Describes the planning, design, and service issues involved in the successful transition from a closed reserve collection to an open, self-serve reserve room. A questionnaire answered by 200 patrons revealed a high level of satisfaction with the new system, indicated a need for more photocopiers, identified reserve materials used most frequently,…

Describes the development of a HyperCard system at the University of Hong Kong that enables users to retrieve information about maps, aerial photos, or satellite images in a particular area of interest. User needs are discussed, and cartobibliographic information contained in the HyperCard stacks is described. (six references) (LRW)

Virginia Commonwealth University reduced its ready reference collection by integrating the majority into the general reference collection. The project was a success and advantages for staff included more time and focus on users; expanded knowledge of collection; and reduced stress. (JMV)

The collection and services of the Alexandria Digital Library (ADL) at the University of California Santa Barbara focus on geospatial information sources with links to geographic locations. Evaluation studies conducted within the ADL project are described as well as what was learned about user characteristics and reactions to ADL. (Author/AEF)

Describes the management and collection of standardized educational and psychological tests at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and analyzes the use patterns of patron request cards. Current electronic test locators and evaluation services are indicated as well. (Author/LRW)

Considers trends in measurement and evaluation of reference service and summarizes research findings on the importance of reference work, library clientele, reference questions, duties of the reference librarians, and the effectiveness of reference service. Measures for the organization and performance of reference work, the adequacy of reference…

Argues that the analytical comparison of library collections to the people using those collections could provide insights related to library acquisition priorities and practices, and describes and illustrates a method for analyzing this relationship. A sidebar by Myra White describes an application of the results of such a study at California…

This paper describes the present shelf arrangement of instructional materials in the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) located in Swirbul Library on the Garden City, Long Island campus of Adelphi University. The CMC is a special library resource supporting the curriculum of the School of Education at Adelphi, and graduate and undergraduate…

Describes the development of the Louisiana Online University Information System (LOUIS) that was designed to improve user services and make more effective use of collections. Topics include library cooperation, higher education and academic libraries, the Louisiana Academic Library Network, systems support (including training), future…

Compares the more positive library automation experiences of a small public library with those of a large research library. Topics addressed include collection size; computer size and the need for outside control of a data processing center; staff size; selection process for hardware and software; and accountability. (LRW)

This document contains the results of a 1994 survey on the use of user surveys by ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members. Of the responding libraries, 68% had conducted user surveys in the last 5 years. A number of these libraries (20%) reported conducting surveys at regular intervals ranging from every year to every five years. The…

Historical antecedents as well as contemporary social and cultural factors have impeded the Black student's quest for excellence in education. As a result, the historically Black colleges have, since their inception, existed to provide a quality education to those who have been excluded from the educational mainstream. Now that the focus of…

Describes procedures used at the State University College at Buffalo library to limit CD-ROM searches to journals available in their collection. Modifications to DIALOG OnDisc databases are explained, the limitation of online database searches to local holdings is discussed, and user needs and user satisfaction are considered. (LRW)

A survey of 4,084 Canadian continuing education students investigated patterns of library service use and factors influencing them, including student characteristics, perceptions of problems limiting library use (for example, collection adequacy, hours, access to materials), and characteristics of the student's program of study (for example,…

Discusses problems encountered in conducting research in German academic libraries. Highlights include a lack of trained librarians with subject expertise who focus on helping users; numerous library catalogs rather than one integrated catalog; and an emphasis on collection preservation that includes closed stacks and restricted circulation. (LRW)