In attempting to reappraise the role of Pennsylvania district center libraries, this field study focused on: the actual use made of the libraries, the effects of distance on use, and the relationship between use and the socioeconomic characteristics of library users. Methodology involved the study of 10 representative district library centers,…

This report summarizes the results of a fourteen-month study to (1) examine the feasibility of establishing a book processing center to serve the nine state-supported college and university libraries in Colorado and (2) conduct a simulation study of the proposed Center. The report covers: background, operational characteri tics of participating…

This study reviews the current status of public library service in Metropolitan Dade County, Florida, with particular reference to: (1) the governing structure of the existing public library agencies; (2) the sources and levels of their financial support; (3) the available library facilities, resources and personnel; (4) the services that are…

A research project is being conducted to construct a mathematical model of the operations of an academic library to be used in making managerial decisions. As part of this project, this report examines Bradford's Law of Scattering and the fall-off of use of documents as they age. A series of mathematical analyses indicate how these two laws can be…

A study was conducted of Polk, Yamhill, and Marion Counties in Oregon to prepare a plan for developing cooperative regional library service. Public, community college, and special libraries were visited, and residents--both users and identified non-users--were interviewed to ascertain their attitudes, interests, and needs for library service. A…

Case studies are a respected form of research. They are seen as useful because they deal with information in a complex, holistic, process oriented, particularistic way that mirrors the reality of life in school settings. Several forces impinge on their usefulness in helping others to learn from past experiences and thus improve their own…

This study began as a joint venture between Trent University and Queen's University to identify any existing inadequacies in library service to part-time students, and to determine what could be done to improve access to library resources. Because of the significantly different organization of part-time studies at the two schools, two…

This report presents information about the state of the art in Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in 1976. This information takes the form of quantitative data (mostly frequency distributions), on the number and average completion time of CAI programs according to subject matter, author, language, instructional strategies, sources, and central…

This three part study is an evaluation and planning tool based on information and techniques presented in a seminar conducted in 1975-76 called "Institute on Developing Dynamic Public Library Services Responsive to Community Needs." It is a synthesis and analysis of information available about the Old Bridge Township community and library services…

The Design of Information Systems in the Social Sciences project (DISISS) of the University of Bath, England, has recently completed evaluations of three programs: (1) a library staff digest intended to inform personnel of the inner workings of the library; (2) an information system designed to assist professionals and private individuals working…

The purpose of the Resources Development Internship Project was to catalog the collection of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Montana State Office (MSO) library, which consisted of approximately 1,400 volumes of diverse library materials. Other objectives were to improve access to the materials, and develop a general system of library operation…

Although considered by most scholars as minor research, descriptive studies can make important contributions toward the development of simulation game research. Descriptive research studies are often simply case studies of the experiences of persons who have field tested, observed, or participated in a simulation game exercise. This kind of…

Due to a shortage of staff at the Carlson Library at the University of Toledo, user access to the documents collection outside of the normally staffed hours has depended on the resourcefulness of the user. A survey showed that users were unfamiliar with access procedures. In order to make documents more readily available, the staff developed a…

Five hundred ninety-one clients from two university counseling centers indicated the help sources they had contacted before going to the counseling center. Analysis of the rank order in which help-givers were consulted yielded significant differences both within and across the counseling centers under two types of problems, emotional-social and…

Two information dissemination centers at University of California at Los Angeles and University of Georgia studied the interactions between computer based search facilities and their users. The study, largely descriptive in nature, investigated the interaction processes between data base users and profile analysis or information specialists in…