The views of three parliamentary librarians and two academics on the subject of library services to Australian legislators are given in this publication. A variety of viewpoints is given in order to stimulate and provoke reaction from the Members of Parliament for whom the book is basically intended. The five articles included are: (1) "The…

An experimental program placed computer terminals in four San Francisco Bay Area public libraries to be used to provide on-line computer search services to library patrons. The first few months of operation of the experiment showed that there was a significant impact on the participating libraries, on the library patrons, and on the community and…

Examines how history graduate students seek information and how they use the university library in their information-seeking process, based on interviews at UCLA. Explores the use of new technologies and the reliance that history graduate students place on reference librarians and librarians in special collections. (Author/LRW)

A comprehensive report of a six-month study that investigated the way the Department of Government at the University of Queensland used the university's library resources is presented. Groups participating in the study (students, library staff, and faculty) are identified, and the methods of data collection are explained. Over 40 data tables…

In order to find reliable methods of ascertaining quality in library service, three public libraries in the Chicago area were assessed using the Rutgers "Performance Measures for Public Libraries." The Rutgers study can reveal the needs and characteristics of library patrons, and may itself be instrumental in increasing patronage. It…

The DIALIB Project was a 3-year experiment that investigated the potential of the public library as a "linking agent" between the public and the many machine-readable data bases currently accessible via the telephone using online terminals. The study investigated the following questions: (1) Is online search of use to the patrons of a…

This is the final report of the evaluation of the DIALIB project--an investigation of the public library as a linking agent to major scientific, educational, social, and environmental data bases. The report is presented in seven sections and four appendices as follows: Section I provides an introduction to the study and a brief summary of the…

This report presents the methodology and results of a patron use and satisfaction survey conducted during four one-week periods in 1997-98 at the Ferndale Public Library (Michigan). Survey questions focused on patron self-description, library use, and resource evaluation. In all, 1,424 surveys were distributed and 1,222 returned for a response…

A study on information technology and public policy examined relationships among information providers and their clients in order to determine the economic, institutional, and technological factors that are key in deciding how people get the information they need. The research project was conducted to help the National Commission on Libraries and…