A Study of the Combined School Public Library. Phase II.

This second part of a 3-phase study, which examined the potential of cooperative ventures and combination libraries for improving school and public library services in Florida, analyzed past and present attempts at mergers and multi-type library cooperative activities to assess the present status of combinations and library cooperation in the state. Data were collected through interviews with administrators of two community libraries in one county and questionnaires sent to directors of public library systems, directors of municipal libraries, and district school media supervisors throughout Florida. Inquiries about cooperative activities focused on (1) multi-type library cooperative activities most and least frequently engaged in; (2) advantages and disadvantages of multi-type library cooperation; (3) agencies, institutions, or other entities most often called upon to provide cooperative services or resources; (4) terms of formal multi-type library cooperative agreements; (5) major barriers to cooperation and methods of overcoming them; and (6) additional cooperative library activities desired by library directors and school media supervisors. Responses were categorized by type of library affiliation and analyzed to provide preliminary insights into the status of multi-type library cooperation in Florida. Appendices include the questionnaires and the interview schedule. (Author/CMV)