Presents four challenges faced by libraries and proposes research designs to address each of them. The challenges involve: invisible infrastructure; content and collections; preservation and access; and institutional boundaries. Proposes a mixture of research methods that includes surveys, case studies, documentary analyses, and policy analyses.…

Argues that the analytical comparison of library collections to the people using those collections could provide insights related to library acquisition priorities and practices, and describes and illustrates a method for analyzing this relationship. A sidebar by Myra White describes an application of the results of such a study at California…

In recent years there has been a push for libraries to develop and use systematic measures to determine the effectiveness of library service. Materials availability, or fill rate, is one of many output measures used in libraries. This technique measures the degree to which library customers are able to acquire the materials they want during their…

This report considers the issues of gifts, donations, collection development, long-range planning, and budget constraints which arose as a consequence of a collection development study undertaken for a public library system serving a population in excess of 200,000. Gifts to the general collection are distinguished from gifts to special…

Library effectiveness--in particular, user satisfaction--is difficult to measure because it is a vague, subjective concept that is different for every person who enters the library. Library assessment traditionally has been measured by: (1) how well it has been meeting its stated goals and objectives; (2) the library processes, which include…

An important component of a library's collection management activities should be a measure of the effectiveness of the selection process. Effective selection should be a reflection of titles chosen compared to titles available as well as patron use of the material selected. To evaluate the collection development activities for the School of…

Anthropologists at seven universities were surveyed to determine their methods of information retrieval, choice of information sources, perception of the adequacy of library service, and information needs. Results show that journals, field data, and maps are important sources; interlibrary loan is often used; and the majority of needs are met by…

Identifies current challenges to children's library services including inequality in access to information; integration of information skills in the classroom; rising costs, low budgets, and increasing demands; the state of book collections; and the need for research at state and national levels. Local examples of successful solutions are…

The purpose of this research was to look at the currency of the collection of a small public library and to determine the relationship between the amount of usage of the collection and the currency of publications in the collection. A 10% systematic sample was taken of the circulating nonfiction adult shelf list of the Franklin Public Library…

This study evaluated the circulation of videotapes at three branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (Ohio). The study focused on what types of videotapes patrons were most likely to check out; the categories examined included fiction, nonfiction, and children's videotapes. Data were gathered for a one-week period, and a…

A focus group study of 29 Queens College/CUNY (City University of New York) undergraduates, born and educated outside the United States, determined that most described needs related to course work rather than language or culture. Participants commented on library hours, physical surroundings, research tools, personnel, collections, and copy…

This paper reports on a study in which data on audiobook borrowers' backgrounds, borrowing practices, and desires were collected, in order to assist library staff in making informed collection development decisions and being responsive to patron needs. Participants were patrons of the Salem Public Library (Ohio). An anonymous questionnaire was…

It is important that librarians research and plan to make the relationship between library collections and remote access comfortable and successful for users and the library. This article discusses the political, social, and economic advantages and disadvantages of remote access. (JMV)

The purpose of this study was: (1) to examine the opinions of a selected group of public and private high school students regarding their perceptions of the level of accessibility to their school libraries (accessibility defined as times when students think they were allowed to be in the library); (2) to determine whether or not students feel the…

This article reviews studies of school library media collections which address issues related to collection evaluation, networking, collection mapping, student preferences, and special collections. A summary of practical implications of the research findings and a proposed research agenda are appended. (35 references) (SD)