Data curation is a concept with many facets. Curation goes beyond research-generated data, and its principles can support the preservation of institutions' historical data. Libraries are well-positioned to bring relevant expertise to such problems, especially those requiring collaboration, because of their experience as neutral caretakers and…

There's a lot of focus on the "Next Gen" librarians out there bringing a youth perspective that's supposed to shake things up and introducing new ideas and practices into a profession that sometimes moves forward at a glacial pace. But the ideas of the new generation do not invalidate the work done by those who came before. In fact, change in…

Duane Webster is a visionary leader who, throughout his career, has had a significant impact on the improvement of libraries and librarianship. His work to establish the Association of Research Library's (ARL) Office of Management Studies (OMS) and its several organizational improvement programs laid the foundation for organization development in…

In the early 1990s, numerous academic libraries adopted the web as a communication tool with users. The literature on academic library websites includes research on both design and navigation. Early studies typically focused on design characteristics, since websites initially merely provided information on the services and collections available in…

Studies on the topic of obsolescence in literature are reviewed and it is concluded thatthe concept is not of practical use for librarians. An extensive list of studies in the field is appended. (PF)

Two studies concerned with optimizing the effectiveness of design of bibliographic materials given certain practical constraints are reported. (Author/PF)

Shows how simple probability theory can serve to remove the bias from a sample so that estimates of total yearly circulation and circulation distribution can be calculated from circulation desk data. (Author/PF)

Libraries must do some research before trying to establish a community information center. Librarians should consider feasibility, identify the target population, inventory community resources, define information needs, and provide for continuing study while the service is in operation. (LS)

Study of the development of libraries and librarianship may be done only historically, by analysis of the records of development. Such study necessarily is interpretive because historical study does not establish facts, but proceeds from them. In historical study an hypothesis may not be used as in scientific study, because the hypothesis is not…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) which was developed by the U. S. Navy as a management tool could be applied to a library process. Several chapters are devoted to an explanation of the tool and its advantages and limitations. Its potential value in library management is also…

A study was done at the Purdue University Libraries to identify publishers of interest to Purdue, to characterize the subject areas by type of publisher after library selection, and to evaluate the performance of commercial and university presses. The majority of the document consists of tabular compilations of the data collected in the study. The…

The computer-produced circulation statistics in the Bucknell University Library for the academic year 1973/74 are analyzed by Library of Congress classification and academic department to determine how much each department is using the subject-related book collection. (Author/PF)

An announcement of a study to be conducted by Leeds Polytechnic to describe and analyze ideas about information and the public library, and offer suggestions for future services. (Author/JAB)

This series of articles approaches the major issues in academic libraries including faculty status for librarians, mass instruction method for teaching library skills, performance appraisal for librarians, and the controversy as to a research requirement for all librarians. (JAB)