Proper planning and assessment surveys of projects for academic library Web sites will not always be predictive of real world use, no matter how many responses they might receive. In this case, multiple-phase development, librarian focus groups, and patron surveys performed before implementation of such a project inaccurately overrated utility and…

This article presents a case study in user-centered design that explores the needs and preferences of undergraduate users. An analysis of LibQual+ and other user surveys, interviews with public service staff, and a formal American with Disabilities Act accessibility review served as the basis for planning a redesign of the Brown University…

Two articles describe computerized reference systems created for college libraries in New York (Cornell and SUNY Binghamton) and at the University of Virginia, respectively. (TE)

Discusses the need for online help for end-users based on experiences with an online public access catalog (OPAC) at the University of Cape Town libraries. The concept of end users is examined, the role of search intermediaries in information systems is explained, and online help and systems design is discussed. (LRW)

Authority control improves users' access to a library's holdings by enhancing the ability to find and select materials. The AutoCat authority control system developed at Dickinson College (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) avoids the high initial costs of vendor clean up and Library of Congress authority tapes while reducing the labor involved in authority…

Detailed reviews of two legal information databases--"Laborlaw I" and "Legal Resource Index"--are presented in this paper. Each database review begins with a bibliographic entry listing the title; producer; vendor; cost per hour contact time; offline print cost per citation; time period covered; frequency of updates; and size…

Describes ANLI (Adaptive Network Library Interface), an interface to an academic library's online catalog that links documents through interactions with users. Topics addressed include relation to neural networks; system design issues, including network management; the architecture of the ANLI; and the ANLI as a research tool. (Contains five…

Offers suggestions for libraries selecting automated systems based on experiences at Purdue University. Highlights include the institutional context; long-term versus short-term benefits; involving staff and users throughout the process; request for proposals; negotiating contracts; evaluating vendors; and communicating. (LRW)

Discusses the role of end users in the design of a multi-format digital library project, ISLA (name derived from Spanish word for "island"), being developed at the University of Southern California library for the study of the Los Angeles region. Topics include spatial and temporal indexing; the geographic information system element;…

Description of the development of the Information Exchange Facility, a prototype microcomputer-based personal bibliographic facility, covers software selection, user selection, overview of the system, and evaluation. The plan for an integrated system, BIBLIO, and the future role of libraries are discussed. (eight references) (MES)

Describes ILLiad (Interlibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database), software that examines the current state of interlibrary loan borrowing requests at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Topics include system requirements, user procedures, staff procedures, copyright clearance, OCLC, and future developments. (LRW)

Describes the redesign of a CD-ROM database interface by the Congressional Information Service (CIS) that addressed the needs of novice, casual, and expert searchers in academic libraries. Topics discussed include the user profile, the task profile, redesign goals, interaction style, menu design and implementation, system structure and the search…

Describes an approach outlined by sciences and engineering librarians at the University of California, Santa Barbara to attract users--specifically graduate students and faculty--to the available online databases and services. The strategy focused on the essentials of planning, preparation and publicity, presentation, and post-workshop evaluation.…

Reviews the literature on the development of full-text electronic libraries in the academic setting. Organizational factors can have impact on electronic library development and ultimate usability. Topics include strategic management, planning and implementation; system specification and design; document provision; user support and training; and…

Presents findings from four studies of the prevalence of multitasking information seeking and searching by Web (via the Excite search engine), information retrieval system (mediated online database searching), and academic library users. Highlights include human information coordinating behavior (HICB); and implications for models of information…