Librarians have long struggled to find user-friendly mediums to provide meaningful information to patrons using bibliographies, pathfinders, and subject guides with varying degrees of success. Content management systems, such as Springshare's LibGuides, have recently been developed to facilitate the creation of online subject guides. Special…

In summer 2008, a small group of Santa Clara University librarians were charged with exploring ways of making online library research guides more user friendly and interactive. In order to know how to enhance our guides, we first asked the question, "What makes a research guide useful?" What follows is a detailed process of discovery.…

The authors implemented a survey of faculty attitudes toward library research instruction that is closely related to two previously published surveys. After reviewing their results, the authors raise questions about the significance of some of the results of all three surveys.

Library performance criteria used by managers in 62 academic, special, and public libraries are analyzed to measure the extent to which criteria proposed in the literature are actually used, to identify types of criteria in use, and to develop guidelines for future criterion selection. (Author)

Two methods are presented by which the librarian can forecast book circulation by subject. The shelflist model treats the number of library books as a control variable, while the other defines the dependent variable as the proportion of the shelflist circulated. (FM)

What might motivate someone with a natural science degree to forgo the lab and pursue a non-traditional career in librarianship? Are there differences between LIS graduates with and without a science degree that might impact recruitment strategies? An analysis of data from a longitudinal career study, "Workforce Issues in Library and…

Explores the potential impact of imposed query, a new model of information-seeking behavior, on current approaches to library service and system evaluation. Discusses reference service evaluation, user studies, output measures, and relevance as an evaluation tool. Argues that imposed query broadens understanding of the user and of the role that…

Western Illinois University Libraries has cut online serials subscriptions in the past 2 years. The librarians were guided by the statistics for downloads provided by the publishers of the journals. However, questions were raised by both professors and librarians regarding the exact meaning of the statistics. This caused the electronic resources…

We investigated whether American dissertations that were deposited in university libraries or disseminated on microfilm prior to 1978 were "published" for copyright purposes. This question has direct bearing on the copyright status of these works today. In the absence of a directly relevant legal decision to clarify the matter, the…

This report contains the results of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) survey of academic Health Sciences libraries for 2002-03. Data are presented on collections, expenditures, and personnel and public services. Out of 114 ARL university libraries, 65 responded to the survey. Health Sciences libraries reported median values of 232,559…

This report contains the results of the Association of Research Libraries' survey of academic Health Sciences libraries for 2004-05. Data are presented on collections, expenditures, and personnel and public services. Out of 113 ARL university libraries, 67 responded to the survey. Health Sciences libraries reported median values of 243,011 volumes…

The use of virtual or Web-based tours is on the rise in academic libraries, but with the loss of face-to-face contact and direct experience with the library's physical spaces, questions abound about this format's efficacy. Do online tour experiences measure up to those of a guided, face-to-face tour? Do online tours help mold students' perceptions…

A quantitative tool, the isoperm method, is described; it quantifies the effect of environmental factors of temperature (T) and percent relative humidity (%RH) on the anticipated useful life expectancy of paper-based collections. The isoperm method provides answers to questions of the expected lifetime of the collection under various temperature…

Facing shifting organizational cultures, technological innovations, and the growth of digital information, administrators must consider how best to utilize the resources and staff devoted to cataloging special collections. A survey of special collections cataloging among Association of Research Libraries member institutions showed variation in…

This report contains the results of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) survey of academic Health Sciences libraries for 2001-02. Out of 114 ARL university libraries, 65 responded to the survey. Data are presented on collections, expenditures, and personnel and public services. Includes questionnaire. Health Sciences libraries reported…