Describes the practice of accreditation in general and considers the role of accreditation in higher education and its impact on academic libraries. Highlights include a history of accreditation; organization and regulation of the accrediting process; the federal government's role in accreditation; and accountability and academic libraries. (LRW)

Discussion of the role of academic librarians and faculty status highlights the importance of a holistic view of the academic model of librarianship and suggests a system for providing support and judging performance. Topics addressed include activities in teaching, research, and service; performance criteria; scheduling; training; and evaluation…

Discusses academic library instruction and librarians' collaboration with faculty to promote information literacy. Highlights include the education reform movement; strategic alliances; partnerships within a multicampus higher education system to promote information literacy; and assessment of the library's role as a key component of…

Discussion of the World Wide Web and the role of academic librarians as online system developers and designers focuses on usability testing. Usability evaluation at OCLC and at the University of Arizona is described, and the integration of the results into their Web and online product designs is discussed. (Author/LRW)

This manual was developed to assist the members of the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries in the library collection assessment that is now required by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education as a component of any proposal that an institution submits for new program review and approval. This assessment component considers the ability of the…

Describes a collection development project to assess the African American materials in the Georgia State University library from an interdisciplinary point of view that grew into a continuing strategy of collaboration. Highlights include bibliography checking; individual and group initiatives; local library cooperation; and budgetary support.…

Examines the changing role of reference and bibliographic instruction librarians in undergraduate education. Topics include teaching students how to find information; faculty resistance to library instruction; students' ability to evaluate information sources, including information on the Internet; and computer-based instruction. (LRW)

Discussion of academic research libraries' changes in organizational structure focuses on experiences at the Indiana University Libraries. Highlights include principles encouraging organizational change and empowerment; the role and nature of the library, including a focus on the user; library reorganization; and strategic planning, quality, and…

Provides historical background on hypertext and hypermedia; discusses their use in the humanities; gives examples of hypersystem applications in the humanities; and examines libraries' roles in the use of hypersystems in the humanities, including financing, implementation, evaluation, and humanist attitudes toward technology and hypersystems. (178…

Discussion of critical thinking skills focuses on the academic library's role in teaching critical thinking skills based on experiences with a library resources course at Louisiana State University. Teaching techniques are discussed, sample lessons are described, and evaluation of students' research papers and student retention of skills are…

Discusses the role of the academic library in training undergraduate students in research methods. Highlights include changes resulting from the electronic dissemination of information; the tradition of apprenticeship, journeymen, and master; information and knowledge; electronic scholarship; layers of learning in research in an electronic…

Describes an expository writing course designed to teach students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) how to analyze the language and culture of professional literature. The roles of writing instructors and librarians are explained for an assignment that involves comparing 2 issues of the same journal--current and 20-years-old. (LRW)

Discusses library instruction in the use of CD-ROMs and describes results of a survey of CD-ROM users at C.W. Post College (NY), including characteristics of CD-ROM users, evaluating searches, advanced search techniques, learning and using the system, and changes in CD-ROM users from 1992 to 1996. (LRW)

This paper addresses the need for educators and librarians to guide students in using the World Wide Web appropriately by teaching them to evaluate Internet resources using criteria designed to identify the authoritative sources. The pros and cons of information commonly found on the Web are discussed, as well as academic Internet subject or…

This study, conducted at Illinois State University library, evaluated the ability of professional librarians to answer reference questions. Evaluations by undergraduate students were scored for accuracy of response and attitude of the librarian to determine the best attitudinal predictor of accuracy scores. The evaluation form is appended. (three…