University College Dublin became the first library in the Republic of Ireland to trial patron-driven acquisition (PDA) as a collection development tool in 2013. A total of 42% of UCD Library's book budget was allocated to the project, which included both electronic and print books. This article describes the twelve month project from the tender…

In autumn 2012, the University of Birmingham launched FindIt@Bham, a Primo-based Resource Discovery Service, after a series of focus groups with students and staff to help determine its initial configuration and customization. This article presents the results from a large-scale online survey and focus groups that were conducted to poll users'…

Regular evaluation of archival reference services is essential to ensure that users have appropriate access to the information they need. Archives New Zealand has been measuring customer satisfaction for many years using self-completion questionnaires but recently trialed two new methods of evaluation, using external research companies. One…

Public libraries in Europe have supported lifelong learning for the past 500 years. Since the Lisbon Strategy emphasized the role of lifelong learning in economic policy, public libraries have been repositioning their services to respond to this new context. In some cases, these roles are undertaken with limited legislative or strategic changes…

Report on study to consider ways in which research effectiveness could be assessed outlines possible approaches (cost-benefit assessment, citation analysis, publications, real-time tracking study, case study, take-up survey, audience research panel, penetration study). Appropriateness of approaches is discussed in relation to projects funded by…

Describes a study which measured students' ability to perform several library tasks using students from two different colleges. The results indicate that a program of library instruction will improve the library skills of undergraduate students. Five references are included. (CHC)

This paper describes the experimental implementation of BIROS (Bibliographical Information Retrieval Online Service) in the Lancashire Public Library. The project is designed to provide information on the potential use of an online service for the general public, with particular regard to professional and technical users; the implications for…

Describes a modular, interdisciplinary curriculum offered by the City and East London Confederation. This curriculum aims to encourage more student responsibility for education, to create a problem solving approach to learning, to give early exposure to clinical elements, and to develop student communication skills. (DDR)

In order to evaluate its library instruction program, a postal survey was conducted of students who participated in library orientation courses at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria during the winter term of 1982/83. The orientation courses consisted of a 1-hour lecture on use of the library and a library…

This report describes the library instruction program at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria and proposes various program improvements, which are based in part on the results of a 1979 survey of over 2,600 faculty and students. An overview of the present state-of-the-art of library user education and…

Summaries of research findings on the following topics are compiled in this document: (1) students in schools with well-equipped resource centers and teacher-librarians perform better on achievement tests; (2) developing student competence in research and study skills is most effective when integrated with classroom instruction through cooperative…

During the last decade, research has become increasingly important to the profession of librarianship. Seven library schools now have doctoral programs, foundation grants have stimulated and supported scores of major projects, and the research method has been recognized as an accepted technique for solving library problems. The increasing volume…