The report examines patron characteristics and use patterns of the New York Public Library Research Libraries. A general user survey was conducted as well as surveys of the use of the Photographic Service, Special Collections, Special Study Areas, and Reference Correspondence Service. Chapter I is a summary of principal findings and conclusions.…

An appendix to a study that attempts to measure the service capabilities of public libraries, either in relation to the needs of their communities or to the standards adopted by the profession. (Author)

The basic rationale for this study was that attempts to measure the service capabilities of public libraries, either in relation to the needs of their communities or to the standards adopted by the profession, are hampered by the lack of criteria of quality or effectiveness. It was recognized that new measures were needed to gauge effectiveness…

Intended to provide a guide to the most useful, practical, and relevant methodologies developed and implemented over the past 20 years for assessing a library's effectiveness, this bibliography provides citations to 72 selected studies evaluating the use, collections, and services of academic libraries. The citations are organized into three major…

The friends and colleagues of Clarissa Gadiel used this publication which deals with problems which were close to her heart and to which she gave much thought as of means of perpetuating her memory. The publication includes the following papers: "Information Education at the Grassroots," by Hans Wellisch; "Reference Work in Library…

This 2-volume report measures and records the use of 16 public library children's services in Connecticut to provide management information and a model to improve the quality of services from collection development to the provision of reference and referral services. The first volume discusses the purposes of the project; examines documentation…

Presented by a library science student at the University of California at Berkeley, this description of Moffitt Undergraduate Library includes financing and budget, the building (physical description), book collection, staff, library technical operations, and user services. The report begins with a framework for the idea of an undergraduate…

Reference materials used by librarians responding to reference requests and by patrons at the Iowa State University Library were analyzed to determine which subject areas of the collection received greatest use, and whether subject areas and types of materials used by librarians differed from those used by patrons. (19 references) (MES)

Examines the history of telephone directory collections in libraries and describes a survey of telephone directory use at the Colorado State University libraries. Data collection is described, and implications for more effective use of such collections are suggested. An appendix lists sources that augment telephone directory collections. (16…

A study was conducted to observe the behavior and problems of the users of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) dictionary library catalog. The study group's activities included: (1) a literature search and the abstracting of catalog use surveys; (2) personal interviews with representatives of library units to obtain information about…

This study describes two surveys of the users of the Public Documents and Maps Department of the Duke University Library. The information gathered in the course of this inquiry is reported: (1) in a profile of the users of the department's reference service, and (2) in a comparison and analysis of the evaluations of reference encounters by both…

During one week in 1981, 648 telephone reference questions were analyzed at medium-sized public library. Subject-oriented question analysis revealed little relationship between subject of question, answer format, and complexity level; significant correlation appeared between answer format and level of complexity. Sample coding form and statistical…

Three studies examined public library reference services use by patrons in Anglo, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities in California. Interview questions concerned search topics, use of staff help, perceived usefulness of search result, successful search strategies, reasons for not seeking help, foreknowledge of sources, reasons for using the…

In order to find reliable methods of ascertaining quality in library service, three public libraries in the Chicago area were assessed using the Rutgers "Performance Measures for Public Libraries." The Rutgers study can reveal the needs and characteristics of library patrons, and may itself be instrumental in increasing patronage. It…

Produced as part of a formal library review process, this publication reports the results of a 1981 survey of approximately 1000 undergraduates, postgraduates, and academic staff at the Australian National University (ANU) to determine their use of and satisfaction with facilities, materials, and services provided by ANU's library system. A high…