Notes the components of occupational stress as they pertain to staff personnel involved with the direct delivery of library services to users. Solutions are discussed in terms of productive individual coping strategies, enhanced organizational design, and cohesive professional support. Seventeen references are listed. (Author/RAA)

Presents overview of common characteristics and problems of academic libraries in China which operate under rules issued from the central government in Beijing. Discussion covers building design, furniture and equipment, budgets and salaries, personnel management, collection development, library materials, use rate, effects of the Cultural…

Discusses an increase in library users providing services for themselves that were formerly provided by library staff, and describes a study conducted at Ohio State University that measured (1) the public's acceptance of patron-initiated renewals and other capabilities, and (2) the resulting impact on staff activity. (five references) (LRW)

To develop method for determining adequacy of library reference desk staffing, data on reference transactions, person hours, percent of professional hours, and turnstile count for 1979 were obtained from 71 academic libraries and correlated with library performance measures. Formulas for predicting number of reference transactions and 17…

Presents results of survey of 64 Illinois academic institutions which was conducted to determine library use of nonprofessionals at the reference/information desk. Characteristics of nonprofessionals, use patterns and desk hours staffed by nonprofessionals, referral and training, and trends for desk staffing are discussed. (Eight references are…

Raises questions about influence of present reference practice on library user perceptions of the librarian as information intermediary and on user ability to distinguish between librarians and other staff. Questions are discussed within context of client-professional relationship, using data from study of users of three midwestern university…

Traces the development of academic librarianship from 1939 to the present. Specific areas discussed include the revolution in higher education, library collections, library budgets, organizational patterns, library buildings, staff, and services. The impact of technology on higher education and academic libraries is discussed and possible future…

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)

A 1985 survey by the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries queried 50 community college learning resources centers about their programs; hours of service; staff; collections; services; automation and telecommunications; and resource sharing. Forty-two respondents revealed advances in resource sharing, but some inadequacies in…

Interviews at the University of California, Berkeley, revealed various problems experienced by students from developing countries in using U.S. academic libraries, including insufficient English proficiency, open stacks, Library of Congress Classification, indexes, and U.S. concepts of plagiarism. Ways in which library staff can assist foreign…