Student partnership, a growing phenomenon in higher education, has transformed the way universities collaborate with students. Yet, to date, the academic library has rarely been examined as a place for student and staff partnerships to thrive. In this article, we present findings from a national students as partners benchmarking survey conducted…

This paper describes the process whereby a university library investigated the value of its subject guides to its users. A literature review and surveys of library staff, library users and other libraries were carried out. Existing library subject guides and those of other higher education libraries were evaluated. The project team reported…

This article describes a case study that best illustrates the value of student workers in university libraries, focusing particularly on how this kind of creative endeavor benefits everyone involved--the library, the students, the faculty, and at the end of the project: the university community. (Contains 1 table.)

This article establishes the level of skills and experience in preservation and conservation management using a case study methodological approach conducted in the 3 university libraries at the University of Zambia. The findings revealed that 20 (57%) of the library staff had not received formal training in preservation and conservation of library…

Intranets can be crucial tools in fostering communication within an academic library. This article describes the successful implementation of an intranet wiki at the San Diego State University Library & Information Access. The steps involved with implementing, marketing, and supporting the MediaWiki software are described, and the results of a…

The 133rd meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on strategies for confronting critical challenges associated with the digital era and for fostering understanding from university leaders and supporters regarding the resources needed to perform successfully in this print plus digital environment. Program Session I,…

Considers the challenge of leading a research library that is between directors. Discusses issues involved in the transitional period of "acting" directorship. Outlines recommendations for acting directors: seek advice; negotiate well in the beginning; consider the staff; state an objective; build consensus; and consider cautiously the candidacy…

As the entity traditionally responsible for serving the information needs of the university, research libraries have little choice but to change dramatically in the next 25 years. This SPEC Survey on library reorganization seeks to understand how librarians have sought to meet this challenge through the redesigning of their organization.…

This SPEC Kit and Flyer focus on the gifts and exchange function in Association of Research (ARL) libraries. The survey was sent to 119 ARL institutions via e-mail; 62 usable replies were received. Results, discussed in the SPEC Flyer, highlight trends and effects of changes in library automation, staffing decreases, administrative reorganization,…

Describes the American Antiquarian Society, including its history, the evolution of its collections, and the relationship between its staff and readers that make it a leading humanities research center. Discusses the institutional culture and the development of a new area of study, the history of the book in American culture. (Author/LRW)

Describes the development of an electronic text center in the Cornell University (New York) library. Discusses effects of spanning traditionally separate areas of the library, such as collection development, reference and instruction, information technology and support, and stack maintenance; staff skills needed; and the importance of…

Since the organization of the United States Bureau of Education in 1867 statistics of public libraries have appeared periodically in the annual reports. It has been the purpose to gather such statistics every five years, but it has not been possible to carry out the plan with perfect regularity. For forty years every annual report of the bureau…

Discusses the development of electronic libraries at Cornell University's (New York) Mann Library and elsewhere and presents an overview of changes in services and staff responsibilities needed to address user needs. Sidebar articles discuss Internet access to government information; changing staff roles; geographic information systems; the Mann…

Defines electronic text centers as tools for digital collection development in the humanities and describes experiences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in developing an electronic text center. Considers staffing, standards for encoding and describing electronic texts, hardware and software selection, and partnerships with the University of…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit and Flyer reports results of a survey that examined how ARL (Association of Research Libraries) member libraries have organized the licensing of electronic products and how they approach the associated problems. Forty-four of the 122 ARL member libraries responded to the survey. Results are…