Reference Service to Meet Community Needs; A Survey of the Reference Resources and Services of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System.

The Metropolitan Cooperative Library System in California is a group of 17 autonomous community libraries which have joined together to provide better services to their patrons. This survey of the reference resources and services of the system was conducted by personal interviews at each of the member libraries. The focus is upon reader oriented services, i.e., good reference and reading collections; staffs available to help library users; and, reciprocal borrowing privileges. Based on the information gathered through the interviews, recommendations are made for long and short range goals for future planning, with the purpose of increasing service to the public. (SG)