A Study of Four Small College Libraries and Their Approach to Public Services

This study was conducted to find out what small academic libraries are doing in response to the increased use of library services by the public. The directors of four small academic libraries in North Carolina were interviewed by telephone. They were asked questions pertaining to their policies and practices for serving the local non-academic user. The findings of this study indicate that for the most part, services offered to the public are not particularly different from the services offered to the academic user. Findings alos indicate that, because of their locations, some academic libraries offer the only access to information for some public users. The four academic libraries studied are attentive to the needs for public access to information and resources. The implications are that these libraries will continue to offer their services as long as they have the staff and facilities to do so