Beyond collecting traditional circulation statistics, tracking in-house use of library materials is a significant measure of how patrons use our resources. In our pilot project, Lending Services staff members conducted nightly pick-ups of library materials left on tables, in carrels, in study rooms, as well as books cast aside in the stacks areas…

The Penn State Libraries' Open House activities for incoming students find Access Services staff extending beyond their everyday routines to creatively help relieve students' fears of the library and understand how Access Services can help them. Serving on the Access Services Open House Committee offers staff many opportunities for development as…

This article recounts successful strategies for increasing student staff commitment to the organization's vision and deadlines, inviting "buy in" for projects, and enhancing staff work relationships. The discussion will outline activities that have resulted in increased employee satisfaction with work, smoother interactions between coworkers,…

With the expansion in quantity of full-text content material made available through online database subscriptions, aggregator services, and over the Internet, the need for print materials seems to have diminished over recent years. Growing, too, are the numbers of students taking advantage of distance learning opportunities, scattered miles and…

The purpose of traditional copyright law was to encourage the creation of works based on and to ensure reasonable access to original thought. Despite this harmonious intent, an intrinsic tension exists between libraries and copyright holders, as the former promotes "free" access to information that ultimately reduces the income of the…

Personal Digital Assistant serials are not just a subset of electronic serials from an acquisitions/collection development point of view because of their total dependence on patron-owned technology. Even if viewed as a "free" resource there are issues of expense and effort involved in gathering, classifying, and providing access and awareness of…

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…

The purpose of this paper was to develop a library curriculum plan for elementary students that would enhance, support, and deepen student learning of information skills. Within this context, the purpose was to answer the following questions: What are the learning outcomes in information skills for a library program? In what measurable way does a…

Research on multiculturalism in libraries focuses primarily on collection development and on the recruitment of minorities to the profession. Although multicultural student outreach is relatively uncommon, it is essential in helping to combat the social, education, technological and financial barriers that leave many minority students at a…

Media specialists are working hard to get schools up to speed in the 21st century--teaching information literacy skills to students, helping teachers use technology, and harnessing Web-based tools such as blogs and wikis to enhance learning. However, the same educators report that limited funds hamper their ability to make good on these plans. An…

This report presents tabulations for the 2004 Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) conducted by the United States Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). An academic library is defined as an entity in a postsecondary institution that provides all of the following: An organized collection of printed or other materials,…

This resource provides tools needed to create compelling booktalks featuring outstanding young adult novels that are mainstays in library collections. For each of the 100 titles selected, there is background information on the book and the author, a list of principal characters, a detailed plot summary, critical comment and notes on suitability,…

Between 1998 and 2003, a Minnesota educational reform movement named the Profile of Learning (POL) generated high levels of school library media center use in high schools and contributed to the fulfillment of the instructional role of the school library media specialist (SLMS) as described in "Information Power". POL consisted of…

In order to improve library instruction and to produce data that shed light on the value of this core library service, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library conducted a formal assessment on its instruction program in 2004. A group of 688 users from 25 one-shot sessions was surveyed by a questionnaire four to eight weeks after…

We are building conventional library space without making the paradigm shift our digital environment requires. The chief obstacles to change lie in our conception of readers as information consumers, in our allegiance to library operations as the drivers of library design, and in the choice made between foundational and non-foundational views of…