This article employs a citation-tracking method for gathering and reviewing literature of academic librarianship. Each work discussed either cites the work of F.W. Lancaster, an early predictor and enthusiast of "paperless information systems," or another that cites it. The aim is to provide an analytical overview on how academic librarians saw…

One of the two major ways of interpreting LibQUAL+[TM] data involves placing perceived service quality ratings within "zones of tolerance" defined as the distances between minimally-acceptable and desired service quality levels. This study compared zones of tolerance on the 25 LibQUAL+[TM] items across undergraduate, graduate student and…

Describes the use of the World Wide Web as a name authority resource and tool for special collections' analytic-level cataloging, based on experiences at The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. Highlights include primary documents and metadata; authority control and the Web as authority source information; and future possibilities. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the difference in subject access in OPACs (online public access catalogs) between subject searching (authority, alphabetic, or controlled vocabulary) versus keyword searching (uncontrolled, free text, natural language vocabulary). Compares a query on the term "garbage" in two online catalogs and discusses results. (Author/LRW)

Reviews a study which shows that guidance for selecting books in the classroom has increased. Considers children's self-selection strategies as a function of the instructional program. (MG)

Describes a study that obtained assessments of the status of research in library and information science from leading researchers in the field. Five key issue areas affecting the status of research are identified and specific recommendations are offered to address these issues and improve the status of research in this area. (31 references)…

Describes online catalog research being conducted in Europe in the areas of interaction and interface design, subject access, functional improvement through the application of information retrieval techniques, and library networks. Three operational online catalogs, not available outside Europe, are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

Examines the role of research in assisting library managers to operate libraries more effectively. Strategies for research and for library managers to better create and use research are suggested; conceptual and practical issues that affect research utilization are discussed; and the need for improved efforts by both library managers and…

Summarizes the results of 11 selected studies of the accuracy of reference services and identifies six modes of failure of reference services. Methods of detecting and reducing failure in each of these modes are then discussed. (17 references) (MES)

Presents a strategic planning model originally developed for university research and illustrates its usefulness for academic libraries. Library development and fund-raising activities are used as examples to illustrate the various stages of strategic planning, including scanning the environment, designing the plan, acceptance, and adoption.…

This 1991 poll by the University of Illinois' Library Research Center consisted of a telephone survey of a representative national sample of 1,181 people and a mail survey of a random sample of 541 Public Library Association members. Data were gathered on public and professional opinions about public library services, collections, censorship,…

Argues that semiotics, the science of signs, provides a suitable research tool for investigating the communication process in public libraries. Literature review identifies research using semiotic methods, as well as communication research in public librarianship that would have profited from semiotics, as a first step toward understanding the…

This study examines and compares the purpose, content, and form of the problem statement by researchers in disciplines other than library and information science (LIS). Their assessments of the attributes of a problem statement were compared to the literature and an evaluation of problem statements evidenced by researchers within LIS. (Contains 16…

Discusses use of the grounded theory approach to derive models of the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers. The background to the development of qualitative approaches to information studies in the United Kingdom is described, and the results of four studies of the information-seeking patterns of researchers are outlined. (Contains…

Examines various characteristics of authors of library and information science journal articles published in 1986. Comparisons are made between the author characteristics of articles that resulted from funded research and articles that were not supported by funding, and patterns of collaboration and possession of a doctoral degree are also…