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 study was conducted to determine the attitudes toward intellectual freedom and censorship of Catholic Library Association (CLA) Midwest Unit members. Sixty of 77 members responded to a questionnaire based on principles from four American Library Association (ALA) documents on intellectual freedom: original and revised editions of "The…

Reports on a content analysis of the literature of special librarianship. Topics include: what is published, subjects covered, research reported, and who is conducting research. Results indicate that less than 20% of the literature reports on research; research that is reported uses less sophisticated methods than general library/information…

A controversial issue involving online computer searching is the effect of patron presence during the computer search. The purpose of this research was to determine the attitudes of university librarians toward patron presence. A survey was used to explore variables related to the search process and searcher characteristics. Also considered was…

To find out to what extent the evaluation methods described in the professional literature are actually utilized by practicing librarians, a study was conducted of the collection evaluation practices in 111 libraries supporting four-year colleges. Three assumptions were tested; that collection evaluation in the population would be more heavily…

This survey of consumers of research was conducted in support of the question, "Is there a need for a journal of library research?" As a supporting document it may provide the background against which individuals or groups may, for their own purpose, begin to formulate an answer to the question. Thus the scope of the study is to collect and…

Investigates the relationships between reference performance (dependent) variables and various quantifiable reference service characteristics (independent variables such as reference collection size). Statistical analysis indicated that reference performance was significantly related to the size of the reference collection, and to other…

Describes the results of a survey of public service librarians conducted by the Queens Borough Public Library to determine their confidence levels of using electronic resource to answer reference questions. Results demonstrated high confidence levels in using the library's online catalog and lower confidence in using the Internet. (Author/LRW)

This kit is based on a review of the organization charts of 71 member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) gathered in January 1991, compared with an earlier SPEC Kit published in 1986, and contains charts of 29 of the libraries. A summary of the chart analyses presents information about the titles of library directors,…

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the relationship between librarians' status (i.e., librarians having faculty status or librarians lacking such status) and the organizational structure of the college library. The analysis was conducted within the conceptual framework of two organizational models: the bureaucratic and the…

A study was undertaken to determine what type of curriculum leadership roles school librarians were exerting in the nation's nineteenth largest school district, the Clark County Public Schools of Nevada. A 15-item questionnaire was mailed to 75 Clark County School District librarians; responses were received from 59 libraries (79%). Following a…

Information collected by questionnaires, correspondence, and consultation with library personnel at four collegiate consortia shed light upon the role of libraries in the functioning of these consortia. The results showed that many expectations went unmet. Namely, specialized collections were not efficiently built and shared, faculties exhibited…

The current formula for staffing libraries and resource centers in Virginia public institutions of higher learning was examined by a subcommittee of library directors. Questionnaires were mailed to relevant institutions to collect information regarding: (1) input variables; (2) staffing needs as perceived by the directors of the institutions; and…

This research project studied the perceived quality of the library and information science literature and asked questions regarding international librarianship. Additionally, it questioned what librarians read, how they choose their reading material, and how they use the literature for their decision making. The sample consisted of librarians from…

A survey at the University at Albany (New York) on user satisfaction with reference services gathered information on behavioral characteristics of librarians: interest, confidence, friendliness, and enthusiasm, as well as on patron comfort and overall satisfaction. Analysis of the data (n=100) indicates that user satisfaction depends on more than…