Based on data from two experiments, this article attempts to assess degree to which people differ in interpretations of questions referring to library services and the implications for interpreting survey results. Sources of error in questionnaire research--sampling, response (question interpretation, response decision, category choices)--are…

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…

In June, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down five decisions which significantly altered the legal definition of obscenity, placing greater emphasis on local community standards for judging a work obscene. A survey of public libraries was conducted in 1974 to determine if these decisions had resulted in an increase in community…

Most institutions of higher education have a mission that specifically addresses three areas: instruction, research, and service. The repertoire of activities and the complexity of the goals of the University Library mirror the goals of the institution, the academic units, and the faculty. The clients of the library are the students, the faculty,…