Embedded librarians in online courses provide a wealth of service and information to students. Though students indicate that these services are valuable, the librarians providing embedded services frequently note that these projects are very time consuming. This study examines the provision of a less time-intensive model of embedded librarianship…

Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing…

A role analysis study of the Margaret I. King Library reference department focused on organization of role activities, their evaluation by reference staff, and patron satisfaction. Observation, interview, and questionnaire techniques were employed to (1) obtain staff job history and academic training; (2) inventory activities from which a list of…

Based on data gathered during a full 5-day, 40-hour week of visiting time, this study determined various characteristics of visitors to the New York State Library (NYSL) main facility; e.g., traffic rates, user intent, and user status. Visitors exiting the library were counted, short interviews were conducted with 25 percent of the total visitors…

Describes a study that used interview data to adapt SERVQUAL, a survey to determine customer perceptions of service quality, to LibQUAL[TM], a Web-based survey to investigate users' perceptions of library service quality. Offers hypotheses regarding how data was categorized as it was. (Author/LRW)

Presents data on the educational requirements for middle managerial positions in academic libraries, and discusses the comments of middle managers and administrators concerning the management and administration courses offered by the schools of library and information science. (Author/JPF)

Summarizes a study of the use of reference service at Sterling Memorial Library, the central research library of Yale University. (PF)

Examines the basic tenets of qualitative, or naturalistic, research methods in terms of their grounding in social science and their value to library and information science research. Topics discussed include the research problems; data collection, including interviews; data analysis, including content analysis; theory development; and ensuring…

This investigation of the use of nonfiction books borrowed from an academic library--the Main Library at the Ohio State University--examined two premises which underlie the creation of full-text electronic information systems of nonfiction books: that such books are generally read to obtain information, and that they tend to be read in parts. Data…

This report describes the pilot data collections and post-questionnaire interview activities of the Council on Library Resources (CLR)/Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Online Public Access Project. The background of the project is briefly described, the purpose and adminstration of the post-questionnaire interviews are outlined, and pilot…

Conducted at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) to obtain a better understanding of the research environment in which graduate students function and their particular information needs, this study used a multi-methods approach which included analyses of library and graduate college data; interviews with graduate advisors of selected departments;…

Presents the results of a study of CD-ROM database use by 100 university students. The students' age, level of study, course of study, and reasons for nonuse are reported. Implications of the study, and suggestions for promoting CD-ROM use and involving faculty in raising awareness are presented. (eight references) (KRN)

Describes the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), which was designed to apply models and methods of organizational effectiveness research to public libraries. Indicators of public library effectiveness are described, factor analysis results are presented, implications for evaluating library performance are discussed, and further research is…

Reports results of 1990 study that examined user satisfaction with OPACs (online public access catalogs) at 5 Ontario universities through interviews with 2,916 students and faculty members. Data on OPAC and computer experience, learning methods, and the effects of several variables on satisfaction are analyzed for the entire sample and for each…

This report describes a study of the Jackson-George Regional Library (JGRL) System, which serves a 2-county area in Mississippi with a population of 131,918. The purpose of the study, which built on the planning and administration goals identified in "Planning for Progress: The Long Range Plan of the Jackson George Regional Library," was to…