Implementing any new service or technology can require a process of trial and error. Often, it is useful to introduce the service as a pilot project, so that the staffing issues and technical details can be worked out prior to fullscale implementation. This is especially important at times when staffing and/or budgetary circumstances are…

As student fees, print vs. electronic access, service quality expectations, and basic economics have an increasing impact on library operations, some academic libraries are taking a second look at the process of charging overdue fines. This article explores the contemporary environment on this issue. It offers as an example a compromise solution…

Purpose: To share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in developing a content management (CM) system for its subject guides. Design/methodology/approach: A summary of multi-format subject guide production at the OUL is provided to justify the decision to develop a new system for their production using a…

Focusing on academic libraries in North America, this article describes the selection and acquisition of library materials for Chinese Studies from the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It provides an historical overview of the Chinese book publishing and exporting practice, identifies and evaluates current online and printed…

During 2003, Monash University Library conducted a comprehensive quality review as part of the university's program of reviews. A quality management group was established in September 2002 to drive the process. All staff were given the opportunity to contribute input to the initial self-review. Methods of collecting data, collating responses and…

This qualitative study examined the perceptions that university library faculty members hold regarding the role of the department head in promoting faculty growth and development. Four faculty members at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were interviewed. Axial coding of the individuals' perceptions revealed six categories of perceived roles for…

This Systems and Exchange Center (SPEC) kit begins with a summary by Virginia Steel of the findings of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries that was conducted in 1991 to determine the prevalence of the organizational model of access services--i.e., a department or division responsible for the services and operations…

This examination of the philosophy and objectives of academic library reference services provides an overview of the major reference approaches to fulfilling the following primary objectives of reference services: (1) providing accurate answers to patrons' questions and/or helping patrons find sources to pursue their research needs; (2) building…

The Association for Research Libraries (ARL) questionnaire was sent to 176 academic libraries in the United States and Canada, including the 95 university libraries previously surveyed for the ACRL University Library Statistics series, and representative college and community and junior college libraries that had responded to the 1984 "100…

The comments of 21 library professionals from academic and public libraries on principles of library administration are presented in this guide. The members of the Library Administration and Management middle management discussion group touch upon goal setting in management, getting to know new staff, interpersonal relationships between employee…

This program plan for online reference service--the individualized assistance provided to a library patron using an online system--at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, covers the areas of funding, eligibility for online services, search request eligibility, database eligibility, management of online services, reference faculty…

Recognizing recent efforts by members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in establishing departments or designating full-time staff for preservation efforts, the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) undertook a survey to identify ways research libraries are reorganizing for these new activities. Telephone interviews were…

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,…

Based on analyses of 91 documents on fringe benefits received from member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in 1978, a concise summary presents observations and statistics on sabbatical leaves, insurance, retirement, education and campus-related benefits, trends, and needs. It is concluded that pressures for improving fringe…

Program budgeting, a method founded in the systems approach, allows control, management, and planning in the library system, and avoids the more comprehensive analysis required by zero-based budgeting. By evaluation of the impacts of the work accomplished by the library staff, the budgeted amounts can be justified or adjusted in subsequent years.…