ARL is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). ARL reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and users; higher education…

Bryn Mawr Reviews (BMR) produces two electronic review journals, "Bryn Mawr Classical Review," (BMCR) which also comes out in paper and "Bryn Mawr Medieval Review" (BMMR). BMR has two sets of users: subscribers and gopher hitters. Analysis of the monthly gopher reports has concentrated on the hitters rather than the hits;…

Previous studies on use of library materials based on borrowing behavior failed to address the issue of how the measurement of library book use might be expanded to a broader definition of use, specifically to include browsing behavior. The development of a non-obtrusive and accurate measurement for browsing behavior has remained a challenge.…

This brief paper presents an analysis of federal data concerning use of assistive technology (AT) among infants and toddlers. The number of very young children using AT increased dramatically between 1992 and 1995. Of more than 177,000 infants and toddlers receiving services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 9,274…

This brief paper presents an update on the use of assistive technology (AT) among infants and toddlers for 1996. It finds that 13,525 children, ages birth to 2, received AT devices and services in 1996, a 45 percent increase from the number of very young children served in 1995. A table shows the number of infants and toddlers receiving any early…

The 1974 book, "The Uses of Mass Communication: Current Perspectives on Gratifications Research" introduced the concept of a "division of labor"--that certain media work better than others in meeting audience gratifications. Since the division of labor concept has not been subjected to empirical testing, a study elaborated an…

The EDC (Educational Development Center) Center for Children and Technology (CCT) and Computers for Youth (CFY) completed a 1-year comparative study of children's use of computers in low- and middle-income homes. The study explores the digital divide as a literacy issue, rather than merely a technical one. Digital literacy is defined as a set of…

This paper summarizes results of a study which determined usage of mental health services by children with depressive disorders and whether patterns of service use and parents' perceptions of service use barriers are the same for children with depressive disorders as for those with disruptive disorders. The study used data from the Methods for…

This document summarizes a doctoral dissertation that examined activities in school libraries, including educational and leisure activities. The research focused on how pupils in two senior high schools in Norway use the school library in their everyday life at school, who the users are, and what use of the library means to them. The focus was…

The Colorado Digitization Project (CDP) commissioned the Library Research Service (LRS) of the Colorado State Library and the University of Denver Library and Information Science Program to evaluate user perceptions of the relative merits of the catalog (or database) and the exhibit approaches to providing access to digital information, especially…

This study was undertaken to investigate the personal reading habits of scholars/activists in the field of Women's Studies (WS), determine the use pattern of documentary sources of information in WS, and identify various sources of information used by those engaged in research work, teaching or social action work in the field of WS in India. The…

This paper describes a research project conducted in March 2001 for the Master of Library and Information Studies at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington. The project investigated the perceptions of information professionals (denoting qualified practitioners) in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies)…

This quantitative survey of university faculty tested a theory of status-related risk by examining the affect of three organizational statuses on the use of this educational innovation. It also explored how use is mediated by assessment of risks to their professional perquisites. Academic field and computer-based specialty statuses were moderately…

This paper describes implementation of one private university's strategic plan which includes provision of laptop computers to all entering freshmen and faculty since fall 1996. The background and context of the development of this plan is summarized, as are the 10 assessment instruments, both standard and in-house, being used to measure the…

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is a promising technology used by many medical centers to support health education activities for patients and their families. It may provide one method of reaching multiple patients at various times and locations, providing consistent, easily repeated information in a low stress manner, but it is unclear how much…