Argues that patrons in a publicly supported academic library come from the general community as well as from the university, and include children, adolescents, and business people. The importance of recognizing the needs of various user groups and budgetary and staff limitations are stressed along with setting future priorities. (28 references)…

Contributors from five libraries--Bentley College, Boston University, the College of Charleston, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and the Resource Sharing Alliance of West Central Illinois--describe their automation projects, including staff impact; costs and funding; time and schedules; users; computer support; vendors; and consultants.…

Discussion of a user-driven survey conducted at the University of California, San Diego libraries focuses on the methodology that resulted in a high response rate. Highlights goals for the survey, including acceptance of data by groups outside the library and for benchmarking data; planning; user population; and questionnaire development. (LRW)

Discusses personnel cost projections as a component of overall academic library planning. Topics addressed include strategic planning; the impact of the external environment; accountability; visions and values; technology and personnel costs; new program initiatives; client-centered philosophies; cost studies; and the personnel program cost…

This report is designed to raise issues and concerns which will affect the successful implementation of an education and training program once an online public access catalog (OLPAC) has been installed in the Kennedy Library at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. Information presented in the document was gathered…

To identify areas where seats could be removed to accommodate a growing collection, the University of Wollongong (New South Wales, Australia) library surveyed patron seating usage. The survey supported a 12% reduction in seating, which enabled the installation of additional shelving and a compactus to store 20,000 volumes while having a minimal…

Three articles describe the relocation of the chemistry branch library to the main academic library at Rutgers University (Newark, New Jersey) as part of a trend toward centralization. Highlights include user support for the move, including faculty and students; and the operations research methodology used for planning and implementing the move.…

This paper discusses client service issues to be considered when transitioning to a virtual library situation. Themes related to the transitional nature of society in the knowledge era are presented, including: paradox and a contradictory nature; blurring of boundaries; networks, systems, and holistic thinking; process/not product, becoming/not…

Discusses problems of preservation and conservation of library materials in the South Pacific, including environmental factors, insect and animal pests, and mishandling. Describes the situation in national, public, and academic libraries in the region; factors in planning library buildings to promote preservation; and preservation efforts at the…

Describes the implementation of a user-centered document delivery system at Colorado State University. Evaluates the system via a statistical compilation of system usage and a telephone survey of the service's users. Results indicate that the system usually provided fast delivery at acceptable costs, but fell short as a substitution for mediated…

This paper describes how focus groups were used to assess the effectiveness of the University of Kentucky's Agricultural Information Center (AIC) in providing patron services. The AIC serves 1,100 undergraduate students, 370 graduate and postdoctoral students, and 1,700 faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture. In August 2000, the AIC…

Collecting statistical data about database usage by library patrons aids in the management of CD-ROM and database offerings, collection development, and evaluation of training programs. Two approaches to data collection are presented which should be used together: an automated or nonintrusive method which monitors search sessions while the…

Discussion of academic research libraries' changes in organizational structure focuses on experiences at the Indiana University Libraries. Highlights include principles encouraging organizational change and empowerment; the role and nature of the library, including a focus on the user; library reorganization; and strategic planning, quality, and…

Discusses the diversity of academic library users and the need for community awareness planning, and describes a program developed at Bowling Green State University libraries that evolved around a celebration of National Library Week. Topics discussed include free computer searches, displays and exhibits, publicity, read-a-thons, fundraising, and…

Presents the Brown University Library experiences in purchasing electronic services to serve as a model for issues of budgeting for electronic materials in academic libraries. Topics include politics of budgeting; education of users; availability issues; access issues; consortia issues; ownership issues; tracking electronic product prices; and…