Demonstrates how electronic mail and the World Wide Web are effective tools for focus group research and programmatic decision making by highlighting how an electronic needs assessment survey was conducted on participants' use of the Web. Sidebars contain the four-step focus group methodology; sample questions and responses; and a comparison of…

Examines end-user judgment and evaluation behavior during information retrieval (IR) system interactions and extends previous research surrounding relevance as a key construct for representing the value end-users ascribe to items retrieved from IR systems. The self-reporting worksheet is appended. (Author/AEF)

Discusses references collections in academic libraries and offers guidelines for placing materials in a reference collection that focus on their suitability for true reference functions and the expected frequency of use. Problems with poorly managed collections are discussed, and the importance of selection policies and weeding are emphasized. (37…

Describes results of a survey of secondary school libraries in Israel that was conducted in 1983-84. Library characteristics related to type of community and type of school are described, including size of collection, hours of operation, and librarians' qualifications. School library use is also discussed. (six references) (LRW)

Describes a study that examined the interrelationships among three dimensions of acceptance for computer mediated communication systems (CMCS). The dimensions examined were use, subjective satisfaction, and perceived benefits. It is concluded that future studies of CMCS's should not assume that usage alone or subjective satisfaction alone are…

Describes study that was conducted to determine the feasibility of networking home microcomputers with a university mainframe system in order to investigate a new family process research paradigm, as well as the design and function of the microcomputer/mainframe system. Test instrumentation is described and systems' reliability and validity are…

Describes a diffusion study that examined how a group of college students learned about the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and how they employed interpersonal exchanges and the media to cope with the news. The relationship between mass and interpersonal communication is discussed, and future studies are suggested. (19 references) (LRW)

Describes a study that measured the use of government publications in an academic library before and after the merger of the government publications department and the reference department. The implications of the findings that the merger resulted in declines in government publications use and the quality of reference service for government…

Describes a survey of 179 graduate students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, that examined student awareness of reference services available at the university library and actual use of reference services by students. The relationship between awareness and use is discussed, and recommendations for improving awareness are offered. (CLB)

This study examined the effect of the availability of an academic online catalog on the use of academic libraries by college-bound high school seniors to determine: (1) degree of academic library use in connection with research projects; (2) use of the catalog to search for library materials; and (3) the nature of library materials used. (12…

Discusses the use of commercial time sharing systems (BRS, DIALOG, and Dow Jones) by business administration students at the Wharton School, and describes a survey of alumni that examined their use of these systems after graduation. Possible reasons for the low correlation found between use of an online system in school and after graduation are…

Describes research that identified possible uses for general interest magazine articles online in full text. It is concluded that, as no one search strategy works best for all uses, databases and online systems should offer a full range of proximity operators, display features that facilitate browsing, value added fields, and diverse cost options.…

Administered Noncognitive Questionnaire to 230 international students prior to matriculation as college freshmen. Results identified noncognitive variables predictive of student use of counseling center services over four-year period. Counseling center use was significantly predicted by students' understanding and ability to deal with racism,…

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)

Presents results of observing teacher-student communication in 13 seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms that used video programs. Identifies four different approaches to teaching using video programs and gives examples of how these approaches were used. Results indicate that video programs are most successful when combined with a learner-centered…