Search

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 faculty members were interviewed. Frequent users among the students differed significantly from infrequent users in several ways: frequent users were more likely to be expected to write term papers and short papers, while infrequent users were more likely to report that library use was irrelevant to their coursework, there were too many demands on their time, the library was too complex, or its location was inconvenient. The chief difference between frequent and infrequent users among the faculty was the perception of need. Infrequent users were more likely to report they had no need to use the library. The importance of the library as an information source was rated very or extremely high by 97% of the faculty and 84% of the students. The questionnaires and their results are appended. (Author/THC)

Noting difficulties experienced by small to medium sized colleges in acquiring integrated library computer systems, this position paper outlines issues related to the subject with the intention of increasing familiarity and interest in integrated library systems. The report includes: a brief review of technological advances as they relate to library development; a chronology of current computer utilization within the Eastern Montana College Library; faculty and student perspectives on anticipated system benefits; general system standards and specifications; library system marketplace statistics; and cost-related issues. The paper was prepared as part of a campus-wide planning process and incorporates a current literature review. (Author/THC)

The purposes of this paper are twofold: to present perceptions held within the research library community about changes taking place in the scholarly communication system and through the presentation of these views to stimulate dialog among the major participants in the system. The paper comprises five major sections. A section on the scholarly environment includes a definition of scholarly communication together with brief discussions of the influence of technology, elements of change, the rate of change, and the role of the library. A discussion of scholars addresses production quantity and the relationship between scholars and libraries. The section on publishers covers their role in scholarly communication, new technologies, costs, and growth. The section on the record of scholarship covers diversity of communication techniques and control of and access to information. The final section identifies users of the record of scholarship and briefly addresses mechanisms for the exchange of ideas, changing user behavior, impediments to the free flow of information, and the role of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). (THC)

In the past quarter of a century, subtle and important changes in both the subject matter and format of collections organized for special collections departments have taken place, and many special collections now contain significant printed "papers" and manuscript collections of research quality in addition to the printed book. Such materials, which may vary widely in format and content, offer the librarian what is initially an inexpensive way to mount an active collections program that can be as relevant to the community as it is to the research and instruction programs of the university. Indeed, if the special collections department is to play an active role in the intellectual life of the university, special collections librarians must begin to learn how papers and other non-book collections support instruction and research in fields that often bypass the library; for example, the field of popular culture, which has been neglected by librarians, but would be especially suited to special collections. If special collections librarians are to remain information brokers rather than becoming mere caretakers, they must adopt new strategies, e.g., being alert to fields like popular culture that are neglected by other areas of the library, examining existing special collections to identify materials of research value in such fields, and working with the faculty and administration to acquire appropriate collections regardless of the format. Eight references are provided. (KM)

This paper examines how key provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act affect the operations of academic libraries. First, the paper summarizes the provisions of the ADA's five titles that deal with: (1) employment of people with disabilities; (2) accessibility of public buildings; (3) modifications to existing and new construction; (4) telecommunications; and (5) miscellaneous provisions. Next, the paper examines implications for academic libraries. A section on accommodations for patrons with disabilities stresses the tension between "reasonable accommodation" and "undue hardship" and identifies technological and structural solutions to accessibility problems. Discussion of the ADA and employment of librarians with disabilities focuses on changes in statements of job requirements. Cost issues of implementing the ADA are briefly considered. (Contains 20 references.) (DB)

Arguing that technological change often affects the organizational structure of library workplaces, this paper presents two alternative approaches to the implementation of change in organizational structures, provides several examples of each approach, and suggests related reading materials. It is noted that the configurational approach concentrates on the capabilities for organizational change provided by automation, while the coactivational approach focuses more on the human side of the organization, taking into account the need for communication and interaction among employees. Library managers are advised to consider both the configurational and coactivational perspectives when planning for library automation. Two caveats are given: (1) if used by itself, the configurational approach can destroy patterns of coactivation; and (2) if the coactivational approach is implemented alone, too much attention may be focused on current patterns of interaction between employees and new patterns of interaction may not be predicted that might produce motivation and productivity in a new organizational structure. It is concluded that managers may more successfully implement change in libraries if they combine a knowledge of technical capabilities with a concern for the constraints posed by patterns of human interaction. (MAB)

This paper reports a self-study undertaken at Cornell University's Albert R. Mann Library to explore appropriate public services for an agricultural research faculty. The study took place over a 22-month period and involved a literature review, development of a questionnaire, administration of the questionnaire, an experimental period of additional and free services, a second administration of the questionnaire, analysis of the survey results, and a final report. Using a panel study technique, pre- and post-questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 50% of the 470-member College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) staff to measure faculty attitudes toward current and proposed library services. In the intervening period, expanded and free services were offered. In this report, the role of the library in the scientific research process is examined, a ranking of important library services is presented, and a model of appropriate public services for agricultural research faculty is proposed. The pre- and post-questionnaires with tabulated results, publicity and advertising materials, and record keeping forms are appended. (Author/THC)

Issues involved in user fees for library services at research libraries are discussed in 29 papers in six sections: (1) general fees for service policies, focusing on library service proposals to the non-University of British Columbia community and including fees to off-campus users at the Universities of Miami and Michigan; (2) effects of fees, describing loans to extramural borrowers at the University of British Columbia; (3) delivery and photocopy services, discussing those at UCLA Biomedical Library, Case Western Reserve University and the Universities of Pittsburgh and California/Berkeley; (4) interlibrary loan, identifying charges at Cornell University and the Universities of Pennsylvania, California/Berkeley, and Tennessee/Knoxville; (5) online search services, highlighting costs at the Universities of Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, and British Columbia, Michigan State University, Temple University, Southern Illinois University, Brigham Young University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and identifying databases available at Northwestern University Library; and (6) Communication with users, discussing visitor use of libraries at Harvard University, the Universities of Chicago, British Columbia, and California/Santa Barbara as well as the Regional Information and Communication Exchange at Rice University and Information Transfer Source at the University of Michigan. A brief overview of the background and issues is provided. (RBF)

The University of California (UC) system campuses provide various bibliographic instruction courses in behalf of undergraduates' needs. At the University of California, Berkeley, a new experimental course was offered by the library in the fall quarter 1968: "Bibliography 1-X: How to Use the University of California Library" (Bib 1). From fall 1968 through spring 1985, approximately 12,000 undergraduate students completed the course. It has been administered by the American Library Association (ALA)-accredited graduate School of Library and Information Studies, even though it is unrelated to the professional programs of librarianship and information science. Bib 1 began as a four-credit elective bibliographic instruction course offered in multiple sections each quarter, and was later changed to three credits each semester. Taught by a staff of university librarians, doctoral students, and other persons, it has attracted students from all levels, but especially lower division and transfer students. It has also attracted people outside the campus. This paper describes its history, which is unique in its combination of durability, attachment to a professional library school, volume of enrollment, relatively small classes, popularity, and acceptance in the local academic structure. (THC)

This report describes the development, design, and evaluation of an online circulation system at the University of Guelph, Ontario. A 1976 study identified the specific problems or inadequacies of the existing circulation system and specified design requirements for a new online system. This 1978 report is divided into six parts: (1) historical background; (2) inadequacies of the off-line batch-mode system including mechanical breakdown, errors, inefficient and costly use of staff, reserve desk, and study conclusions; (3) design requirements for an online circulation system including functional and philosophical requirements; (4) evaluation of alternatives and choice of a system; (5) system design including a description of the design team and philosophy, equipment, and software; (6) functions of patrons and staff in using the GEAC Library Circulation; and (7) implementaton from first semester operation, September 1977-December 1977, to final implementation, January 1978. Numerous figures display actual online system computer screens. An equipment list is appended. (THC)

This study on the role of instruction in encouraging the successful performance of the first-time online catalog user examined three relationships to evaluate the effects of an instructional program: the comparative effectiveness of four instructional methods in orienting users to the online catalog; the influence of an instruction program on user reaction to the online catalog; and the role of instruction in influencing searching accuracy and efficiency over time. A pretest was administered to 253 participants, each of whom then received one of four instructional treatments: online instruction; printed pocket-guide; audiovisual slide/tape program; or librarian-led workshop. Two post-tests were administered, one at the conclusion of the instructional sessions and one six months later. An attitude survey, which measured user reaction to the online catalog, was also administered after the first post-test. An analysis of data collected from the 148 students completing the study indicates that: (1) three instructional methods--the pocket-guide, the audio-visual program, and the workshop--are effective for the first-time user; (2) Pennsylvania State's online catalog is a congenial system; and (3) the effect of online instruction as a "stand alone" method of instruction is unclear. No correlation was found between attitudes toward the online catalog and ability to search it accurately and efficiently. The population inventories, skill surveys, and results are appended. (Author/THC)

This self-study--part of a series of studies conducted at Michigan State University Libraries--was undertaken to make recommendations for improvements in public services. The study team was directed not to limit its analysis to immediate concerns, but also to take a long-term view of the development of library service. Task forces were organized around the following issues: distribution and use of staff; library instruction; facilities; periodicals access and control; undergraduate services; and user needs. In reviewing the library facility and recommending changes, the study team was primarily concerned with additional space for the seriously overcrowded Government Documents, Research, and Science Libraries; providing a logical sequence for users entering the building and requiring assistance; and locating the various public service desks in logical relationship and proximity to one another so as to enable users to make efficient use of their time in the library. The study team's recommendations are presented in four broad areas: (1) facilities; (2) services; (3) staffing; and (4) collection and collection access. A study team history, an environmental profile, an inventory of public services, a list of major issues, and the task force charges are appended. Task force reports may be ordered from the Association of Research Libraries. (THC)

This self-study was initiated at the Columbia University Libraries (CUL) to establish the foundations and appropriate mechanisms for the future planning, development, and implementation of public services at CUL. Following completion of an inventory and an interim report, which include background data on CUL, Columbia University, research libraries, and professional trends, five task forces were established to study the following concerns: (1) articulating public services; (2) evaluating the impact on services of CUL's participation in cooperative arrangements; (3) technology and public services; (4) the effect of interdepartmental relationships on services; and (5) the university library user community. An introduction, executive summary, and discussion of the study background and methodology are followed by reports and recommendations of each task force. Based on the planning assumptions enumerated in this report, the study team's major findings and recommendations are organized as follows: Planning; Reference and Other Public Services; Communications; Staff Training and Development; Collection Development and Management; and Physical Facilities and Space Planning. A consolidated list of recommendations concludes the final report. Task force members and charges, an index to information gathered during the study, and a glossary of acronyms are appended. (THC)

This set of materials on computerized bibliographic search services in academic and research libraries includes policy and procedure statements on online information retrieval services at the University of Houston, Colorado State University, Duke University, Temple University, Emory University, and Yale, among others; a position description for the Coordinator of Online Searching Activities at the Smithsonian Institution; annual reports on online searching activities at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton; and user publicity materials (flyers, leaflets, and announcements) from Harvard, Colorado State University, the University of Missouri, the University of Maryland, Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and others. (JL)

This collection of policies for providing access to the collections and services of research libraries for users who are not associated with the library's parent institution includes six examples of general access policies, three documents on reference service, five statements of circulation policies, and descriptions of four cooperative agreements. General access policies from Brown, Georgetown, New York, and Northwestern Universities, the Utah College Library Council, and the University of Utah address such issues as borrowing and reading privileges, fee and nonfee access, circulation regulations and use of collections, equipment, and special facilities. Reference service policies are presented for Colorado State University and the University of New Mexico, as well as the results of a survey of reference questions in three British Columbia university libraries. User categories, lending conditions, loan regulations, and circulation policy are the focus of statements on borrowing privileges from the Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Cincinnati and Colorado/Boulder, and Emory University. The final section presents the Duke University and University of North Carolina cooperative library lending agreement, the Infopass Program of the Illinois Regional Council, reciprocal borrowing statement of the Pittsburgh Regional Library Center, and a reciprocal agreement between State Technical Institute and the University of Tennessee/Knoxville. (RBF)

This report reviews machine-readable information storage technology as of fall 1985, describes its use at certain academic libraries, and makes recommendations for its implementation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Focus is on data disks (reference and research materials) rather than on program disks, and suggestions are made for the selection, acquisition, processing, and cataloging of these materials. Also discussed are proposed sites for a machine-readable data file unit within the library and the staffing and service levels that should be provided. Appendices include proposed collection development policies for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan, summaries of interviews with academic librarians and producers of databases on compact disks, annotated lists of instructional and data disks, and a seven-page bibliography of recommended readings. (Author/THC)

This report constitutes a recommendation to the Director of the Memphis State University (MSU) Library that end user searching be made a permanent part of the existing information retrieval service. The recommendation is based in part on the results of a 1984 study sponsored by the university that assessed the attitudes of students and faculty toward the end user system, BRS/After Dark, and the ease with which they could use it. The report is divided into three sections: the first includes background information on the information retrieval services in the MSU libraries, end user search services, MSU libraries and automation, and the university microcomputer policy; the second section, "Proposed End User Service in the MSU Library," details information on users, costs, staffing and service hours, equipment, and specifications for two alternatives: a full-scale service or a minimum service; and the final section presents the authors' recommendations. Appendices include a bibliography on end user searching, a BRS/After Dark brochure, an abstract of the end user study, a list of institutions using BRS/After Dark, and budget proposals for both the full-scale service and the minimum service. (THC)

This self-study by the public services staff of Brown University Library provided an opportunity for them to examine past, present, and future operations. The study was conducted by 33 volunteers from the library staff, who were organized into 1 study team and 5 task forces; they worked more than 14 months to develop the recommendations and plans included in this report. Task forces were organized according to the following issues: Facilities/Space, Interdepartmental Relationships, Staff/Organization, Technology, and User Needs/Philosophy of Service/Image. Comprehensive staff and user surveys were a major part of the self-study effort: more than 1,000 users participated in a survey, and more than two-thirds of the library staff completed questionnaires. The 178 recommendations included in this final report are organized functionally, and the study team has indicated time frames for each action. The recommendations fall into the general areas of: (1) Services, Organization of Service Units and Provision of Services; (2) Technology: Network of Scholars' Workstations, Online Catalog, Data Touch, and Electronic Publishing; (3) Communications, Staff, and Training; and (4) Facilities and Space. The final report includes a list of study participants, an introduction, a statement of the goals and objectives, and a description of the methodology. A descriptive listing of the recommendations is followed by an index of actions required. (THC)

This self-study by Temple University Libraries involved the efforts of 33 library staff members--9 on the study team, and 24 on 4 task forces--over a period of 12 months. Task forces were organized according to four issues: Organization of Public Services, Staffing and Management, Public Service and Technology, and Library Users and Their Changing Needs. The 110 recommendations that resulted make up the major part of this report. The title of the staff member or committee responsible for implementation and a time line are provided for each recommendation as well as the task force that proposed it. The list is divided into eight areas: (l) Organization (including Administrative Positions); (2) Statistics/Surveys; (3) Users' Services (including In-Depth Reference Services); (4) Access to Materials; (5) Technology and Automation (including Online Systems and Document Delivery); (6) Staffing; (7) Communication; and (8) Facilities and Equipment. This final report also includes the director's charge to the study team and a preface and introduction that explain the background and operation of the study. Appendices list persons (positions) responsible for implementing the recommendations together with references to specific recommendations and present the library's Environmental Profile and Descriptive Inventory of Public Services. Task force reports are available separately. (THC)

This collection development policy serves as a planning tool for William Paterson College library decision-makers by providing information necessary for the allocation of funds for library materials. As a communications tool it provides guidelines for establishing priorities for the selection of library materials and criteria for the withdrawal of materials from the library collection. The five-part policy consists of: (1) an introduction; (2) a statement of collection development goals which includes primary and secondary goals; (3) a section on materials selection and withdrawal which includes policies for the selection and acquisition of all print and nonprint materials; (4) a section on general policies; and (5) a section on specific format and collection policies with information pertaining to specific types of materials or to materials in specific library collections. Appendices include copies of the American Library Association's "Freedom to Read Statement,""Library Bill of Rights," and "Intellectual Freedom Statement," and the Educational Film Library Association's "Freedom to View" statement. Specialized terms used in the policies are defined in a glossary. (THC)

This final report completes a self-study begun in August 1983 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library to provide an opportunity for staff to lay the groundwork for services within a new facility. Broad areas identified for study were: effectiveness of services to users, coordination of public services throughout the system, organizational changes within the public services division, programmatic and budgetary priorities, and working relationships between the public services division units and units of other divisions. Task Forces worked in the areas of Internal Communication; Organization, Management, and Staffing; Technology and Public Services; and User Needs, Service Performance, and the Promotion of Public Services. During the self-study, which included a survey of 1,100 library users, over 200 draft recommendations were suggested; and 66 final recommendations are included in this report. The report also includes the director's charge and a one-page introduction. Recommendations are arranged according to the following topics: Communication; Committee System in General; Planning and Coordinating Groups; and Specific Departments and Areas--Planning and Coordination, Staffing, Staff Development and Training, Public Service Policies, Referrals, Microcomputers, Copying Equipment, Access to the Collection, and Issues for Further Review and Study. Task Force reports are available separately from the Association of Research Libraries. (THC)

In fall 1984, the Georgia Institute of Technology administration and library staff began planning for Library 2000, a project aimed at creating a showcase library to demonstrate the application of the latest information technology in an academic and research environment. The purposes of Library 2000 include: increasing awareness of students, faculty, staff, other libraries, and clients outside the institute about the availability of information and data; enhancing available information resources through the use of online services and optical disks; creating personalized information systems using artificial intelligence to provide up-to-date literature in researchers' areas of interest; and demonstrating that the application of existing technology can enhance information finding efficiency and achieve greater user productivity. Assumptions and goals were developed in a series of brain-storming sessions dealing with the institute's future, technological trends, and library users and clients. Some of the major assumptions about the future include: users and clients will demand increasing amounts of information in numeric, textual, and bibliographic form; the technology to create Library 2000 exists today; books will continue to exist, especially in the humanities and social sciences; some books, particularly reference books, will be replaced by optical disks or online services; Georgia Tech is in an unique position to lead in the application of information technology; and Georgia Tech people are helping make the history of technology. (THC)

This report presents the results of a year-long study designed to gather information on current preservation activities at the University of Oregon Library and develop recommendations to improve those activities. Summary reports are presented for the five study task forces, and 43 recommendations built on the preservation-related procedures and activities currently in place throughout the library are detailed for the broad areas of organization, programs and policies, disaster preparedness, environment, preservation training for staff, and supplies. The justification, responsibility, time frame, fiscal impact, and staff time are included for each recommendation. Listings of task force members, recommendations by time frame, and recommendations by responsibility are appended. (KM)

This paper examines reasons why academic libraries need to educate patrons about copyright. The first section discusses legal reasons, including the protection of intellectual property rights in the U.S. Constitution, copyright legislation, and the doctrine of fair use. The second section considers decreasing profit margins for providers of intellectual property, including publishing and recording industry fights against copyright infringement and for stricter copyright law. The third section states that nobody else is doing instruction about copyright, and it is natural that libraries should take the lead in this area. (MES)