Service Tree

The Service Tree lists all services in "branched" groups, starting with the very general and moving to the very specific. Click on the name of any group name to see the sub-groups available within it. Click on a service code to see its details and the providers who offer that service.

Library Services

Bookmobiles

Large motor vehicles especially equipped to carry books and other library materials that travel to communities which do not have immediate access to a nearby library.

Children's Library Services

Libraries that offer special programs to acquaint children with library services and encourage them to read.

Information Clearinghouses

Programs that collect, classify and distribute information about specific topics or problems which requires wide dissemination. Included are specialized information centers and organizations that provide reference assistance for the public regarding a wide variety of general and technical areas. The centers generally offer copies or reprints or allow people to come to the facility to do research but usually do not provide telephone information or refer people to specific resources.

Library Audiovisual Services

Libraries or other organizations that maintain collections of nonprint literary and artistic materials (films and recordings and the equipment that is required for their enjoyment) which are made available to the community on a loan basis. Audiovisual resources include DVDs, audio books, music CDs and language instruction recordings as well as access to eBooks, eAudio and movie and television streaming services.

Reference/Information

Libraries that maintain reference desks in adult and/or children's sections or telephone reference services to help users to find the information or leisure reading material they need. Reference librarians provide assistance in locating information on a wide variety of topics such as business, current events, statistics and research findings, and civil service exams. Also included are readers advisory services.

Special Collections and Archives

Public, academic and some special libraries or other organizations that acquire, house and make available to the community for purposes of research or appreciation, rare books, aggregations of printed works or manuscripts on a particular subject or by a particular author; artistic materials by a particular artist or representative of a particular era or style; or other collectibles that are rare, of special interest, of historical significance or of scholarly value. Also included are organizations that acquire, classify and make available to the community on a loan or distribution basis, special document collections or reading materials in a variety of language or special formats which enable people who have visual or hearing impairments or who read in a language other than English to enjoy leisure reading materials and selected nonfiction and reference works. Some collections include materials that require specialized security and user services. Some special collections are standalone institutions that are privately funded, such as the Newberry Library or the American Antiquarian Society while others are part of a larger institution, such as the Beinecke Library at Yale University. Many American university special collections grew out of the merging of rare book rooms and manuscripts departments in a university's library system.

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