The article addresses how a traditional Public commuter college library in the Bronx began making strides to automate student ID barcodes so online library access was granted without in person registrations. How does a barcode number get generated for an individual student and what offices need to be included in automating a library account? The…

The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term "reference," pointing…

Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have recently emerged as a disruptive pedagogy gaining rapid momentum in higher education. In some states, proposed legislations would accredit MOOCs to provide college-credit courses in the name of cost saving, efficiency and access. While debates rage regarding the place of MOOCs in higher education, some…

This report constitutes a recommendation to the Director of the Memphis State University (MSU) Library that end user searching be made a permanent part of the existing information retrieval service. The recommendation is based in part on the results of a 1984 study sponsored by the university that assessed the attitudes of students and faculty…

The imposition of fines in academic libraries for overdue books is a global phenomenon and penalties for overdue books have been levied by libraries for centuries. The study reported here surveyed students' perception of increases in fines imposed by the management of Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library in the academic year 2002/2003. 1,500 respondents…

This study of Arkansas college students (n=332) examined the role of technology in determining levels of library anxiety. Of five dimensions of library anxiety [(1) barriers with staff, (2) affective barriers, (3) comfort with the library, (4) knowledge of the library, and (5) mechanical barriers], that of mechanical barriers--feelings resulting…

A study conducted at the University of Maryland, College Park campus compared the effectiveness of three instructional media for presenting introductory training in the use of an online circulation system. Modules based on a common set of instructional objectives and examples were developed and delivered using three formats: a print packet, a…

Describes the changing role of the library and the reference librarian and the effects of new information technology, changing demographics of student populations, and patrons' expectations for personalized service versus library instruction. Fees for meeting rooms, photocopying, videos, printouts of articles from online full-text, information…