This Practice Brief describes a grant-funded pilot program at an urban four-year public college, developed to address the needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This Interdisciplinary Collaborative Support Services program provided (1) more clinical assistance for students with ASD to promote their academic and social success; (2)…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is committed to bringing together museums and libraries across the country for conversations dedicated to developing a better understanding of the roles of libraries and museums as providers of public service to communities. The Future of Libraries and Museums in the 21st Century Planning…

Research was undertaken to guide development of services for personal digital assistant (PDA) users at the University of Alberta Libraries. A variety of qualitative methods were used to assess user satisfaction with current PDA services and identify potential PDA services for the libraries and resources. The research and needs assessment results…

The National Indian Education Association operated a research and demonstration project to provide library and information services to three American Indian reservations over a period of four years. Attempts were made to determine what kinds of information services the people themselves wanted, and then a program was developed to meet these needs.…

The College of the Canyons Library, with assistance from Institutional Development and Technology (IDT), conducted a survey of students to obtain their impressions regarding experiences with library staff, services, collections, and equipment. A representative sample of non-occupational courses was selected for an in-class survey. In addition,…

The online search evaluation form recommended by the Machine-Assisted Reference Section Committee on Measurement and Evaluation of Service of the American Library Association is discussed. Each of the 10 questions recommended for inclusion and questions rejected as inappropriate are analyzed. Eleven references and the Search Evaluation…

The study, conducted in Dayton, Detroit, El Paso, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., investigated efforts to create municipal career employment and training opportunities for those who cannot meet traditional entrance requirements. It also examined the impact of programs on municipal services, and ways in which such programs can…

A 9-month pilot evaluation of the developing Special Education Instructional Materials Center (SEIMC) Network utilized two approaches: a process evaluation with site visits to determine the status of activities at the SEIMC's at the universities of Wisconsin and Southern California; and a user survey of 588 mail questionnaires, follow-up…

This interview focuses on usability testing, one method for evaluating whether library Web sites are useful for users. Discussion includes: benefits and drawbacks of usability testing; why it is important; lessons learned from testing; advice for someone interested in doing a study; and recommendations. (AEF)

The first portion of this report describes a study of the relationship between inservice training requirements and training programs currently offered in the field of librarianship, information, and documentation in the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin. Data on inservice needs were mainly gathered from a study on training requirements…

If museums and libraries are to compete for both public and private funds in an accountability-driven environment, they must develop evaluation practices that provide the most compelling picture of the impact of their services. The two essays in this document present clear arguments for the adoption of a specific approach to evaluation known as…

This report examines current library services in Alaska and proposes a statewide development plan based on data gathered from interviews with citizens and library personnel, and state library and education department records. A statistical profile of Alaska as a library service area is presented emphasizing geographic, distance, population…

Designed to be used by those responsible for providing library resources for educational units in nursing, this publication contains standards and suggestions for evaluating the library resources for university, collegiate, and diploma nursing or practical nursing programs. Standards are provided for: (1) The Library Collection, including…

The Design of Information Systems in the Social Sciences project (DISISS) of the University of Bath, England, has recently completed evaluations of three programs: (1) a library staff digest intended to inform personnel of the inner workings of the library; (2) an information system designed to assist professionals and private individuals working…

As our society moves increasingly from an era of affluence to one of scarcity, the evaluation and assessment of publicly supported services will become even more crucial and necessary to ensure that public resources are being expended in the most effective manner. Evaluation of library service effectiveness is defined in this paper in terms of…