Reviews various evaluation techniques used on different campuses to measure the effectiveness of library instruction programs. (FM)

Staff shortages and high service ideals collided when the Iowa State University Parks Library recognized its need to find an alternative to the human-conducted tour for various groups of library users, including hundreds of non-native speakers of English who arrived at the school to enter a degree program. An audiocassette taped tour was developed…

This transcript contains the text of a speech and five panel presentations on the problems of people with hearing impairments and the provision of academic library instruction to deaf students. Herbert W. Larson describes: methods for effectively communicating with the deaf; the use of signing, lip reading, and interpreters; colleges for the deaf;…

This discussion centers on the role of libraries in providing postsecondary students and other users with instruction in the use of library resources. It reviews the history of library user education, examines the effects of hard economic times on library instruction, and describes User Education Resources (USER), an Australian database containing…

Examination of the confrontation between patrons and technology in the library focuses on two questions evident when addressing the instruction librarian's role in humanizing technology: whether the library profession can afford to humanize interaction between client and technology, and how instruction librarians can humanize the confrontation.…

Discusses some of the problems created by the introduction of the Internet to academic library services. Topics include problems with the structure of the Internet, librarians' training on the Internet, the preparedness of current users for the Internet, and the impact on bibliographic instruction. (Author/LRW)

Explains that library reference personnel usually need to be increased as library instruction flourishes, that staff should be carefully evaluated in order to detect incompetencies, and that all library staff should be recognized for their contributions in order to maximize the effectiveness of the program. (CWM)

Discusses the needs of remote users of online public access catalogs (OPACs). User expectations are discussed; problems encountered by remote-access users are examined, including technical problems and searching problems; support services are described, including instruction, print guides, and online help; and differences from the needs of…

Discusses academic library users who are not affiliated with the institution and considers the problems associated with them. Ethical issues are raised; possible solutions are suggested, including guidelines, bibliographic instruction, and user fees; and policies implemented at the University of California at Berkeley regarding unaffiliated users…

Describes several projects that integrate the Internet and specific Internet resources into undergraduate teaching and learning. Problems are discussed, including trying to retrieve specific and useful information, questions of reliability and accuracy of information, the need to become more user friendly, and demands on libraries for training and…

Outlines common problems facing the academic library and graduate schools of library/information studies and examines the relationship between librarians and faculty. Topics include the image of academic librarians, including faculty status and research; library collections, services, and instruction; and involvement of librarians in library and…

Discussion of distance education in higher education focuses on a team-taught research/writing class developed at Linfield College (Oregon) that utilizes a computer conferencing system. Topics include interactions between faculty and students, the role of the teacher, problems, and implications for bibliographic instruction. (LRW)

This essay offers suggestions to make online public access catalogs (OPACs) less idiosyncratic and more usable. Discussion covers qualitative difference between online catalog and predecessors, challenge of debunking assumptions, skills for success, maintaining an instructional perspective, catalog development for the people by the people, and the…

Discusses components of the emerging virtual library. Highlights include adopting technology to enhance library services; navigation problems; shared resources and services; costs; implementation challenges, including library instruction programs; control over intellectual content; technical design issues; and a brief overview of current virtual…

Describes changes in a required library research course at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh that focused on providing information more directly related to students' fields of study. Differences in the content for various disciplines are discussed, problems are described, and future plans are considered. (LRW)