Libraries are all about collecting data. When it comes to collection development and assessment of e-resources, collecting data on usage of resources aids in decision making regarding these resources and provides data-rich evidence to support the value for the user of these resources. However, the author asserts that libraries should take some…

In answering the question "What is the next trend in usage statistics in libraries?" an eclectic group of respondents has presented an assortment of possibilities, suggestions, complaints and, of course, questions of their own. Undoubtedly, usage statistics collection, interpretation, and application are areas of growth and increasing complexity…

Addresses the questions of why librarians engaged in serving children are on the defensive about the way in which they evaluate their services, and what can be done to bring children's services back into the mainstream of library thinking. (FM)

Examines in detail the aims, forms, and methods of USSR library services provided for children, including information and bibliographical assistance, as well as the main areas of research being conducted in this field by Soviet specialists. (CWM)

Reviews a study by the RAND Corporation on the changing ethnic nature of California which focused on the impact for public library services of having the majority of the population composed of what once were racial and ethnic minorities. The report is criticized for the narrowness of the questions addressed, softness of data, and simplicity of…

Professionally, school librarians are faced with an explosion of choices--search engines, online catalogs, media types, subscription databases, and Web tools--all requiring scrutiny, evaluation, and selection. In turn, this support "stuff" forms a basis for making additional choices about how and what they teach and what they assess. Whereas once…

The direction and development of public library services to children are of vital concern; but socioeconomic "status insecurity" on the part of chilren's librarians may confound their ability and willingness to fulfill both personal and professional commitments to librarianship and to children. (Author/CMV)

Argues that, although research measuring library effectiveness has tended to equate effectiveness with user satisfaction, this approach is faulty for several reasons and calls for more in-depth user needs assessment studies. (LLS)

Discusses the advantages of evaluation of library services and provides examples of decisions that might be aided through evaluation. The three attributes of library service of most concern to the evaluator--costs, effectiveness, and benefits--are considered. Describes general principles of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit studies in the…

This report summarizes the results of a project undertaken to assist the Department of Education, Office of Libraries and Learning Technologies (OLLT), and the wider community it serves, to identify research priorities in the field of library and information science. The background of the project is briefly described and the prject design is…

This paper discusses research areas and methods related to library history. The first section outlines research areas, including activities such as services to children in public libraries, mobile libraries, cataloging rules and practice, classification rules and practices, development of bibliographies, organization models, literature offered to…

At a time when emphasis is being placed on quality, standards, and accountability, the research world is spending more time assessing the value and impact of library organizations. This paper argues that research in this area requires sociological and psychological research skills. Qualitative data are as important as statistics. Different…

Reflects upon the AASL Preconference on action research held in 1979, and poses important challenges for school library media specialists who are striving to maximize their unique contributions to the instructional program in schools. (Author/CMV)

Argues that semiotics, the science of signs, provides a suitable research tool for investigating the communication process in public libraries. Literature review identifies research using semiotic methods, as well as communication research in public librarianship that would have profited from semiotics, as a first step toward understanding the…

Discusses commuter college students; presents a model to help librarians offering bibliographic instruction better accommodate commuter students that includes services for students, programs to interact with students, advocacy for students, and appropriate research; and considers faculty impact on commuter students. (LRW)