This article outlines a pilot project to offer a personalized online library service to Open University MBA alumni. A review of the literature and results of a desktop analysis of other UK Higher Education alumni library services are included. Content procurement and systems issues are considered along with the underlying organizational, resource…

This report summarizes research undertaken at the Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A & M University to assess the impact that end user information retrieval systems may have on library staff and users. Two systems, BRS/After Dark and Search Helper, were made available in the library for end user searching at no cost. A total of 260 users…

This review of the research on subject access to library collections focuses on the problems of and prospects for improved online subject access to library collections. Summaries of the general findings of studies on library catalog use and catalog users and some reasons for the frequent failure of subject searches in library catalogs are followed…

To study the users and use of the subject searching capability offered by the new online public catalog at the New York State Library (NYSL) a study was begun before the catalog change in mid-1983 and continued for a considerable time after the change. Data were collected during three 1-week periods; one preceded the catalog change and two…

Explores library-user infatuation with electronic resources, the rapid growth of electronic resources and their impact on traditional reference services, and reference services in an electronic society. Discusses a survey of 200 academic libraries investigating electronic resources and their impact on library personnel, especially on…

This report covers the background, scope, and findings of a multifaceted research project which focused on data collection and analysis related to online public access systems (OPAC's); the ultimate goal of this project is to improve information access through OPAC design and enhancement. To assist library decision-makers when planning for the…

This study on the role of instruction in encouraging the successful performance of the first-time online catalog user examined three relationships to evaluate the effects of an instructional program: the comparative effectiveness of four instructional methods in orienting users to the online catalog; the influence of an instruction program on user…

This report reviews the background and rationale for a cooperative authority file building system and describes the services, products, and operation of the new Name Authority Cooperative (NACO). The document defines the relationship between NACO, other Library of Congress (LC) cooperative projects, and the Linked Systems Project (LSP). The…

This paper reports the results of a survey of student satisfaction with electronic library resources other than the online catalog at Wayne State University. Undertaken in Fall Term 2000 as a class project for a marketing course, a student team designed, administered, and analyzed a survey of a random sample of students. Almost 40% of the…

In April 2000, the Digital Library Federation commissioned three reports to address broader concerns about digital collections in research libraries. This report synthesizes the nearly 10 years' experience that libraries have had digitizing items from their rare, special, and general collections, and making them available online. The report…

This report describes an online minicomputer-based system, one combining library inventory control with catalog access, that was implemented at Virginia Tech's main library in order to meet the demands of increased circulation activity and rising staff costs. Following overviews of the institutional environment, the systems development department,…

One of five working groups established as part of a collection analysis project at the University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB), the Task Force on Resource Sharing was organized in order to determine the University Libraries' current purpose and practice in resource sharing and to recommend directions for the future. Their report is presented in…

This study, conducted to determine which automated system would be the most appropriate to replicate or install at Clemson University to support the users of the library, screened 29 library automation systems to determine those most adaptable to Clemson's needs. In-depth comparisons were made with regard to functions available, features, start up…

The characteristics of paper or microform library materials, electronic publications, and online databases are compared in terms of equipment needs, cost effectiveness, budgeting, and satisfaction of users' needs. Suggestions for the effective integration of these materials are offered. (13 references) (CLB)

This collection of materials on small computer applications in research libraries, assembled by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), includes documents from ARL and non-ARL libraries illustrating local, commercial, and word processing computer applications. Among the contents of the…