Investigated psychometric properties and correlates of Students' Life Satisfaction Scale with adolescent sample (n=222). Individual differences in global life satisfaction were not associated with age, grade, or gender but were associated moderately with socioeconomic status. Measures of family-related self-concept were greater predictors of life…

Discusses serving library-patron needs in terms of customer service and quality control. Highlights include tools for measuring the quality of service (e.g., the SERVQUAL survey), advisory boards or focus groups, library "service statements," changing patron needs, new information formats, and justifying depository library services. (JAK)

A survey of 518 service providers found high levels of knowledge and adherence to values of inclusion regarding the need to provide opportunities for engaging consumers with disabilities in community daily activities and rights for services. Employees had less knowledge of activities intended to provide opportunities to make choices. (Author/CR)

To determine the impact of program structure on new teachers' employment and program satisfaction patterns, data were collected from 152 students who completed three routes to licensure: a graduate-level, 10-month program; a traditional undergraduate program; or a Professional Development School (PDS) operating within the traditional program.…

An ethnographic study of families (N=30) receiving genetic counseling explored participants' perceptions of the process. Focuses on respondents' confusion about the meaning of medical terms. Although clients approved of the way information was presented, terminology was often confusing or frightening. Specific examples are presented and discussed.…

A population survey was undertaken to study infertility in Gambia. All infertile women in 24 randomly selected enumeration areas were assessed. Problems faced, coping mechanisms employed, and types of health care available were examined. Patterns of consultation with traditional versus formal health care and rural/urban differences were uncovered…

Discusses the decline in reference statistics in academic libraries and considers the role of access to information via the Internet. Highlights include patron expectations and demands; commercial Web reference services; and virtual reference desk software so libraries can offer 24 hour service, including public libraries. (LRW)

Contends that the corporate literature on customer service is significantly applicable to academic libraries, and chronicles the development, implementation, and evaluation of a customer pledge at the Wright State University Libraries in Dayton, Ohio. The text of the fall 1995 version of the service pledge is appended. (BEW)

The 1995 CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Survey of Institutional Advancement, responded to by 969 advancement professionals at institutions of higher education, examined demographics (sex ratio, minority members); professional backgrounds; job satisfaction; salaries (now averaging $53,000); salary disparities; and the…

Discussion of measuring and improving the quality of library public services focuses on a method for quantifying and categorizing patrons' comments from a questionnaire developed at the College of Charleston (South Carolina) library. Topics include Total Quality Management, measures of user perceptions, and defining the service role of libraries.…

Discussion of the appropriateness of evaluation criteria and measures for information retrieval focuses on a study that investigated the appropriateness of 20 measures, including precision and recall, for evaluating interactive information retrieval performance representing 4 major evaluation criteria. The importance of user satisfaction in…

Describes a study of undergraduates that was conducted to determine how they searched databases, the effectiveness of their searches, and their satisfaction with them. The students' cognitive and learning styles were determined by the Lancaster Approaches to Studying Inventory and Riding's Cognitive Styles Analysis tests. (Author/LRW)

Compares results of a national survey of college administrators' work-role satisfaction and values with those of academics surveyed earlier, identifying crucial areas of difference in values attached to work and the perceptions of work practices. Issues and tensions in the everyday work interface between academics and administrators are seen as…

This study shows how users access relevant information in a visualized document space and determine whether BiblioMapper, a visualization tool, strengthens an information retrieval (IR) system and makes it more usable. BiblioMapper, developed for a CISI collection, was evaluated by accuracy, time, and user satisfaction. Users' navigation…

A longitudinal survey of 240 college graduates with hearing loss found most were relatively successfully employed and satisfied with life. Larger proportions of alumni with deafness had earned advanced degrees, secured white-collar jobs, and earned more than those with hearing impairments. Recommendations for improving career decision making are…