Digitization and preservation of natural resource documents were reviewed and the current status of digitization presented for a North American university. It is important to present the status of the digitation process for natural resources and to advocate for increased collections of digital material for ease of reference and exchange of…

The University of North Texas Libraries provide extensive online access to academic journals through major vendor databases. As illustrated by interlibrary loan borrowing requests for items held in our databases, patrons often have difficulty navigating the available resources. In this study, the Interlibrary Loan staff used data gathered from the…

The academic library is changing. No longer simply a warehouse of information, the university library is a place for students and patrons to study, collaborate, socialize, and learn through social activities. This change in use reflects a paradigmatic shift from understanding the library as information repository to understanding the library as…

More than a project, The Big Shift is an epic library tale for the ages. What starts as a simple collection shift grows into a major space-planning project, a lesson in catalog maintenance, and thanks to Hurricane Ike, a disaster recovery effort. The Big Shift tells the story of how the University of Houston Libraries handled the numerous…

The work of collection development in academic video game collections is at a crucial point of transformation--gaming librarians are ready to expand beyond console games collected in disc and cartridge format to the world of Internet games. At the same time, forms and genres of video games such as serious and independent games are increasingly…

This publication follows the tradition of publishing selected papers from Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives and Museums (PIALA) annual conferences. This 20th annual conference was held in Weno, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, November 15-19, 2010. The volume begins with a listing of the members of the PIALA 2010…

University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries began studying the library needs of distance learners in 2009 using a variety of approaches to explore and confirm these needs as well as obtain input into how to meet them. Approaches used to date include analysis of both quantitative and qualitative responses by online students to the LibQUAL+[R] surveys…

The purpose of this mixed-method case study was to explore the institutional practices that may influence persistence for Hispanic undergraduate students at a four-year public research university in Texas. Data were gathered from 255 students using an on-line survey and follow-up interviews with ten students and three administrators. The combined…

Libraries have always been poised at the crossroads of access tools and content. Librarians, their personnel, and supporters have worked for generations to create tools to store and utilize content for the benefit of patrons. Libraries house materials and the tools to unlock them; their staffers teach patrons to use the materials and associated…

This study was conducted to explore possibilities for cooperative library activities in the 36 county region of the Abilene Major Resource System which has the Abilene Public Library as the Major Resource Center. The report begins with a consideration of the region as an environment for public library service, followed by a detailed assessment of…

This analysis of the existing Texas State Library System with recommendations for improvement is divided into three phases: Phase 1 examines the governance and operations of the system as set up by the Library Systems Act of 1969; Phase 2 discusses alternative models for organization and governance; and Phase 3 presents proposed model legislation…

A study was undertaken to document the impact of reductions in state appropriations on the libraries of Texas public institutions of higher education from Fiscal Year 1986 through Fiscal Year 1990 and to make recommendations for improving these libraries. Data were collected through a letter requesting information from each of the public general…

A study of 22 Texas state-assisted senior college and university library collections analyzed collection "duplication" or "overlap" with respect to common degree programs. (Author/PF)

This report contains statistical data for academic libraries in Texas which serve both public and private institutions. Data on institutional characteristics, expenditures, current operating budgets, library personnel, salaries, public service, collection size, and circulation are presented in two sections: one covering 4-year public and private…

The goals of this seminar on user education activities in Texas libraries were to encourage the development of user education programs within libraries, and to inspire cooperation between libraries, preventing unnecessary duplication of effort. The six papers presented were concerned with user education in: (1) school libraries; (2) academic…