Library use is strongly linked with student persistence in higher education, and Latino students have lower rates of academic library use and proficiency than other racial/ethnic groups of students. This study explores Latino undergraduate students' perceptions of the academic library and library staff and identifies the conditions which impede or…

Focus group methodology was used to investigate graduate students' cross-campus technology, space and service needs. Although the library provides valued services and spaces, graduate students need enhanced and more equitable support for their roles as teachers and scholars. Librarians can provide leadership and act as advocates for graduate…

The Ohio University Libraries has been a part of the university's Freshman Year Experience (FYE) classes almost since their inception. Over the past ten years, we have tried many variations on the "library day" lesson plan, with various (low) success rates. For fall of 2010, the FYE coordinator asked for an extremely simple plan: just…

Results of a multi-campus survey compare self-assessment of online skills and frequency of use to satisfaction with services. Students who rated skills as high also reported satisfaction with library services. Lower self-assessed skills are associated with lower satisfaction and non-use of services. Librarians may consider using self-assessed…

Daylighting, a controlled architectural tool that influences users' perception and behavior, in university libraries and their influences on users' preference and satisfaction was examined in this study. The effects of daylighting in coordination with visual comfort, on university library users were measured in relation to four environmental…

This article aims to assist information professionals in developing a resource collection that serves Wind Energy students in academic settings. Traditional as well as Internet resources should be utilized in order to meet the needs of this unique student population.

The Open Access movement of the past decade, and institutional repositories developed by universities and academic libraries as a part of that movement, have openly challenged the traditional scholarly communication system. This article examines the growth of repositories around the world, and summarizes a growing body of evidence of the response…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online learning communities (OLC) on enhancing the undergraduate students' acquisition of information skills. OLC was compared with online tutorials and one-shot face-to-face sessions designed to facilitate students' information skill acquisition. Data were gathered through multiple…

Reports on initiatives being taken by the Association of Research Libraries, University of Pittsburgh, Research Libraries Group, and Center for Research Libraries in response to development of collection management in academic librarianship, and comments on issues emerging from these initiatives--use documentation, cooperation, and paperless…

Most of 814 academic libraries surveyed allow onsite access to unaffiliated users, and many give borrowing privileges to certain categories of users. Use of library computers to access library resources and other computer applications is commonly allowed although authentication on library computers is increasing. Five tables show statistics.…

Sketches author's views of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), a cooperative library owned by over 100 academic and research libraries, and considers possible future directions. Growth and expansion, center services and collections, challenges to be met (commitment, resource sharing, goals), and CRL as model for academic world are discussed.…

We are building conventional library space without making the paradigm shift our digital environment requires. The chief obstacles to change lie in our conception of readers as information consumers, in our allegiance to library operations as the drivers of library design, and in the choice made between foundational and non-foundational views of…

Higher education wishes to get long life and good returns on its investment in learning spaces. Doing this has become difficult because rapid changes in information technology have created fundamental uncertainties about the future in which capital investments must deliver value. Three approaches to designing for this uncertainty are described…

Considers the future of academic libraries in five main areas: (1) funding; (2) buildings and space, including storage options for print and nonprint materials; (3) library materials, including electronic journals and monographs, video, computer software, government information, resource sharing, and workstations; (4) staff, including the roles of…

Reports results of a survey of 293 colleges and universities that reveals a growing trend toward making computer software and hardware available to faculty and students, despite potential illicit copying software. The role of the academic library and copyright implications are discussed. Twenty-three references are cited. (EJS)