Describes a user survey of document delivery in academic settings that used a conjoint analysis approach. Results of interviews with faculty members and graduate students that investigated preferences for library interlibrary loan services versus commercial document delivery services and the effects of cost and speed of delivery are discussed.…

Develops a conceptual model which places public library use in the context of a series of interrelated decisions made by consumer about allocating time to various activities based on relative costs and benefits, and tests the model against available data on the characteristics of public library users. Seventeen references are included. (EJS)

Discusses the accuracy of reference service in libraries as measured by evaluating answers that reference librarians give to factual questions. More than 30 reference accuracy studies are analyzed, variables explored in each study are examined, further research needs are described, and suggestions for improving service quality for reference…

Public library users made judgments about the competence of reference librarians whom they observed in videotaped interviews. Two social factors were varied in the interviews: the gender of the librarian, patron, and observers; and the communication behavior exhibited by the reference librarian toward the patron. Nineteen references are cited.…

Describes study conducted at Chicago Public Library's Computer-Assisted Reference Center (CARC) that examined patron's evaluations of their online searches and the search service provided. The relationship between user satisfaction and relevance, precision, and recall is highlighted, and suggestions for future research are offered. (40 references)…

Describes a study of the Tel Aviv library system that examined the factors influencing the service range distances of branch libraries and the differences among them in amount of library use. The literature of spatial aspects of public services is reviewed, the geostatistical methodology is explained, and socioeconomic factors are discussed. (19…

This study was designed both to determine if patrons are able to discern differences in library performance and to investigate relationships between patron evaluation and use of public libraries. Highlights include study procedures, instrumentation, data collection, results of data analyses, and interpretation of results. Eighteen references are…

Discusses issues relating to the reliability, validity, utility, and information value of unobtrusive testing of library reference services; provides suggestions for practical applications of these criteria; applies study findings to library decision making and planning; and identifies topics for further methodological refinement. (Author/CLB)