Summary of survey of the American Library Association Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) members concerning attitudes toward, need for, and preferences in acquiring information on automated information retrieval services. (KP)

The third phase of a four-phase program developed by the Federal Library Committee Task Force on Library Automation in conjunction with its overall objective of reviewing and reporting upon the status of automation in Federal libraries is reported. The first phase of the overall program appraised the current activities in library automation and…

A questionnaire was sent to all librarians on the Council of State Governments' state legislative reference librarians list and the directors of state library agencies in an effort to provide a data base for future studies and the development of standards in specific areas of legislative reference operations. Replies were received from 48 states.…

This study examines the use of online bibliographic retrieval systems in a selected number of science and technology libraries chosen for their leadership reputation; it is limited to the use of online systems operated by a library staff member. Participating libraries included 12 academic, one government, and 10 research or institutional…

Conducted to gather information on the practical impact of implementing either the Washington Library Network (WLN) system or one of two versions of the DOBIS system in British Columbia Union Catalogue (BCUC) member libraries, this study addressed four questions: (1) the effect the introduction of the new system would have on workflows; (2)…

This paper provides a brief comparative summary of the results of U.S. and European studies on the use of CD-ROM and other optical products in all types of libraries and information centers. In 1987 and 1988, questionnaires were distributed to academic, public, and special libraries in the United States and to libraries in 18 European countries:…

This collection of materials on small computer applications in research libraries, assembled by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), includes documents from ARL and non-ARL libraries illustrating local, commercial, and word processing computer applications. Among the contents of the…

This review of the transition from library card catalogs to online public access catalogs (OPAC) (1981-1982) discusses methods employed by online catalog use studies (self-administered questionnaires, OPAC transaction logs, focused-group interviews, feature analysis, online search and retrieval experiments) and new directions for OPAC research…

Preliminary reports from seven Association of Research Library (ARL) members conducting research on current public services concerns describe progress to date and initial findings. Research grants of up to $4,000 were provided for the projects, which were selected in part because of their potential usefulness to academic and research libraries.…

In 1981 and 1982, a group of 5 organizations conducted a coordinated study of public online catalog users and nonusers in 31 research, academic, community college, public, and governmental libraries with 17 different online catalogs. It was found that: (1) the most important user characteristic linked with success and satisfaction in using online…

This study is designed to illuminate some of the issues, options, and activities related to developing fee based information services at a large academic library, and to suggest the feasibility of developing such services at Memphis State University Libraries. The basis for the study is the realization that libraries, through automation, a changed…

The eight articles in this special section on microcomputer applications in libraries discuss selection of microcomputer courseware for school media collections, public and special libraries, information retrieval, and library education. References and an annotated bibliography are provided. (Request subscription information from W. Robert…

In 1981 and 1982, the Research Libraries Group (RLG) and four other organizations participated in a coordinated study of public online catalog users and nonusers. Standard, self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data from 8,094 users and 3,981 nonusers in 31 research, academic, community college, public, and governmental libraries…

The Defense Department Scientific and Technical Information (STI) network is composed of over 200 technical libraries and information centers tied together by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), an organization which seeks to improve the flow of information throughout the STI network by promoting shared cataloging and integrated…

A survey of computer hardware and software access, network familiarity, and systems use was conducted to determine the optimum placement of two newly developed electronic Interlibrary Loan (ILL) forms at the Ohio State University Health Sciences Library. A sample of 205 ILL users were mailed a questionnaire, with a resultant 72% (n=148) response…