Do librarians with different characteristics, such as type of work responsibilities or age, have different learning styles? The authors analyzed results from over 1,500 responses to a version of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model. This model consists of eight dimensions paired on…

Libraries deploying the LibQUAL+[TM] survey can offer a lottery incentive and many do so in the hope of increasing response rates. Other libraries may be prohibited from offering one because of Institutional Review Board restrictions, as is the case at Oregon State University. We wanted to discover why libraries offer lottery incentives, what…

This article continues the conversation about librarian sabbatical participation. Analyses are based on quantitative and qualitative data gathered using an online questionnaire. While numerical results show little change in sabbatical participation over time, respondents had much to say about this topic. The author highlights common themes using…

In an exploratory study, participants (n = 18) completed 11 usability tasks to assess ease of use of two Web sites, and then a Web site perception questionnaire for each. Participants rated both Web sites positively, but 25% and 36% could not complete all tasks; doing so required more than a minute to complete. (Contains 2 figures and 7 tables.)

This paper proposes utilizing a combination of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD)-Kano model as a useful tool to evaluate service quality. The digital library of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico) is presented as a case study. Data to feed the QFD-Kano model was gathered by an online questionnaire that was made available to users on the…

This article describes a case study relating to an internal communication audit conducted in a large academic library that assessed existing information channels during a period of organizational change in order to recommend improvements. A communications task force developed and administered a survey instrument and then analyzed data and reported…

This report contains the results of the Association of Research Libraries' survey of academic Health Sciences libraries for 2004-05. Data are presented on collections, expenditures, and personnel and public services. Out of 113 ARL university libraries, 67 responded to the survey. Health Sciences libraries reported median values of 243,011 volumes…

Evaluates the Role Repertory Grid Procedure, a technique derived from personal construct theory, for its practicality and validity as a way of gathering patron perceptions about the effectiveness and efficiency of academic library space. Concludes that further research regarding validity and reliability is needed. (Author/LRW)

This article examines the relevance of training and skills development to modern librarianship in the first generation universities in Nigeria. The developments noticed in this sector in the universities within the past decade made it imperative to have new workers with new skills to adopt to the many changes that have taken place that are likely…

This report contains the results of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) survey of academic Health Sciences libraries for 2001-02. Out of 114 ARL university libraries, 65 responded to the survey. Data are presented on collections, expenditures, and personnel and public services. Includes questionnaire. Health Sciences libraries reported…

A personnel appraisal tool was developed at the Iowa State University Library for professionals supervised by the Assistant Director for Technical Services and the Head of the Monographs Department, to evaluate both their supervisors' performance and the appraisal review as an educational tool to improve administrator performance. A Technical…

This report documents the operations of a Virginia Commonwealth University library work group charged with investigating the feasibility of establishing a collection of municipal publications originating from the Richmond area. A brief description of the activities of the group is followed by recommendations in three areas: collection…

Effective management and the importance of feedback in relation to improvement are becoming critical issues for libraries. Upward appraisal evaluates managers' performance based on input from their staff, rather than the traditional top-down evaluation format in which a manager is evaluated solely by their superior. This paper discusses the…

This article briefly outlines the need for evaluation, the benefits that can accrue to both the individual and the institution, and the similarities and differences between performance evaluations for non-teaching faculty (counselors and librarians) and teaching faculty. The Red Deer College performance evaluation package is discussed in detail.…

This report describes a four-day institute funded by the U.S. Office of Education to increase the utilization of government publications by extending the knowledge of academic reference librarians about them. Librarians from 25 universities attended the institute. Discussion of the use of government publications was divided into three broad…