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The article presents an overview of the impact that a global recession and a challenging economic situation in the United States is having on the services that U.S. libraries are being asked to provide to library patrons, and in particular to unemployed library patrons, in 2009. A discussion of cases in which librarians have gone above and beyond their job descriptions to provide additional assistance to needy patrons is presented.

The article discusses the state of library services after Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged the New Orleans Public Library's main and branch buildings. Flooding destroyed books and other materials, evacuation caused staffing shortages, and lack of funds impede the rebuilding efforts. Overall, however, library administrators and employees are optimistic that they will be better than before and the community is grateful for whatever services is has.. INSET: Beyond the City.

The author offers opinions on libraries. It is stated that libraries should become platforms for development of ideas based on the principles of the platforms used to create open source computer software. The principal difficulty seen in creating such a library-based platform is said to be balancing the value of its usage data against the privacy rights of its library users.

The article considers U.S. public libraries which have received Five Star ratings for their quantity of services from the publication in its annual surveys of public libraries every year from 2009-2012. Libraries cited for this accomplishment including the public libraries of Bernardsville, New Jersey, Centerville, South Dakota and Naperville, Illinois.

The article presents an overview of the impact that a struggling U.S. economy is having on the budgets of U.S. libraries and on the importance of good customer services in libraries. In the article the author offers his opinions on the importance of providing good customer services and suggests that libraries need to increase their efforts to provide unique and meaningful services to customers. INSET: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SHOW US YOUR BEST DESIGN DECISIONS.

The author discusses what is considered to be appropriate behavior in libraries as of May 2014, offering details of his experience bathing in a public library bathroom. Human reactions to new ideas which challenge widespread assumptions and the consideration of the surrounding community when evaluating new library initiatives are discussed.

The article discusses content provided on library websites, offering suggestions on what content areas libraries should focus their websites on. Topics include focusing efforts on library services that patrons will use and benefit from, the use of email newsletters sent to patrons, and tips on building the relationship between patrons and the library.

The author talks about changes in library program planning. He states that public programs have been a staple for American library services for some time and suggests the popularity and growth of new programs in libraries have forced librarians to develop new methods to create and deliver library programs. He comments on the need to consider current demands of the public in program planning and how new programs brings new people to libraries which increases pressure to restore library budgets.

The author reflects on problems libraries are having with electronic books (ebook) and electronic content and suggests libraries need to offer other services to users. He states that digital content access is being solved without libraries and suggests competing with ebook providers defines libraries by something they're not good at. He comments on the use of user experience research such as user interviews to determine what library users need and talks about community-responsive services.

In this article the author argues for the importance of positive library user experience. He suggests that librarians conduct user interviews as a means of discerning the needs of patrons, and offers step-by-step instructions for how to do so. He notes that librarians can apply the information gathered during interviews to alter library services.

Focuses on the role of the librarian, Internet technology, and patron service. Trend in librarianship of moving toward the private-sector, market-driven models of salable service; View that librarians are not customer service centers; Plan for consolidating library services into the virtual domain called www.librariansknow.org; Reasons that patrons should be taught to trust and rely on librarians in their home-based institutions.