In the rapidly changing information environment, libraries have to demonstrate that their services have relevance, value, and impact for stakeholders and customers. To deliver effective and high quality services, libraries have to assess their performance from the customer point of view. Moving to an assessment framework will be more successful if…

In 2005, the Library at UNSW began a comprehensive restructuring process that fundamentally changed the provision of services to its academic community. A primary aim of this process was to increase flexibility of service development and delivery and so to improve research support. The motivation for reformed services arose from considerations…

This study analyzed reference lists in a large number of master's and doctoral theses in a university library of psychology and education sciences. It compared citation counts to other indicators of the use of periodicals. The usefulness and limitations of these statistics are discussed in relation to decision-making in subscriptions' management.…

This article presents an overview of a research project that was designed as a way to understand the role of Australian academic librarians in internationalising library, university, and higher education practice. In an attempt to discover what it is that librarians actually do, a survey of university librarians was undertaken to find how they…

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…

This article discusses a service quality study conducted in the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. The Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program survey was selected as a valid, standardized instrument. We present our results, highlighting the impact on reference training. A second survey a year later demonstrated that focusing on…

Purpose: To describe the restructuring project of the portal BioLib at the Institut Pasteur Library in Paris and to share experiences with others facing similar challenges. Design/methodology/approach: Provides an outline of the history and the steps followed during the initial project (2001), an evaluation of the use of the portal and the stages…

Based on interviews with 29 librarians at a midwestern research university, this publication serves as a benchmark for what it is like to work as an academic librarian in a U.S. research university in the mid-1990's and considers changes occurring within the wider field of librarianship. Chapter 1 begins with a broad overview of the concept and…

This paper proposes a rationale and a plan for using on-line data base retrieval services to provide bibliographies tailored to the information needs of college students enrolled in academic courses. It examines the possible applications of such a service, estimates costs per class and per user, and outlines the objectives, evaluation procedures,…

This paper considers students' attitudes toward research and writing about research and discusses methods used to help students overcome their largely negative attitudes toward research. The paper first states that at Illinois State University in Normal, the course that follows freshman composition is one on academic discourse. The paper reports…

This compilation of statistics on Colorado's school media centers (LMCs) consists of three major components: (1) a 220-page tabulation of data arranged by school level and student enrollment level; (2) tables reporting statewide totals for school library statistics; and (3) tables with benchmark ratios for school library media center resources and…

This research project developed two strategic plans for distance education in social work. The project involved use of a developmental problem-solving methodology, creation of a conceptual framework thorough a literature search, visits to sites that use distance education, consultations with experts, and attendance at local and national…

This paper reports on a study that explores the literature of technostress--the anxiety over using technological equipment--both inside and outside of the library field. Fifty-eight unique articles were abstracted and evaluated. By using a coding sheet a measurement was taken of symptoms, reasons given for the "modern disease," and…

This paper reports on a study in which case studies of two adult writing programs in northeastern Ohio were developed to identify and describe elements that make up the programs. Data was gathered through obtrusive observation, interviews, and questionnaires. Both programs had been on going for at least 5 years. The "Geauga Writers…

Developed as a preliminary, literature-based study for a larger work in progress, this report summarizes the financial condition of academic libraries during the critical period from 1970 through the mid-1980's. The paper examines and addresses the issues which arose as libraries emerged from the 1960's, a time of unprecedented growth in library…