The Molesworth Institute conducted a year long experiment on the shelving practices of two academic libraries of comparable size, with similar user populations. Results show that the practice of leaving the middle two shelves empty for future expansion cannot be recommended. Measurements include accumulation of dirt; usage; and incidents of…

THIS STUDY FORMULATES A RESEARCH PROGRAM TO FACILITATE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LIBRARIES FOR SMALL LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES USING MODERN LIBRARY METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY AND NEW TECHNIQUES OF INFORMATION STORAGE, RETRIEVAL AND TRANSFER. AS A RESULT OF INTERVIEWS WITH LIBRARIANS AND OTHERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE AND FROM A REVIEW OF CURRENT…

Considering alternative physical formats for the public card catalogs currently used in the University of California at Los Angeles libraries, a study group at began by investigating six possibilities: 1) cards; 2) photographically-produced catalogs; 3) typeset-printed catalogs; 4) computer-produced catalogs; 5) microform or video catalogs; and 6)…

Results of a 4-month library self-evaluation program conducted by staff members at Carnegie-Mellon University Libraries are reported in this document. The study was conducted using the Academic Library Development Program (ALDP), a self-improvement strategy for libraries to evaluate and develop their performance. The study team consisting of four…

The critical incident technique was used to identify several environmental dimensions relevant to the assessment of a college library, in this case the Cook Library of Towson State College, Maryland. Students were asked to fill out forms describing positive and negative encounters with the library and library staff and to complete a general…

One in a series of reports on public service studies by academic libraries that are being administered by the Office of Management Studies (OMS) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), this report on the self study of the Michigan State University Libraries includes a brief description of the overall project and an executive summary of the…

During a typical week of spring quarter, 1975, interviews were conducted with 3,802 people as they left facilities at the University of Washington library system. The randomly selected respondents included students, staff members, and faculty of the university, as well as nonuniversity members. In particular, the study investigated the use of…

Library effectiveness--in particular, user satisfaction--is difficult to measure because it is a vague, subjective concept that is different for every person who enters the library. Library assessment traditionally has been measured by: (1) how well it has been meeting its stated goals and objectives; (2) the library processes, which include…

Based on a series of six field experiments conducted from 1978 through 1981 at Northeast Louisiana University's Sandel Library, this report examines user preferences related to library carrel arrangement in the context of personal space theory. A brief review of research on personal space requirements and a description of Sandel Library and its…

The purpose of the investigation is to identify an operationally viable research methodology for assessing the value derived from selected library services at Cranfield Institute (England) and to evaluate and comment on the costs of providing such value. Four population groups are critical in the development of the expected value of library…

A comprehensive survey of the faculty members and graduate teaching assistants at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), was conducted in April 1987 with a response rate of over 75% (N=1,275). The purpose of the questionnaire--a product of discussions with the Faculty Senate Library Committee and library and campus administrators--was to…

Designed for governmental planners, documentalists, librarians, and archivists, these two United Nations studies examine integration of the planning of libraries and archives services with the planning of economic and social development. In Study 1, the planning of documentation centers and libraries is investigated. An appendix includes survey…

An investigation was made of the organizational characteristics of two college learning resource centers as compared with two traditionally organized college libraries with separate audiovisual units in order to determine the advantages of each organizational type. Interviews, observation, and examination of relevant documents were used to…

One in a series of reports on public service studies by academic libraries that are being administered by the Office of Management Studies (OMS) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), this report on the self-study of the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Libraries includes a brief description of the overall project and an…

The purpose of the project described in this paper was to gather information about online/CD-ROM database systems that would be useful in improving the services offered at the University of Findlay, a small private liberal arts college in northwestern Ohio. A survey was sent to 67 libraries serving colleges similar in size which included questions…