In this report of the Council's fourteenth year, a sum of $1,722,375 was appropriated for the support of 29 new projects and work was continued or completed on a good many more. It has become increasingly evident that the average library will never be able to "go it alone" in some aspects of the new technology--automation, for example.…

The interdisciplinary nature of the literature of American library history indicates that much of the best literature in the field is published in journals which do not fit within the familiar confines of "Library Literature." To illustrate the difficulties, a bibliography of 170 items relating to Pennsylvania library history was checked…

Reports on a program held at the 1986 American Library Association Conference which offered a model for locating and evaluating existing research on libraries. Six guidelines for evaluating research are provided, and small group sessions which evaluated actual research and talked directly with researchers are described. (EM)

Relevance of sociological theory and methodology to research in librarianship is discussed, noting findings from citation analysis developed from bibliographic database search (type of work and number of citations; most frequently cited authors, journals, and books; and rank order of sociological journals cited). Twenty-two references and journals…

Describes operations research as an important management tool that can aid library managers in effectively using available resources and as a set of analytical tools that can enable researchers to better understand library and information services. Early history, definition, models, applications to libraries, and impact are noted. Twenty-five…

Library Schools can devise improved techniques in reference librarianship and can encourage a research orientation by better understanding the structure of the literature and the way librarians operate within that structure. (8 references) (MM)

This article employs a citation-tracking method for gathering and reviewing literature of academic librarianship. Each work discussed either cites the work of F.W. Lancaster, an early predictor and enthusiast of "paperless information systems," or another that cites it. The aim is to provide an analytical overview on how academic librarians saw…

This study examines and compares the purpose, content, and form of the problem statement by researchers in disciplines other than library and information science (LIS). Their assessments of the attributes of a problem statement were compared to the literature and an evaluation of problem statements evidenced by researchers within LIS. (Contains 16…

This report examines the 1984 library and information science literature in order to characterize, analyze, and evaluate the published research of the field. The subjects and methods of research, types of libraries studied, and analytical techniques used are examined; a "core" journal group of 91 sources is established; and the amount…

This paper examines the publication of reports of library research progress in the Federal Republic of Germany and proposes problems of research publication that should be considered by the International Federation of Library Associations. Within Germany, four agencies, the German Library Association, the German Research Association, the German…

This guide is intended to provide a concise assessment of the extent and nature of research on American library history, to briefly discuss the theoretical framework and methodological tools utilized by library historians, to provide an annotated list of works dealing with the published literature on this topic, and to present a descriptive…

This review of major applications of economic theory and research methods to libraries provides overviews of economics of information and of library services, research related to supply of library services, research into demand for library services, finances and fees, and the library labor market. A 78-item bibliography is provided. (EJS)

The chapters in this volume, originally presented at the Third Annual Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) conference, "Setting Standards and Making It Real," (Orlando, Florida, November 2001), were organized, revised, and updated to reflect current technology and practice. The VRD conference and the ideas in this book represent the cutting edge…

This paper describes a research project conducted in March 2001 for the Master of Library and Information Studies at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington. The project investigated the perceptions of information professionals (denoting qualified practitioners) in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies)…

This research project studied the perceived quality of the library and information science literature and asked questions regarding international librarianship. Additionally, it questioned what librarians read, how they choose their reading material, and how they use the literature for their decision making. The sample consisted of librarians from…