What began with a few libraries' early application of ethnographic methods to learn more about user behaviors and needs has grown to become a significant body of work done across many institutions using a broad range of methods. User-centered investigations are increasingly influential in discussions about the shape and future of the research…

The aims of this one-year research project undertaken for the School of Librarianship were: (1) to determine the various information needs of the user groups in the colleges, (2) to investigate present library services in light of the users' needs and (3) to propose immediate and long-term development plans for the library. In this study the role…

This report presents the findings of a study conducted between July and October 1979 to analyze the information needs of New England citizens, their information seeking patterns, and the effectiveness of libraries in meeting those needs. It examines everyday information needs, both occupational and non-occupational, of adult residents from 2,400…

In order to utilize cable, libraries will be dealing with an entirely new clientele. The present knowledge libraries have about their users is not sufficient to extrapolate to the new clientele, so needs must be identified. (Other conference materials are LI 503071-503074 and 503076 through 503084.) (Author/SJ)

In the last two decades, fundamental changes in information distribution, in the general economy, and in the behaviors of faculty, students, and library staff have problematized the question of an academic library's value and how it can be measured. This article reviews those changes and, drawing on research linked to the Collegiate Learning…

Examines formal information sources and library services used by physical scientists in Nigerian universities to obtain scientific information. Surveys from four Nigerian universities are described, and include results on journals read, use of the library, and current awareness strategies. These results are compared with information about…

The eleven conference papers emphasize the need for research into the "why" and the "who" of the library non-user. Attitudes and environmental factors contributing to non-use are: (1) lack of student motivation by pre-college experience with libraries; (2) failure of instructors to utilize the library except as a reserve collection, (3) failure of…

This institute aims to help librarians create change in themselves and in their communities in order to achieve a re-establishment of the public library as a functional and needed institution within the community of the New England region. Forty librarians in leadership positions participated; these librarians were selected from each New England…

Highlights some of the conditions affecting rural and small libraries and describes their roles in providing information services. Results of two research investigations report that for many Americans, the community library is perceived as a place for books and is used primarily by women. The complete survey instruments and results are appended.…

The overriding goals of this research project, which investigated the extent to which the rural public library is meeting the information needs of its constituents, are to enable the rural public library to become a more efficient disseminator of information and to enhance its role in the development of rural America. The study targeted both rural…

A federally funded Library Training Institute was held to explore the user/system interface in academic libraries. The institute was composed of 50 librarians including 20% administrators, 20% educators, and 60% public services librarians. Speakers from a number of disciplines including sociology, psychology, criminal justice, and marketing…

A comprehensive report of a six-month study that investigated the way the Department of Government at the University of Queensland used the university's library resources is presented. Groups participating in the study (students, library staff, and faculty) are identified, and the methods of data collection are explained. Over 40 data tables…

This is the report of a 1975 survey study on the information needs of adults in the service area of the Eastern Shore Regional Library, conducted to provide data for improving public library services and for future library planning. A questionnaire containing 192 steps was used in interviewing a selected sample with fair demographic representation…

A study was made to determine the adult public's expectations and attitudes about public libraries in the southern Maryland region, which encompasses St. Mary's, Charles, and Calvert counties. Survey instruments and interviewing procedures were developed to make these determinations to create profiles of the library user and non-user based on age,…

This study was conducted to determine how library users in California say library use helps them. While most library effectiveness studies infer effectiveness by looking at the movement of materials or reports of user satisfaction, this study proceeds from the assumption that libraries need to know how library use helps in user terms. The study…