"is facebook down" trended on Google on October 4, 2021, when Facebook became temporarily globally unavailable. Web users proactively seek information when they encounter issues online. System status dashboards are one way libraries can leverage this behavior to share changes to resources or services and improve transparency, reference…

This study investigated 299 chat reference interactions from an academic library consortium for instances of teaching and compared these against other characteristics of the chat, such as question content, staff type, user status, user satisfaction, institutional affiliation, length, and shift busyness. Statistical analysis revealed that teaching…

This study aims to identify factors and behaviors associated with user dissatisfaction with a chat reference interaction to provide chat operators with suggestions of behaviors to avoid. The researchers examined 473 transcripts from an academic chat reference consortium from June to December 2016. Transcripts were coded for 13 behaviors that were…

Introduction: This paper describes the findings of a study of 1517 public library Websites in Australia, Canada, and the United States over a period of four years. These Websites are referred to as 'electronic branches' of the libraries, thereby extending the definition of physical library branches into the digital realm. The purpose of the…

Student workers are a well-established component of academic library operations. Recently, their traditional role has expanded to include responsibilities that were previously assigned to librarians, including in-person and virtual reference support. This trend has raised concerns about service quality and highlighted the importance of adequate…

This paper examines the merit of conducting a qualitative analysis of LibQUAL+® survey comments as a means of leveraging quantitative LibQUAL+ results, and using importance-satisfaction matrices to present and assess qualitative findings. Comments collected from the authors' institution's LibQUAL+ survey were analyzed using a codebook based on…

Web-scale discovery systems are becoming prevalent in research libraries. Although a number of studies have explored various impacts of discovery systems, few studies exist on user satisfaction. The investigators of this study evaluated user satisfaction with the discovery service Summon at Ryerson University, using online questionnaires and…

The research presented in this paper is part of a 5-year renewable national research program in Canada, namely the NSERC/iCORE/Xerox/Markin research chair program that aims to explore possibilities of adaptive mobile learning and to provide learners with a learning environment which facilitates personalized learning at any time and any place. One…

In 2009, the author spearheaded the Thunder Bay Public Library's (TBPL) service audit on kiosks. A task force comprising staff from the children's, reference, and adult services departments was formed to work on the audit. Task force members worked together and studied how patrons and staff use kiosks, conducted a literature review, surveyed other…

This study sought to evaluate a newly created information resource book for parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder entitled "Autism Spectrum Disorder: Information for Parents." A purposive sample of 13 participants (comprised of mothers of children with ASD and ASD service providers) participated in 1 of 3…

Most academic libraries are seeking to provide electronic access to the very dynamic and changing field of technology related material. "Safari Tech Books Online" and "Books24x7" are the major e-book collections in this area. We compared the "Safari Tech Books Online" and "Books24x7" e-book packages as to…

Discusses the evaluation and redefining of services in the four resource centers of the British Columbia ministry of consumers and corporate affairs in terms of economic feasibility and ministry objectives. (CHC)

Discusses a study of use of the Web-based virtual library at CISTI (Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information) by NRC (National Research Council of Canada). Results indicate that NRC staff is favorably inclined toward electronic resources and that a positive correlation exists between use of digital resources and perception and…

Describes a user study by library students to assess user attitudes toward the format and information contained in a microfiche catalog. While indicating general user approval, the survey did not discriminate between views of the catalog as a basic finding tool and as a continuation of traditional card catalog information content. (RAA)

This paper describes the Self-Help Information Service (SIS), and summarizes data evaluating the program. Associated with a generally focused information and referral service (I&R), SIS was designed to facilitate research on self-help groups. Its specific goals were to develop and maintain a telephone referral service disseminating self-help…