Urban public libraries are confronted with a decreasing demand for traditional, book-oriented library services. In Detroit, library outreach programs attempted to encourage disadvantaged people to use the library with little success. The information that people needed in their everyday lives was not to be found in the library. To correct this…

Following a brief description of the role of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) as a provider of bibliographic control over the fugitive research and development literature in education, this paper reports on a number of studies evaluating various aspects of the effectiveness of the ERIC system. The function of ERIC as a vehicle…

The role of information research centers in institutional research activities was explored, based on 1,040 requests for student data at an information center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, during 1980-1985. Three distinct information center markets were identified and mechanisms for serving each market were recommended. The first was…

Describes two special collections focusing on postharvest systems of handling, transportation, storage, and marketing of food and feed grain. Highlights include information needs of developing countries (e.g., Egypt, Honduras, Pakistan), and information center activities (communication and marketing, collection building, interpreting client needs,…

The role of institutional research in the creation and operation of an information center is discussed, along with the ways in which the spread of information centers within higher education is likely to influence the future development of institutional research. Forces leading to the emergence of information centers are advances in computer…

The Northeast Academic Science Information Center (NASIC), a program of the New England Board of Higher Education which was initially funded by the National Science Foundation, represents an attempt to apply on a regional basis the concept of brokerage or wholesaling to the provision of computer-based information services. The center expects to be…

A rural library project of the Intermountain Group, a network of four land-grant universities, eight local communities, and the state libraries in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Montana, developed a Community Interest Inventory and solicited information on professional information needs from identified community groups who were users or potential…

On-line information retrieval systems will spread beyond its narrow scope with the widespread development of interactive communication capability in connection with cable television. There is a possibility of far better attention to the information needs of the non-specialist with a coordinated information source. The major problems of such a…

A descriptive study using summary and internal comparisons was designed to discover client perceptions of the Lifelong Learning Center's services in regard to their needs and expectations. One hundred fifty-five clients rated on a five-point scale their satisfaction with access conditions, staff interactions, and information exchange. Also…

A computerized referral management system, the Arrowhead Student Information System, has enhanced communication among special education staff members in rural Iowa. The system serves a 45-district intermediate level service unit which identifies and serves children from birth to 21 years who require special education from a student and preschool…