Generating, collecting, and analyzing building usage statistics can greatly increase the ability of an access services unit to meet the changing dynamic of patron needs in an academic library. By analyzing three different data points, the Access Services Unit in Malpass Library at Western Illinois University was able to determine the most…

Introduction: Evidence-based practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is sourced, appraised and applied in order to solve a problem, inform decision making, or improve practice. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a qualitative research study that sought to identify evidence used by Australian special…

School libraries have increasingly seen the number of school librarians in each school decrease, creating more solo librarian positions in schools. While this is not a new dilemma, it is one that requires initiative and persistence on the part of the school librarian to accomplish tasks and make decisions. Making decisions about individual school…

Twenty-one scholarly papers and fifteen abstracts comprise the content of the tenth annual Brick and Click Libraries Symposium, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The peer-reviewed proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of…

Identifies aspects of reference services amenable to evaluation, discusses the need for measures of service quality as well as quantity, presents modifications of current measures that meet this need, and stresses the importance of linking performance measures to library planning. (CLB)

Review and examination of the current literature on reference interview evaluation explores the degree to which such evaluative practices are both desirable and achievable. It is concluded that, if both quantitative and qualitative techniques are appropriately used, accurate mechanisms of evaluation are possible and desirable. (17 references) (LRW)

Discussion of the way technology is changing the delivery of information services to students and teachers focuses on an assessment rubric designed to upgrade library services by focusing on library media specialists' responsibilities. Provides examples of use of the rubric in an elementary school and in a library consortium. (Contains 2…

Briefly describes fundamental problems with library reference service based on the findings of 20 separate studies using unobtrusive tests. An emphasis on quality of service, realistic goals, and effective managerial strategies are identified as possible resolutions of these problems. (CLB)

Describes a study that was conducted to determine which databases provide access to the CD-ROM journal literature that meets the information needs of librarians and information center managers. Search strategies are explained, journals are ranked by frequency of citation, databases are evaluated for their usefulness, and further investigations are…

This manual is intended to help people working in local libraries collect and report statistics about what they do and complete the Texas State Library annual report form. Texas uses the annual reports to determine whether local libraries are eligible for membership in the Texas library system. Definitions and explanations are given for…