In recent years there has been a push for libraries to develop and use systematic measures to determine the effectiveness of library service. Materials availability, or fill rate, is one of many output measures used in libraries. This technique measures the degree to which library customers are able to acquire the materials they want during their…

A study of 522 university students was undertaken to determine how often they used their library and why, as well as to develop a general profile of college student library users. Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of students used the library at least once a week. Obtaining a book or an article for a course paper was the most…

This guide builds on the framework for evaluating technology effectiveness in K-12 schools as described in the Council for Educational Development and Research's publication, "Plugging In: Choosing and Using Educational Technology." The revised framework is designed to provide encouragement and some rudimentary guidelines for critical thinking…

Although there is a library in every secondary school in New Zealand, very little is known about the variables that affect the student use and perceptions of the library. This research combines questionnaires and focus groups involving Year 12 and 13 students to give a picture of school library use in Christchurch. Students were asked about where…

This study evaluates the usability of the proposed MOA (mouse-over-abstract) interfaces that could be implemented in Web-based or stand-alone applications. The MOA designs provide users with an abstract that serves as context cues about the information presented in the linked page. The context cues are available in visual and/or audio formats.…

This study examined children's health care utilization at six sites within a Northern California health maintenance organization (HMO). Approximately 300 parent-child dyads seeking medical attention at the HMO sites were subjects. Parents completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) and reported the presence of a serious or chronic illness. In…

This final report of a comprehensive five-year evaluation process focused on examining the progress of the statewide implementation of Internet technology, as well as the general impact on teachers, students, and schools of statewide connectivity and training efforts in K-12 schools in Nebraska. The evaluation process was based on three primary…

This project was part of the program evaluation of the Iowa Distance Education Alliance, a Star Schools Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Thirty Iowa high schools were selected to represent the state. Interviews were conducted with students, faculty, and administration at each of these schools; results were transcribed and…

This paper presents the Virtual Resource Center in Behavioral Disorders (VRCBD), a World Wide Web site designed to provide training and ongoing support for students and professionals preparing to work with children with behavioral disorders and their instructors. The goals of VRCBD are: to provide instructional supports for instructors and users…

This paper addresses the successes and limitations of "turn-key" technology training in nine K-12 educational sites in the Mid-Atlantic region. It is a follow-up study, seven years after the original year-long 1993 investigation (Goss, 1995) of Internet use in K-12 schools and regional support centers. In the 1993 study of turn-key users…

In the 1981-82 school year, microcomputers were located in one-third of United States schools. The dominant share for school-based microcomputers was held by Apple Computer followed by Tandy-Radio Shack and Commodore, but this was regionally related. The majority of teachers polled possess positive attitudes toward classroom use of microcomputers.…

A survey of medical school deans of student affairs revealed that all provided counseling services and one-third of the respondents felt they were inadequate. Of the student representatives surveyed, most respondents said the services were underused because of poor communication, problems of initial contacts, and concern about confidentiality.…

Reviews research on obsolescence (decline over time in validity or utility of information), citing two major state-of-the-art reviews and subsequent research involving citation studies and use studies based on circulation and reshelving statistics. A problem-solving management model developed to aid libraries deal with obsolescence is discussed.…

Teachers in England and Wales were asked about their use of teachers' centers and leaders of teachers' centers were asked about materials produced by the Schools Council. Hopes originally voiced for coordination between teachers' centers and the Schools Council in the dissemination of new materials have not been met. (IS)

This update covers the approximate time period from mid-1980 through late 1981, contains 640 references, and includes books, state of the art reviews, program descriptions, use studies, periodical articles, and the proceedings of four conferences on information retrieval. (Author/JL)