating this strategy to further serve library customers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article contains news briefs of interest to librarians. An evaluation of the fifty worst inventions selected by "Time" magazine and their relevance to libraries and library services are presented. The influence of caregivers in the U.S. as a distinct user group is discussed. The social media web site Twitter processed 2 billion tweets per month beginning in May 2010.

Virtually every public library in the United States provides public access Internet computers as a role central to its mission. This article addresses the issue of why the Internet matters for public libraries, both in terms of impacts on the general public, particularly the digitally disadvantaged (part one of the article) and impacts on libraries themselves (part two of the article). Each part of this report begins with an extensive literature review, followed by a data analysis section. In part one, the author uses the 2000 United States Census dataset to evaluate library efforts to bridge the digital divide, by analyzing differences in the growth of public terminals in library systems serving counties with different levels of household income, households in poverty, non-white households, and non-English-speaking households. The analysis finds no disparity in the number of public computers available in areas with high and low incomes but finds a significant—and widening—disparity in the number of computers available in areas with a higher versus lower percentage of non-white and non-English-speaking households. In part two of the report, the author uses a random effects linear regression model to estimate the effects of Internet access on library usage. This analysis finds that having Internet terminals (versus having no Internet terminals) has a significant positive effect on a library's visits and reference transactions, but not on a library's circulation. An increase in the number of Internet terminals has no significant effect, positive or negative, on visits, reference transactions, or circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent recession-related rise in use of U.S. public libraries temporarily masks the declining customer numbers at many public libraries. This loss has been an international problem for over a decade. George Kerr was Customer Services Manager at West Lothian Council Public Libraries (Scotland, UK) when he undertook this study. Kerr recognized that the most efficient way to increase use was to get former users to return. Drawing on international examples, direct mailings, and a telephone survey, this paper examines that effort to win back what Kerr termed “lapsed borrowers.” Kerr's research confirms that libraries can win back a significant proportion of “lapsed borrowers.” The most effective method was for the library to contact customers directly and to offer them a “freebie.” Kerr presents cost data to demonstrate that the effort to win back lapsed users is cost effective. The lapse rate was reduced to just 33 percent. According to Kerr, lapsed borrowers should be the main target group for any new marketing drive. In the future, regular contact by e-mail could be a key to customer retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]