Examines, within the U.S. and selected regions, nine basic characteristics of social systems that are frequently mentioned as causes of differences in library development. A comparative procedure was used to identify those variables with universal explanations. Results indicate the most critical variable was level of formal education. Twenty-eight…

Reports the findings of a 1978 NLM (National Library of Medicine) study that examined grant-related communication activity as an initial task in exploring information exchange in health sciences librarianship. Background, methodology, and results are described, and data tables are provided. (Author/JD)

Reports findings of a study of the 10-year use of 334 biomedical journals in the Lane Medical Library of Stanford University Medical Center. Use and density of use (use/shelf space occupied) statistics are tabulated and a ranked list of the journals, by use and use-density, is appended. (JD)

Reviews research that has been relevant to improved user access to online information retrieval systems: (1) background; (2) natural language interfaces; (3) information retrieval system interfaces; and (4) modification of systems through user feedback. A 29-item bibliography is included. (Author/JD)

Details the current organization and functions of the various components of the British Library, with the exception of central administration. Included are the library board, reference division, lending division, bibliographic services division, and research and development department. (FM)

Reviews 1979's publications and activities in the fields of general subject analysis, classification, subject headings, and indexing. An extensive list of references is provided. (FM)

Extracts five conclusions from a survey of library material use studies: (1) recorded use in many libraries is low; (2) use within the library parallels circulation; (3) past use predicts future use; (4) recent materials are used more frequently; and (5) Americans use few foreign language materials. (FM)

A survey of 34 of the largest public library systems, each serving at least 500,000 people, showed: (1) minority offer online database services; (2) cost is major prohibiting factor; (3) New York Times Information Bank is most popular database; (4) fee structures vary; and (5) business organizations are most frequent users. (JD)

A multiple-choice pretest, given to 113 biology and 58 health education college students, measured their knowledge (before library instruction) of specific information sources required to complete course assignments. Mixed tabulated results show that prior instruction, in a class or tour of the library, did not guarantee higher mean scores. (JD)

Two methods are presented by which the librarian can forecast book circulation by subject. The shelflist model treats the number of library books as a control variable, while the other defines the dependent variable as the proportion of the shelflist circulated. (FM)

Random samples of monographic materials from U.S. and Canadian public libraries were matched with collections from similar libraries of different sizes. Strong positive correlation appears between percentage find rate and target library size, with regression analysis suggesting linearity over a wide range of collection sizes. (Author)

Describes a pilot project comparing human and electronic library material security systems in high school libraries. (KP)

Studies the prospect of bibliographic exchange among libraries in Malaysia. Investigates the compatibility of MARC records as prepared by selected Malaysian academic libraries, discussing format differences and content differences; and reports on the different cataloging practices found in preparing name headings. (Author/LRW)

Presents results of a search of ERIC, "Wilson Library Literature", and "Dissertation Abstracts" that looked for any mention of school library media specialists or programs that deal specifically with research. Expresses concern about the lack of research reported in the field. (LRW)

Presents a user-based approach to exploring the possibility of adding user-oriented class associations to hierarchical library classification schemes. Classes not grouped in the same subject hierarchies yet relevant to users' knowledge are obtained by analyzing a log book of a university library's circulation records, using collaborative filtering…