The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

In order to increase the benefits that the student receives from bibliographic instruction, many community college libraries are incorporating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) into their BI programs. In order to take full advantage of the Competency…

Characteristics of selected public libraries into which adult literacy programs have become integrated are reported. Data are drawn from visits to five library literacy programs, telephone interviews with officials of 20 selected library literacy programs, and data submitted in the nominations of 68 programs from 22 states. Part 1 describes the…

A survey was conducted in May 1982 of all academic libraries in Illinois to elicit information regarding the provision of bibliographic instruction, user education, or library orientation to undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members during the 1981/82 calendar year. Usable replies were received from 143 libraries (70% of those…

Determining the best methods of assessment for a library instruction program in a large research university can be a challenging task. Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University Library has pilot-tested three methods of formative and summative assessment for its library instruction program--attitudinal, outcomes-based, and gap-measure--and…

Describes a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education which identified 62 outstanding library programs and lists 22 model school library programs and 16 programs serving school systems. Topics discussed include the search process, selection criteria, school library programs, cooperation, innovations, technology, and the catalog that…

This study uses virtual reference transcripts for which patrons completed exit surveys to seek any correlations between user and librarian satisfaction within virtual reference transactions. By analyzing transcripts with a focus on three elements-technology performance, preferred reference practices, and the demonstrated communication levels of…

The Reference Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder provides a research consultation service to undergraduates enrolled in the mandatory introductory writing course. The Research Center is staffed by graduate students trained in providing reference assistance. Librarians in the Reference Department administered a patron satisfaction…

In order to evaluate its library instruction program, a postal survey was conducted of students who participated in library orientation courses at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria during the winter term of 1982/83. The orientation courses consisted of a 1-hour lecture on use of the library and a library…

Reports on output measures that can give children's librarians additional information to better control collections and make better selection and weeding decisions. Statistical comparisons utilizing circulation data (comparing circulation year to year, circulation to patrons served, circulation to number of materials owned) and availability of…

Information is a consumer-driven commodity; the very existence of libraries and information centers is based on the patrons' need for specific information or material. This professional resource shows how to use management methods to implement a strong customer service program to deliver better service to patrons. This book outlines the reasons…

This report describes a five-part study conducted at the Brigham Young University library during the winter semester of 1987 to assess the quality of the reference service provided to library patrons by student reference assistants (SRAs) after a full semester of SRA participation in the reference patron service system. The study focused on…

This report describes the library instruction program at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria and proposes various program improvements, which are based in part on the results of a 1979 survey of over 2,600 faculty and students. An overview of the present state-of-the-art of library user education and…

Based on responses of 53 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries to a 1986 Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey, this kit examines the changes in the organization and staffing of the collection development function in ARL libraries over the past 3 to 4 years. A concise summary discusses survey results, which…

Seven articles on library reference services highlight reference obsolescence in academic libraries, major studies of unobtrusive reference tests, methods for evaluating reference desk performance, reference interview evaluation, problems of reference desk control, online searching by end users, and reference collection development in…