This article explores and examines the state of library services through interviewing a small group of directors, associate deans, and associate university librarians of public services and identifying common themes and insightful views on this area of librarianship. The participants respond to the same set of questions that cover topics including…

The trajectory of U.S. higher education in the next 20 years is portrayed by some as an arc of potential disaster and by others as a slightly upwardly inclined plane that may have some dips along the way. Generally these scenarios focus on the teaching and learning program of higher education institutions and give very little attention to the…

Studies about diversity initiatives in academic libraries have primarily focused on large research libraries. But what kinds of diversity work occur at smaller libraries? This study examines the status of diversity initiatives, especially those aimed at students, at national liberal arts college libraries. Results from a survey of library…

The 24-hour/5-days-per-week (24/5) model at Belk Library & Information Commons has experienced multiple changes since first implemented in 2006. First the library started small, then expanded, then reduced, and finally expanded again. This article tells the story of a library's 24/5 evolution within the assessment cycle framework, describes…

Academic librarians should expand our understanding of what counts as an authoritative resource, and be unafraid to challenge long-established wisdom in this domain. Wikipedia is far from perfect, but neither is the Encyclopedia Britannica. Wikipedia is updated daily, while the Britannica is no longer printed. If we cling to the Britannica as a…

This article describes a case study that best illustrates the value of student workers in university libraries, focusing particularly on how this kind of creative endeavor benefits everyone involved--the library, the students, the faculty, and at the end of the project: the university community. (Contains 1 table.)

Beginning in 1994, a series of collection analysis and assessment projects of community college library/LRC collections in Florida has been conducted by the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA). The purpose of the assessments conducted through LINCC, the network for Florida community colleges, was to provide data for improvement of…

This task force report evaluates the impact of AACR2 (American Anglo Catalog Rules 2) and the closing of the Library of Congress card catalog on cataloging and other technical processing routines both in Alderman Library and its branches. It provides specific recommendations for the form of the catalog, changes in operating routine, the…

This study examines the different viewpoints of library directors and non-directors about their jobs at tribal colleges. Previous ties to a tribal college or tribal membership were important factors in shaping experiences of library staff. The findings may be useful in developing successful recruitment and retention strategies for tribal college…

A nine month self-study aimed at improving public and technical services, internal operations, and overall management was conducted during 1979-80 by the library staff at Saint Mary's College. A part of the Small Library Planning Program, the study was funded by the Lilly Foundation through the Office of Management Studies, Association of Research…

This report documents the procedures and problems encountered during the evaluation of Western Illinois University's library by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and proposes recommendations for future evaluations of university libraries. Basic problems with the NCATE evaluation involved: (1) an unqualified…

Describes how the University of Nebraska-Lincoln libraries used the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) as a way to understand the personality profile of the overall organization. The MBTI personality types of the library's 33 managers are summarized. Implications for managing the organization and specific approaches are discussed. (two references)…

Designed as a supplement to the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Libraries' review of their current situation, this report presents an assessment of administrative support and staffing of the libraries in the LACCD, and offers recommendations for maintaining and improving their operations. Following introductory comments on the…

Based on an in-depth study of the staffing of the California State University (CSU) libraries at Pomona, San Bernardino, and San Francisco, this report examines the adequacy of the formulas used to allocate staff to the 19 CSU system libraries. Focused on the impact of library staffing on the ability of students and faculty to access and use…

This interlibrary loan (ILL) cost study was conducted at Union College Library in Schenectady, New York, in order to provide immediate feedback about ILL as well as to serve as a potential management tool for library and college administrators. This report describes the financial statistics of a 3-year period of use of ILL services at this small,…