Libraries have become increasingly interested in studying the use of spaces within their buildings. Traditional methods for tracking library building use, such as gate counts, provide little information on what patrons do once they are in the library; therefore, new methods for studying space usage are being developed. Particularly promising are…

An emphasis on instruction has been growing in libraries as a result of the cumbersome amount of information that is produced and available globally. This, coupled with the growing diverse student populations and the demand for higher education, has created the need for students entering the workforce who can think critically, adapt quickly and…

Formally stating and assessing student learning outcomes (SLOs) is a new focus for California community colleges required by the 2002 Accreditation Standards. This paper, the first in a series, explores one aspect of this sea change across the state: the emergence of a new group of faculty leaders, Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment…

Two measures of effectiveness for university libraries are constructed: the primary, defined over the total population of users, considers the number of information items desired, number of satisfactorily answered inquires, and number of users; while the secondary, total population is divided into subsets according to similarity of user needs. (13…

In October, 1971, AIMLO (Auto-Instructional Media for Library Orientation) was initiated at Colorado State University Libraries. AIMLO is an innovative approach to undergraduate library instruction, providing on-demand, point-of-use programs about three basic library tools: periodical indexes, the card catalog, and U.S. government documents. To…

One year's experience in the use of management by objectives in the Technological Institute Library of Northwestern University is reported. (Author)

In this age of accountability, accreditation commissions face criticism from higher education professions and the public. Although agencies have committed their energies to protect the general public from inferior educational institutions, they appear to be insensitive to the effects of changes in education. There is a need to rank schools of…

Describes a program developed by librarians at Arizona State University West to evaluate their library instruction. Topics discussed include stressing individual improvement rather than personnel evaluation and decisions; group process; focus on formative evaluation; role of evaluation measures; evaluations by faculty and students; and colleague…

Concludes that evaluations of library instruction based on library use present a useful picture of the impact of instruction within the context of program objectives. Yet to be found, however, is a methodology that will express the role student motivation and maturation play in the development of effective library skills. (RAA)

Reports on the outcomes and impact of the Florida Community College Statewide Collection Assessment Project. Highlights include influences on the appropriation of additional funds; collection development decisions; collection weeding based on institution-specific collection assessment reports; and receipt and use of state legislative funding.…

Academic library members of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) responded to a computer library network effectiveness questionnaire to determine the extent to which actual network performance, as perceived by users, is consistent with expected performance. The study evaluated the technological system in terms of outputs and implications for…

Discusses how to improve library reference service, especially the effective delivery of accurate answers, based on a program at Wichita State University (Kansas) that used concepts of quality from business and organizational management. Topics addressed include customers and customer service, and methods of reference service evaluation. (Contains…

A major theme of this volume is the issue of library accountability and evaluation of productivity. Four review papers deal directly with the topic. The first reviews the literature relating to evaluation of libraries generally with an emphasis on school libraries. The second focuses on the measurement of productivity in the academic library. It…

A local model for support of periodic academic program reviews by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) has developed and evolved at the Ball State University library. The process of devising a format to systematically report library holdings statistics to support program reviews and other collections development duties began in 1975;…

The Seventy-first Congress authorized a survey of the education of teachers on a Nation-wide scope, conducted during the last 3 years. After the work of the survey was organized it was apparent that only a limited number of studies could be undertaken with the time and funds available. It was decided, therefore, to cooperate whenever possible with…