In response to Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members' increased interest in the enhancement of manpower resources by greater utilization of paraprofessionals, ARL conducted a survey investigating various aspects of paraprofessional employment in the academic library. For the purposes of the survey, paraprofessional positions were defined…

This research report presents the results of a survey of public libraries that serve areas where populations are 25,000 or fewer individuals. The long range goal of the study was to gather data that would help to initially describe some of the circumstances in which and because of which rural information services exist and endure. Questionnaires…

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.…

Developed as part of a three-year project funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), this manual is designed to present librarians in the State of California with an alternative, "sense-making" approach to assessing the information needs of patrons and potential patrons and to assessing accountability, i.e., whether…

Based on material obtained and observations made in 1982, this Australian study focuses on the British Library's inter-library comparison (ILC) project for academic libraries. The report is presented in five sections, the first of which is a brief introduction. The second section deals with the general concept of inter-organization comparison as a…

The first article summarizes the findings of four studies which used unobtrusive testing techniques to evaluate library reference services. The validity of this testing method and the conclusions reached are discussed, and suggestions are made for improving reference services in five related articles. (CLB)

A study was undertaken to identify the tasks which make up the day of library/media specialists in Mississippi. A jury of library/media specialists and professional administrators reviewed tasks identified by the national model and the Mississippi State Board of Education and developed a questionnaire which identified 21 selected library/media…

Replicates an earlier investigation of job satisfaction among library personnel in academic libraries, looking at such factors as different departments within libraries, supervisory level, length of time in the profession, age of the employee, and employee's career orientation. Both studies found significant differences in satisfaction between…

Describes a training program based on research in the private sector, which was developed to improve the performance and job satisfaction of the library's public contact personnel. Suggestions are offered for future research and applications based on trainee and patron evaluations. (Author/CLB)

Summarizes findings of library research according to specific areas of library skill and, where appropriate, school level investigated (elementary, secondary, or post-secondary). Implications of studies for present practice and future research are discussed from perspective of school districts, building-level library media specialists, and library…

An Association of Research Libraries (ARL) telephone survey indicated that staff associations in many large academic and research libraries have developed into distinct action-oriented groups. This appears to be due to a combination of factors including increased staff interest in the library decision-making process, the emergence on changed forms…

This kit is compiled from documentation received as a result of a 1975 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) survey on the use of specialists in member libraries; updated materials gathered in 1978 are included. Survey data from 64 ARL members indicate wide utilization of various managerial and technical specialists. Of these, personnel…

This collection of grievance procedures from member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) contains: (1) documents on committee approaches to grievances from University of British Columbia, Center for Research Libraries, University of Connecticut, Harvard University, Michigan State University, and University of Nebraska; (2)…

This kit on resource allocation in academic and research libraries contains nine primary source documents and a concise summary of a 1976 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) survey on management of fiscal spending activities in ARL libraries. Based on responses from 70 libraries, the summary discusses 3 specific subjects within the general…

Information on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) data survey is presented, along with a quantitative index for the university libraries of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Ten quantitative measures of holdings, expenditures, and staff size for the AAU libraries from the 1981-1982 annual ARL survey are converted to an index…