To introduce students to library research skills, university faculty often encourage them to attend hour-long presentations offered by the library. This face-to-face introduction to research skills can be disappointing, however, if students do not participate during the session. This article reports on a study that focused on improving student…

Describes a study which measured students' ability to perform several library tasks using students from two different colleges. The results indicate that a program of library instruction will improve the library skills of undergraduate students. Five references are included. (CHC)

Presents and compares results from two surveys of basic library skills administered to first-year and upperclass students at Johns Hopkins University (Maryland). The relationship of test scores to library visits and to self-ratings for library skills are discussed, and copies of the surveys are included. (Contains 12 references.) (LRW)

A study was done in the spring semester of 1983 at the East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, to investigate the attitudes of 28 international students with regard to the importance and effectiveness of a library skills instruction course and their understanding and/or use of other library services and materials. The graduate level,…

In order to evaluate its library instruction program, a postal survey was conducted of students who participated in library orientation courses at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria during the winter term of 1982/83. The orientation courses consisted of a 1-hour lecture on use of the library and a library…

Patron use of periodical indexes at an urban academic research library was studied over a 7-week period in the summer of 1982. A total of 98 patrons were interviewed on a random basis as they used various periodical and newspaper indexes. The questionnaire was designed to gather information on citation elements, the methods patrons use to locate…

Conducted at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) to obtain a better understanding of the research environment in which graduate students function and their particular information needs, this study used a multi-methods approach which included analyses of library and graduate college data; interviews with graduate advisors of selected departments;…

The Fawcett Library, a collection of international importance in the field of women's studies, faces money, space, and staff time constraints and has been reviewing its acquisitions policy with these factors in mind. This study was undertaken to gain insight into (1) library use in general by researchers in the field of women's studies, and (2)…

The library instruction program conducted at the University of Colorado consisted of classroom contact with students in the history and economics departments, and production of a slide tape. Evaluation instruments were developed for discovering present student and faculty library use and faculty attitudes toward the library, with the idea of…

Provides a model that maps out five stages of relating library and scientific research: (1) establish an interest; (2) narrow a topic; (3) clarify the variables; (4) refine the procedures; and (5) interpret the unexpected. Provides a student questionnaire for selecting a topic and a format for general note taking. (MDH)

This report describes the library instruction program at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria and proposes various program improvements, which are based in part on the results of a 1979 survey of over 2,600 faculty and students. An overview of the present state-of-the-art of library user education and…

A result of close cooperation between librarians at the Undergraduate Library and the English faculty, the program described in this report involves the integration of library instruction with freshmen English courses at the University of Texas at Austin. The formulation of goals for this program, through which over 5,000 students each year are…

This set of materials on staff development in research libraries, assembled by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), focuses on programs and activities designed to provide general skills training related to the work performed in a research library. Contents of the set include: (1)…