The British Library Research and Development Department's public library research programme has developed rapidly since 1978. Projects have included state-of-the-art reviews, preliminary or enabling studies, the evaluation of experimental services, user studies, descriptive and analytical studies and operational research projects. In addition, public library projects have been carried out by the research centres supported by the Department. Future work will probably concentrate more on the dissemination and promotion of research results.
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References
1.
Library Advisory Council (England), Aspects of public library management (Library and Information series, no. 3), London, HMSO, 1973.
2.
The list of areas for research is contained in Moore, Nick, Public library research: a study of the development and current state of public library research in Great Britain, BL R&D Report no. 5419, 1978, Appendix 2.
3.
British Library R&D Newsletter no. 5, 5.
4.
Moore, op. cit.
5.
Ibid.
6.
Maguire, Mike, Library services for small communities: a state of the art review , BL R&D Report no. 5444, 1978.
Allred, John , and Hay, Wendy, A preliminary study of the involvement of public libraries with adult leurners, BL R&D Report no. 5491, Leeds Polytechnic School of Librarianship, 1979.
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Smith, Judy , Book use in East Anglia , BL R&D Report no. 5514, 1980.
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Centre for Library and Information Management, Administrative effectiveness (ATLAS no. 1), BL R&D Report no. 5529, Loughborough University, 1980.
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Library Association Working Party on Community Information.Community information: what libraries can do, London , Library Association. 1980 .
