This case study explores student and lecturer views of reading lists at Loughborough University. Taking the qualitative data from two surveys previously undertaken at the institution, it uses the grounded theory approach to identify key issues regarding the purpose, importance, visibility, content, currency, and length of reading lists, as well as…

This article shares the research based on interviews with 12 U.K. university senior managers commissioned by SCONUL and carried out by external consultants who found that libraries can have a positive impact on student satisfaction and experience and are a source of institutional information about the student body. Libraries are seen very much as…

This paper draws on the "accidental" results of a UK national survey of school libraries to explore how school librarians can contribute to student pastoral care. Although the survey did not ask specific questions about student social development, responding librarians identified three key aspects of their contribution: support for…

The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the political and strategic skills needed by library leaders in today's library environment. The discussion is based on a small scale research project focused on opinions of skills needed by library leaders. The survey involved a questionnaire of librarianship students and library practitioners as well…

A key area of debate within the public and academic library sectors across the world is use of physical space. Changing ideas about what a library should be, coupled with the growth of digital collections, has raised fundamental questions about how library buildings are used and the role of space in library services. Alongside these drivers is the…

This research investigated the importance of user-library trust in ensuring vital freedom of inquiry in academic libraries, exploring its strength through comparison with attitudes towards the National Identity Card Scheme (NICS) within the various libraries of a large UK university. An online survey of students and interviews with librarians…

This report sheds light on the expertise required to support a robust and sustainable digital scholarship (DS) program. It focuses first on defining and describing the key domain knowledge, skills, competencies, and mindsets at some of the world's most prominent digital scholarship programs. It then identifies the main strategies used to build…

The future of subject librarianship is being challenged by technological advances and funding pressures. Questionnaires were used to collect data about the roles, relationships and competencies of 32 subject/liaison librarians supporting three disciplines in UK universities. The survey showed that postholders were undertaking a wide range of…

The Index of American Public Library Circulation dates back to 1939, and the Index of American Public Library Expenditures to 1951. These indexes are based on annual reports from a sample of all American public libraries serving more than 25,000 people each. Using the 1982 American Library Directory, the researchers identified 1,586 public…

Discusses use of the grounded theory approach to derive models of the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers. The background to the development of qualitative approaches to information studies in the United Kingdom is described, and the results of four studies of the information-seeking patterns of researchers are outlined. (Contains…

It has become widely recognised across the academic and research libraries sector that special collections and archives play a key role in differentiating each institution from its peers. In recognition of this, Research Libraries UK (RLUK) established the workstrand "Unique and Distinctive Collections" (UDC) in support of its strategic…

Papers on theory and research in library history presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "The Future of the Library's Past: Library Administrative Records Preservation, Policy and Practice," a discussion by Paul Sturges (United Kingdom) of the need for library records…

Investigated centralized copyright clearance services in higher education institutions based on the findings of a questionnaire survey and five case study interviews in United Kingdom libraries. Examines reasons why services were established, how they were funded and staffed, their overall remit, problems, and good practice guidelines. (Author/LRW)

This paper examines the research that has been conducted to date on the topic of library support for distance learning programs and identifies some priorities for future research. The two main types of studies prevalent in the literature on this topic are surveys of libraries and user studies. Research findings from the United States, United…

The 23 papers presented at this conference deal with the information needs of institutionally-based part-time students in United Kingdom universities, polytechnics, and further education colleges, and with library and information services for the adult learner. Keith Percy and John Simpson provide overviews on the number and types of part-time…