This unobtrusive study examined whether the accuracy of reference service provided by student reference assistants (SRAs) and full-time paraprofessional department assistants (DAs) at the Brigham Young University library had improved since 1987. The effects of the following factors on accuracy were also considered: (1) whether a question was…

Documents and journal articles featured in this nine-item annotated bibliography concern the role of the library and information services, in both public and private settings, in promoting the competitiveness and economic well-being of businesses, regions, and the nation. Citations were selected through a computer search of the Educational…

Public libraries can be instrumental in creating a learning society and alleviating the problems pointed out in "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. In fact, public libraries have always played an important role in the nation's education and will…

The four papers in this collection consider the attitudes, concepts, and techniques involved in marketing for non-profit organizations, and explore how librarians in higher education can use these ideas to optimize the effectiveness of their service provision in a time of economic constraint. In "Marketing the Academic Library,"…

Based on observations made during a 1979-80 study trip, this paper presents a critical view of academic librarianship and libraries in India, emphasizing issues confronting the library profession and its ability to fulfill library objectives in a developing nation. It is noted that modern India is a society closely tied to tradition while at the…

This transcript contains the text of a speech and five panel presentations on the problems of people with hearing impairments and the provision of academic library instruction to deaf students. Herbert W. Larson describes: methods for effectively communicating with the deaf; the use of signing, lip reading, and interpreters; colleges for the deaf;…

Building on a prior investigation of users' formulations and needs in fiction, this study was conducted to determine dominant patterns in public library user-librarian search interactions. Based on analysis of 134 actual user-librarian conversations about fiction recorded under everyday library conditions in Danish public libraries in 1976, it was…

This comprehensive bibliography lists 135 journal articles, books, conference papers, and documents on library use and library instruction for non-English speaking users. (MES)

This unobtrusive study conducted at the Brigham Young University Library was designed to determine whether reference questions are appropriately referred by student and paraprofessional assistants. Issues addressed included: (1) the percentage of questions assistants cannot answer themselves that are referred to professionals; (2) the percentage…

This compilation of primarily narrative reports from 24 federal projects funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) and administered by the California State Library covers the period 1985-1987, with further reports to be published approximately every other year. Each report--excerpted from a standardized summary report form--is…

This collection of materials for a three-hour instructional program for young people and adults in the effective use of the public library includes an introduction to the program, a teaching guide for the librarian, a packet of materials for students, and a summary of 90 evaluations of the program as it was presented at two area libraries and…

This document contains validated activities and competencies needed by information professionals working as records and information managers. The activities of information professionals are listed by function: records and information program management; systems analysis; records center administration; general administration; planning; financial…

This report, which investigates turnaround time for interlibrary loans, presents a 1-month study of the interlibrary loan (ILL) process operating in the Western Slope areas of Colorado during 1980. It comprises introductory material presenting the importance, scope and limitations of the study, problem statement, hypothesis and term definitions; a…

A summary and four papers from a symposium, held at the 1974 American Library Association Conference, dealing with the feasibility and desirability of measuring reference service. (PF)