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…

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 major objective of this research study was to gather information about factors which influence collection development and selection decision making in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. The user's judgement of the extent to which the collections met his needs is the only parameter of assessment. Museum curators, the bulk of whose time is…

The report examines patron characteristics and use patterns of the New York Public Library Research Libraries. A general user survey was conducted as well as surveys of the use of the Photographic Service, Special Collections, Special Study Areas, and Reference Correspondence Service. Chapter I is a summary of principal findings and conclusions.…

The purpose of the Resources Development Internship Project was to catalog the collection of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Montana State Office (MSO) library, which consisted of approximately 1,400 volumes of diverse library materials. Other objectives were to improve access to the materials, and develop a general system of library operation…

Collection use study is a must if research collections are to meet scholarly needs while competing for scarce financial resources. Such studies will be in harmony with the realities under which academic libraries must operate in the future. (RAA)

To aid in controlling the cost of acquisitions in a research library, techniques were developed for the rational selection of serial titles for cancellation. The context for the proposed methodology was a network or multicampus environment rather than an individual library, and it was tested with a specific body of health sciences serial titles in…

This self-study--part of a series of studies conducted at Michigan State University Libraries--was designed to elicit information regarding non-use of the library by members of the academic community. A telephone survey questionnaire was administered to a stratified systematic sample of students and faculty members, and 1,269 students and 211…

This report on existing library reference and research resources in the North Country area, the needs of area users, and possibilities for cooperation and development of library resources in one of the studies conducted in terms of the proposed Reference and Research Library Resources (3-R) library network in New York State. The survey was carried…

The Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) compiles these SPEC Kits as a means of sharing management techniques and expertise. The materials enclosed in each kit are reproductions of working tools developed by individual libraries to meet their specific purposes within a limited area of library…

Describes a circulation model for academic research libraries which uses the mixed Poisson model, incorporating ageing of library materials, to predict future use of monographs and to suggest weeding procedures based on frequency of circulation. Longitudinal studies are examined and statistical details are appended. (Author/LRW)

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 Molesworth Institute conducted a year long experiment on the shelving practices of two academic libraries of comparable size, with similar user populations. Results show that the practice of leaving the middle two shelves empty for future expansion cannot be recommended. Measurements include accumulation of dirt; usage; and incidents of…

A user survey was conducted at the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library and Study Center of New York University to collect specific data for resource planning after two and a half years of operation. A questionnaire given to a sample of students and faculty in each school provided data on library usage (how much and for what purpose), user satisfaction with…

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…