The growing pressures and the complex conditions which now bear upon research libraries are not adequately reflected in the development of policies, plans or current service activities. In the place of current, reliable, and extensive information which might be reflected in decisions and actions, librarians seem to operate normally on the basis of…

The annual report covers the sixth year of full scale operation of the Institute of Library Research. It covers the activities of the Institute including the completion of several projects, the initiation of other projects, and the first full year of the Library Systems Development Program. The major thrust of the Institute during this period has…

In 1973, the Technological Institute Library, along with the other science libraries of Northwestern University, began a study of reference use. For each reference request received in the libraries, the date, time, duration, mode, class of question, and user type were noted. These statistics were tabulated and analyzed by computer. It was…

The first proposals for serious research at Lancaster were made some six years ago: the intention was to investigate the real needs of the library users and the best ways of meeting these needs. This article summarizes past, present and possible future activities in this field. (Author/NH)

The purpose of the directory is to publicize innovative library activities in post secondary educational institutions. To compile the directory, a report form and cover letter were sent to 119 college libraries and 12 library schools. A total of 101 reports of individual programs were received with 75 libraries and five library schools responding…

The development of interlibrary cooperation in the National Capitol Area is not a simple task. The multiple, complex relations of governments on varying levels and the existence and independent sponsorship of important private association, industrial, academic and other libraries impose severe problems for any cooperative movement. A far-reaching…

Describes British involvement in a field test of an American Library Association (ALA) project to develop a process which any public library could use in planning its services to meet the needs of the community it served. (Author/FM)

A discussion of the interrelated aspects of library performance measurement and what data collection means to library planning. Methodologies considered are cost analysis, quantitative vs qualitative measurement, community analysis, and citizen attitudes and opinions. (JAB)

This collection of 34 papers and speeches presented at the conference covers a wide range of topics pertaining to the role of libraries in contemporary society, including issues in library education, library/community relations, library planning and policy-making, technological trends, library services, and library administration. While several…

To evaluate the current conditions and perceptions of school media specialists, a questionnaire was disseminated to 700 school library media specialists in six southeastern states. Participants were asked to rank 18 perception items on a four-part scale, having to do with media center mission and use. Most frequently mentioned as "very…

The need to plan for operating and service patterns and to establish priorities for services to readers in the new Reference and Bibliographical Center at the Newberry Library guided this self-study. From December 1983 to August 1984, 32 staff members (grouped into 1 study team and 4 task forces) investigated the critical issues of bibliographic…

Based on the concept that library use measurement should have as its basic starting point the individual patron, a method of data collection and analysis has been developed that explores individual patterns of borrowing over time. The method accounts for the number of visits on which borrowing takes place, number of items borrowed per visit, and…

This study collects and analyzes information on the characteristics of the community and the public library system of East Brunswick, and provides an example of a library planning method responsive to community needs. Unobtrusive data collection techniques utilizing the 1970 census, local reports, and library records were the primary sources of…

This collection of library documents, which illustrates current techniques for conducting user studies in order to facilitate specific public services planning and priority-setting efforts at the member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), contains excerpts from: (1) four general user studies conducted at the University of…

The Long-Range Planning Committee of the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) was charged with assessing the needs of all types of libraries and library agencies in the state as well as their client groups, and with making recommendations for future service patterns in the state. The committee's deliberations produced these recommendations: (1)…