Presents procedures and statistics for a manual inventory and an inventory coordinated with conversion to an online circulation system at University of Kansas main library. Results of this two-phase inventory (Dewey Decimal-classified materials, LC-classified materials) and the cost-effectiveness of such a project in a large library are…

A survey of 430 users of online catalog at Ohio State University Libraries found that most users are undergraduate students (68 percent) and that majority (95 percent) choose online catalog as first source of information. Fewer performed known-item searches and success rates were generally higher than reported in earlier studies. (8 references)…

Describes a study that measured the benefits of an automated catalog and automated circulation system from the library user's point of view in terms of the value of time saved. Topics discussed include patterns of use, access time, availability of information, search behaviors, and the effectiveness of the measures used. (seven references)…

This review of the literature on the effect of information overload on users' information-seeking behavior focuses on librarians' opinions about the number of references that constitute too many, and users' preferences for maximum numbers of references from online searches, online public access catalog postings, and manual indexes. (35 references)…

A 15-item questionnaire was administered on the online catalog terminals at the University of New England (Australia) to assess student attitudes toward computer technology and the new online catalog, and identify predictors of future online catalog use. Data analyses defined two groups of respondents: "reluctant users" and "naive enthusiasts."…

Describes how a librarian, assisted by a knowledge engineer, developed a computerized reference assistance system for a separate government documents department. Rationale for the expert system, problems in selecting reference materials and user questions to computerize, and the formulation of a workable human/computer interface are covered. A…

In-person interviews were conducted with 147 randomly selected students to study usage of microfiche serials holdings list to determine accessibility and retrievability of periodical issues housed in four separate locations in California Polytechnic State University Library. Results showed that 80.6 percent of students were successful in their…

Presents a methodology for describing, analyzing, and evaluating the public service functions of serial file systems, and describes a user study conducted in a university departmental library to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of its system in enabling students new to the library to locate known-items in the serials collection. (CDD)

This study examined catalog records and compared the number and type of access points with number of circulations by type of user. Although little significant correlation was found between the total number of access points and total circulation, interesting trends were found in correlations by type of subject and user. (CDD)

Reports measures of the gains in search time and likelihood of success in known-item searches with the Acorn automated catalog at Vanderbilt University. User time and search success are valued in dollar terms to make the measures meaningful for system design choices. (Author/CLB)