The library has been created by actual necessities in modern civilization. It is now a necessary unit in the social fabric. Culture must transcend the individual for it is essentially a social cumulation of experience whereby the men of each generation possess potentially at least, all that their predecessors have ever learned. Books are one social mechanism for preserving the racial memory and the library one social apparatus for transferring this to the consciousness of living individuals. Any understanding of society must include an explanation of this social element and of its function in communal life. Thus librarianship takes its place among the phenomena to be discussed in any system of social science.

Put simply, there is no text about public librarianship more rigorous or comprehensive than McCook's survey. Now, the REFORMA Lifetime Achievement Award-winning author has teamed up with noted public library scholar and advocate Bossaller to update and expand her work to incorporate the field's renewed emphasis on outcomes and transformation. This "essential tool" (Library Journal) remains the definitive handbook on this branch of the profession. It covers every aspect of the public library, from its earliest history through its current incarnation on the cutting edge of the information environment, including statistics, standards, planning, evaluations, and results;legal issues, funding, and politics;organization, administration, and staffing;all aspects of library technology, from structure and infrastructure to websites and makerspaces;adult services, youth services, and children's services;associations, state library agencies, and other professional organizations;global perspectives on public libraries; andadvocacy, outreach, and human rights. Exhaustively researched and expansive in its scope, this benchmark text continues to serve both LIS students and working professionals.

This book, first published in 1949, grew out of a series of talks to young librarians preparing for the entrance exam of the Library Association, and the syllabus for this exam was used to provide section and chapter headings. The different types of library call for differing methods of administration, but there are certain essential principles common to all librarianship, which are here described.

Practitioners and students will find much of value in this essential source for learning about the successful management and functioning of public libraries today.

This work focuses on the materials and activities and their interrelationships that are necessary for both professional and support staff in all types of libraries in providing library public service. Chapters are arranged by type of service, for example, reference service (both traditional and automated), bibliographic instruction, interlibrary loan, circulation, reserve services, special collections, serials, media services, government documents, and security issues. Within each chapter, the authors consider the philosophy and role of the particular service, variations in service and format, physical facility (and storage) implications of the service, staffing patterns and administrative concerns, and legal and ethical issues.