Criticisms of library and information science (LIS) research abound and most focus on method, in the broad sense. This article examines the discourse on LIS from the standpoint of rhetoric and argument. Rhetorical and argumentative strategies are used in almost all formal communication, and these strategies themselves communicate purpose and point…

To do solid academic research, college students need to look beyond the computer search engine. This short, practical book introduces students to the important components of the information-seeking process. "The Elements of Library Research" provides a foundation for success in any research assignment, from a freshman paper to a senior thesis.…

This review of Council on Library Resources (CLR) activities for 1990/91 begins with status reports on the following CLR managed projects: professional education, including the Academic Library Management Intern Program and CLR/Kellog fellows; bibliographic systems; science and engineering, including the CLR/National Science foundation Project and…

Five speakers of international prominence from around the world presented a program dealing with the research efforts of academic librarians and the effect of research on academic libraries in Australia and New Zealand, India, Russia, Africa (with an emphasis on Kenya), and the United Kingdom. This proceedings includes the following papers…

The project summarized in this report collected data from 3 of the 25 largest Association of Research Library (ARL) member libraries in order to: (1) examine the durability of the measure of technology set forth in "An Empirical Assessment of Perrow's Technology Construct" (Administrative Science Quarterly, 1974, pp. 338-356); (2) study…

Because of the variety in the nature and interests of foundations, libraries often seek an understanding of several foundations' interests, funding history, future plans, and strategies in terms of their own needs before approaching a single foundation. A review of foundation giving within the past few years shows that construction and expansion…

Ten law librarians, at one private and three academic law libraries, were studied to ascertain what types of reference services they provide to their patrons. The current model employed in public libraries today was used as the baseline against which to measure these legal reference services. This model employs five traditional categories of:…

This article describes the formation and content of a required library and information research course for graduate and professional students enrolled in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Master of Arts degree program at Western Washington University. The course was created as a result of library assessment, student feedback, and faculty…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") is a quarterly report from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). This issue includes the following articles: (1) Rebalancing the Investment in Collections (H. Thomas Hickerson); (2)…

Accreditation is critical to the viability of institutions of higher education. Each of the six regional groups that accredit two- and four-year institutions has standards specifically addressing online or distance learning. In general, these standards require institutions to show that distance learners have adequate access to appropriate library…

A descriptive survey of the organizations and institutions which conduct and support current research in library and information science in the United States of America and of the major sources of research information. (Author)

A user evaluation of library services and facilities revealed a dichotomy of the user population into director and non-director subgroups. (Author/PF)

A controversial issue involving online computer searching is the effect of patron presence during the computer search. The purpose of this research was to determine the attitudes of university librarians toward patron presence. A survey was used to explore variables related to the search process and searcher characteristics. Also considered was…

This handbook defines library research terminology and provides guidance for academic librarians in several components of the research grant application and management processes. The first chapter addresses the research or creative project itself and the optimum methods of presenting it in order to obtain financial support. Chapter 2 deals with…

This overview of the activities of the Section for Africa begins by tracing the growth of the section in 1982 and 1983 to 100 African members and 22 members from other continents. Participation by the section in International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) preconference seminars is briefly discussed, and it is noted that the section…