Description of common errors found in the statistical methodologies of research carried out by librarians, focuses on sampling and generalizability. The discussion covers the need to either adapt library research to the statistical abilities of librarians or to educate librarians in the proper use of statistics. (15 references) (CLB)

Examines and compares the costs and response times of traditional interlibrary loan services and four commercial document delivery suppliers based on a study conducted by Vassar College libraries through the OCLC Interlibrary Loan subsystem. Results are reported that indicate commercial services were usually no more efficient but were more…

Discussion of academic libraries and the accrediting process focuses on an evaluation and comparison of library guidelines from 17 specialized accrediting bodies with guidelines from regional accreditors. Input versus output measures are discussed, and suggestions for improving the library's participation in the process are offered. (Contains 25…

Outlines techniques of utilizing interlibrary loan (ILL) statistics to establish productivity and staffing patterns to evaluate library services and reveal staffing needs. This article also presents results from an ILL workload and staffing study in Alabama academic libraries. Results are displayed in table form. (JMV)

In 1991, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Research Committee established an experiment using electronic mail to create mentoring relationships focusing on library and information science research. Reports on the project design and the experiment's progress to date and includes first-hand accounts of participants'…

Summarizes 16 research reports related to school library media that were located through "Library Literature." Information in the summaries includes purpose of the study, the population that was studied, the methodology used in conducting the study and analyzing the data, and findings. Prominent topics include collections, censorship,…

Reviews the literature concerning upward evaluation of supervisors and directors in libraries and suggests that upward evaluation can aid professional development. Research at the University of Texas at Austin is highlighted, and pilot research at Western Kentucky University libraries that used job analysis to develop a questionnaire for…

Reviews the literature published in 1990 that deals with descriptive cataloging. Topics discussed include the theory and general practice of cataloging; materials in special forms, including serials, conference proceedings, cartographic materials, sound recordings, computer files, and microforms; the impact of automation; authority control;…

Presents data from a study of middle school library circulation of biography titles in two school years. Analyzes circulation counts, periods when biographies were checked out, favored subjects, and popular titles. (HB)

Reviews articles related to school library media programs that were published in journals intended for other members of the profession and involved research. Subject areas include administration, roles of the school library media specialist, and reading. (LRW)

Considers some of the major technical and organizational issues involved in virtual-catalog production, contrasting them with the traditional union catalog approach exemplified by COPAC, an online public-access catalog composed of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Suggest a method of integrating these two models of the union catalog.…

Reports on a two-phase study of academic libraries to identify patterns of database use and the factors that might influence this use. Online data was used as well as results from a survey that investigated factors that may influence online use, including level of instruction and availability of remote access. (LRW)

Describes a survey of academic political science librarians that assessed the overall quality of political science books published by 62 publishers, both academic and commercial. Results are reported, analyzed, and compared to a similar survey of members of the American Political Science Association. (Contains 9 references.) (Author/LRW)

Discusses the challenges facing digital library evaluation and suggests a conceptual framework for evaluation derived from the systems approach. A review of evaluation efforts in research and practice concentrates on derivation of criteria used in evaluation. Essential requirements for evaluation are stated. Discussed are constructs, context, and…

Discusses catalog records for non-English books created by European booksellers and loaded into OCLC; describes a study of Italian language monographs to compare vendor records with Library of Congress and OCLC member libraries' records; and considers changes in cataloging workflow needed to edit records to include Library of Congress call numbers…