Library quality is no longer evaluated solely on the value of its collections, as user perceptions of service quality play an increasingly important role in defining overall library value. This paper presents a retooling of the LibQUAL+ survey instrument, blending the gap measurement model with perceptual congruence model studies from information…

Libraries have found themselves overtaken by commercial entities providing open, unmediated information services, causing debate about the future of libraries. It has been argued that in order to stay relevant, libraries must undertake a fundamental shift towards a new focus on engaging with clients. At University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)…

Each night, around 20,000 people--both adults and children--make the streets of Dhaka (the capital city of Bangladesh) their home. Living amongst the noise, rubbish, and traffic, thousands of families walk down the streets of Dhaka, looking for a safe place to rest for just a few hours each night. Trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, the…

This document consists of six issues of the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Newsletter, covering the year 2001. Each issue of the newsletter includes some or all of the following sections: "Current Issues," reports from the Office of Scholarly Communication, Office for Management Services, and Coalition for Networked Information,…

Suggests that when a new course is proposed, library staff should initiate a review of the collection and recent titles in the subject area. Adds that staff should then meet with the originating faculty member and discuss the resources needed for the course. Asserts that this process would make the library staff more proactive in course…

Offers online resource information for librarians interested in technology competency lists. Provides information that translates to all job areas in the library environment. (Contains 28 resources.) (NB)

Argues that reorganizing libraries around the concept of user-focused access will help community colleges meet the information access challenges they face. States that integrated systems and the Internet have enabled libraries to broaden their concept of access from the physical collection to include thousands of other library collections and…

Offers suggestions to librarians for enhancing delivery of bibliographic instruction sessions. Includes topics such as "attitude matters more than content,""you may need a coffee bar for librarians,""rigidity is only good for dams,""learning travels up the fingertips," and "they want it convenient." (NB)

Describes the Kansas Digital Library (KDL), a comprehensive, electronic library of visual, textual and auditory information resources. Discusses projects that KDL sponsors, including Blue Skyways, a Web site that functions as a subject-oriented entryway to the Web for Kansas librarians. Reports that the KDL is an example of a successful state…

Discusses the vital role policy plays in the effective delivery of information services over the Internet, as well as the need to keep policies at a minimum so as not to impede users' creativity and imaginative powers when online. Provides four examples from community college libraries. (NB)

This British Library Research and Development Department study assesses current activities and attitudes toward quality management in library and information services (LIS) in the academic sector as well as the commercial/industrial sector. Definitions and types of benchmarking are described, and the relevance of benchmarking to LIS is evaluated.…