Each year, from 1982 to 1986, the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois conducted a study called the Index of Quality of Public Library Service. For this study, unobtrusive tests of reference service and book availability were performed annually in Illinois Public Libraries. When the results from rural libraries were compared with…

A survey of the ten university libraries considered to be most comparable to George Mason University (GMU) in interlibrary loan (ILL) activity was undertaken for comparison purposes. To develop a series of recommendations for GMU with respect to ILL, the following areas were considered and are addressed in this report: (1) Divisional…

This report of the 95-member Council for the Comprehensive Plan for Libraries, which included representatives from government, libraries, and the public sector, is not intended to answer all the questions for all those concerned about the future of libraries, but rather to bring focus to the issues and to set a direction for solving the problems…

The literature of American public library outreach services over a 15-year period is reviewed in the context of the War on Poverty milieu and the four functions of reader services: information, instruction, guidance, and stimulation to use. Three formats were typically present in this literature: broad statements of need, justifications of…

This report addresses the objectives of a national survey of users and non-users of online catalogs (OPAC's) as they apply to MELVYL and its implementation in the University of California (UC) Libraries on nine campuses. These objectives were to collect information to enable libraries to improve implementation of support services for public access…

This interlibrary loan (ILL) cost study was conducted at Union College Library in Schenectady, New York, in order to provide immediate feedback about ILL as well as to serve as a potential management tool for library and college administrators. This report describes the financial statistics of a 3-year period of use of ILL services at this small,…

This conference was held to bring librarians and users from academic, public, school, and special libraries together to discuss how resource sharing among all types of libraries, for the benefit of all types of users, might be enhanced through formal multitype networking. A conference workbook was provided for participants to read ahead of time,…

Presentations and discussions held during the 3-day meeting center on the education of librarians to meet the needs of handicapped individuals. The keynote address reviews legislation and agencies dealing with disabled persons, as well as library education on services to the handicapped. Other presentations include a historical review of the…

Papers on the application of statistics to library research and library administration which were presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Price Indexes for Library Materials: Steps toward International Standardization" by Frederick C. Lynden (United States); (2)…

New York University (NYU) Libraries received a 1-year grant from the Association of Research Libraries to study users' responses to its recently installed Geac online catalog, Bobcat (Bobst Library Computerized Catalog). The survey instrument, developed for Council on Library Resources (CLR)-funded national study of responses to public access…

This study was conducted to test measures of library service developed in a 1974 national performance measurement study, and to develop personnel training programs in data collection and analysis in New Jersey public libraries. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) revision of original procedures manual; (2) measurement implementation in 25…

This publication contains six "capsulized" reports concerned with research in learning resources centers and school libraries, and the role of school media specialists. Each report follows the same format design, i.e., questions previewing the topic; introduction, methodology, findings, conclusions, and marginal notes; and a pathfinder to the…

The purpose of this grant, funded by the Council on Library Resources, was to allow a librarian to put aside normal duties for an academic year to explore with faculty, students, and administrators ways of improving library services, and to design methods of increasing library use by college students. A program was developed for orienting and…

A study was made to establish the patterns in past library automation development activities within the Federal Government of the United States so that these could be available for setting the boundaries for a generalized system design for computerized library operations. More than 50 administrative and technical personnel within the Federal…

The first article summarizes the findings of four studies which used unobtrusive testing techniques to evaluate library reference services. The validity of this testing method and the conclusions reached are discussed, and suggestions are made for improving reference services in five related articles. (CLB)