Purpose: The paper aims to study how the present distance learning libraries can improve upon their existing services and introduce new ones to enhance quality of services to distance learners. Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a review of literature on quality assurance in open and distance education in general and student support…

The 56 papers in this proceedings are divided into three groups--theme, alternative format, and contributed papers. Myths and realities are explored in the first group as they relate to university, college, community, and junior college libraries, and to private sector information utilities. The conference wrap-up session is included in this…

Discusses the effect of online library catalogs on when, how, and by whom authority control work is done, focusing on experiences at Ohio State University Libraries. Shifts include removal of authority work from automated cataloging procedures, separation of mechanical and intellectual tasks, unique headings and references, and original…

Preliminary reports from seven Association of Research Library (ARL) members conducting research on current public services concerns describe progress to date and initial findings. Research grants of up to $4,000 were provided for the projects, which were selected in part because of their potential usefulness to academic and research libraries.…

Describes experience gained by applying philosophical principles to library serials cooperation between two academic libraries. Philosophical views concerning cooperation; conditions leading to success of the project; serials survey of selected faculty members from English, biology, and economics departments; and proposals based on computer…

Reports results of study measuring stack capacity at seven University of California medical and science libraries. Data collection, size of library collections, sample shelf measurements and volume widths, overall results, differences among libraries, time differences between old and new materials, and stack capacity estimates are highlighted.…

Information on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) data survey is presented, along with a quantitative index for the university libraries of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Ten quantitative measures of holdings, expenditures, and staff size for the AAU libraries from the 1981-1982 annual ARL survey are converted to an index…

Describes steps in survey project that supplied information for contemplated merger of two libraries by estimating number of volumes and titles and duplication between John Crerar Library collections and University of Chicago Library science collections. Survey's findings for volume duplication are analyzed by subject groupings and by books and…

Presents results of study which examined interlibrary loan requests received at University of West Florida to ascertain whether books that other libraries could normally be expected to buy were being requested, and how many books in "high-use" areas were being requested by other libraries. Conclusions and recommendations are included. (3…

Describes resource sharing system in Illinois academic libraries that allows patrons to borrow materials from other libraries through user-friendly interlibrary loan commands on IBM personal computer terminals. Highlights include experiences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IBM personal computers as terminals, and increase in…

This report compares levels of staffing in the libraries of 20 midwest liberal arts colleges. (Noting that libraries all have different organizational structures and different types and levels of service, the study notes the danger of inappropriate comparisons.) Data for this paper were taken from "1982-83 Library Data: Associated Colleges of the…

Three indexes to the contents of the Lake Forest College (Illinois) Library's special collection of 600 issues of feminist alternative newspapers, generated by the women's movement between 1970 and 1980, are provided. Geographic, title, and subject indexes are listed, and primary source material on the women's movement in relation to labor,…

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…

This article describes study of the relative effectiveness of classroom faculty and librarians as book selection agents in a small urban commuter college located in Chicago, Illinois. Use of history section of collection, hypotheses tested, data collection and analysis, circulation activity, and comparative data are highlighted. Eight references…

This review of the overall findings of the "Educating the Online Catalog User" project at Northwestern University Library focuses on methods of data collection used in evaluating online catalog performance and user performance. The rationale and methodology of transaction log monitoring and new directions for technical development are…