Student workers are a well-established component of academic library operations. Recently, their traditional role has expanded to include responsibilities that were previously assigned to librarians, including in-person and virtual reference support. This trend has raised concerns about service quality and highlighted the importance of adequate…

The reference collection traditionally rewards serendipity by presenting key resources in a compact group. At the University of Manitoba Libraries, reference collection space is at a premium and, increasingly, electronic versions of reference materials are selected for purchase. However, our space saving comes at a cost: Our patrons can't browse…

An American librarian cast himself in the role of a user and made a series of relatively disciplined visits to a substantial number of middle-sized and middle-aged British university libraries during 1966-67 to study the provision of services and the use of materials and resources in British academic libraries. After two months of preliminary…

Discusses the results of a 1979 survey of Canadian libraries in postsecondary education to determine the extent to which library automation is being used. (CHC)

Discussion of the organization of the University of British Columbia Data Library jointly operated by the University Library and Computing Center covers historical development, collections policy, composition of the collection, technical services, user services, and current issues. Six references are cited. (EJS)

Discussion of the scheduling procedures of librarians' hours at the reference desk at the Rutherford Humanities and Social Sciences Library, University of Alberta, highlights services provided, the preference table system, and manual scheduling versus computer scheduling. (EJS)

Discusses with respect to the British Library the application of new technology, advisory committee problems, the value of the Lending Division and its potential problems, improvement of the Reference Division services, complaints concerning the Bibliographic Services Division, and objections regarding the Research and Development Department. (RBF)

Describes bibliographic instruction service instituted at University of Ottawa library known as term-paper counseling--an attempt to match on one-to-one basis a student's immediate research need with service offered during limited time period. Planning, publicity, staffing, and reactions to the project are noted. Application, session, and…

Description of end user online searching at University of Ottawa highlights user survey, establishment of after-hours end user search service, costs, regulations, training librarians, publicity, implications, comparison of online searching by end users and trained intermediaries, presearch counseling, and librarians' perceptions of end users.…

Describes a survey of 179 graduate students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, that examined student awareness of reference services available at the university library and actual use of reference services by students. The relationship between awareness and use is discussed, and recommendations for improving awareness are offered. (CLB)

An experiment demonstrating the effect of busyness of library staff on the frequency of approach by users is presented as an example of applying a scientific approach to the problems of the librarian-client interface using the methodology of the experimental psychologist. This methodology is explained and a review of the literature on…

Reports the results of a survey that examined the role of small university libraries in Canadian communities. The discussion covers services currently available to communities, areas in which services could be improved or extended, and the benefits to be gained by both the library and the community. (19 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes a prototype expert system that can be used in consultation mode to assist users in their searches, or in simulation coach or Socratic tutor modes to instruct professionals in the reference process. Examples of transactions in each mode are given, and a glossary is provided. (19 notes with references) (CLB)

Reports results of user survey complemented by personal discussions organized to ascertain users' satisfaction with and impact of On-line Information Service (OLIS) introduced by University of Hong Kong Libraries in January 1980. Subject searches, relevance of citations, and costs are discussed. The questionnaire and OLIS requests form are…

Produced as part of a formal library review process, this publication reports the results of a 1981 survey of approximately 1000 undergraduates, postgraduates, and academic staff at the Australian National University (ANU) to determine their use of and satisfaction with facilities, materials, and services provided by ANU's library system. A high…