This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by "Alternative Press Index" to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. Results by subject clusters show low holdings rates. The impact on scholars, students, and library collections is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Examines how faculty at Texas A&M University perceived a library liaison program. Discusses what faculty thought were important library services, whether they saw improvement resulting from the program, whether the subject background of the liaison librarian was indispensable, faculty support for the program, and faculty opinions about the…

Evaluates the Role Repertory Grid Procedure, a technique derived from personal construct theory, for its practicality and validity as a way of gathering patron perceptions about the effectiveness and efficiency of academic library space. Concludes that further research regarding validity and reliability is needed. (Author/LRW)

Explores college and university students' perceptions of the Internet and Internet resources; their criteria for evaluating information gathered from the Internet; views about the role of the library, librarians and traditional library resources in relation to the Internet; and how faculty perceptions of the Internet compare with student…

Describes the card sort technique that was used by Cornell University to help determine how users would organize a set of concepts to be included in an online digital library help system. Presents Cornell's experiences as a case study with detailed instructions for conducting and evaluating the card sort technique. (Contains 13 references.)…

Discussion of mergers in China between individual colleges and universities and much larger universities that have been a part of China's higher education reform focuses on the influence on academic libraries. Topics include collections; acquisitions; staffing; services; funding; resource sharing; library administration; online cataloging systems;…

Explores the role of the archivist in the increasingly multicultural society. Whether multiculturalism should be a guiding force for determining the value of records and what to retain is discussed. Documenting their own appraisal decisions will help researchers of the future understand why the records were thought worth preserving. (SLD)

Describes the Collection Analysis CD (CACD) developed by Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and the Amigos Bibliographic Council to help libraries, especially academic libraries, analyze their book collections. Use of the CACD for pointing out gaps in the collection and areas of overlaps with other libraries is described, and sample reports and…

Describes a qualitative ethnographically informed case study of an electronic text center in a large academic library designed to reveal the underlying metaphors that library staff and patrons used in thinking about electronic texts. It draws upon theories from cognitive anthropology concerning metaphors and mental scripts. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the appropriateness and legality of Internet filters in any type of library and suggests that there is a much less tenable legal justification for Internet filters in academic libraries. Topics include freedom of speech; pornography versus obscenity; sexual harassment; applicable court cases; and acceptable use policies. (LRW)

Discusses changes taking place in academic libraries and outlines the nature of entrepreneurship and innovation and their relevance to library development. Highlights include digital technology; the impact of changes in global learning and scholarly communication on library entrepreneurial opportunities; and a case study of entrepreneurial…

Discusses academic library liaison programs and describes the restructuring of a liaison program at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte to help strengthen the relationship between the library and the teaching faculty. Also reports results of a survey of selected departments that assessed the effectiveness of reference librarians as…

Forty-five electronic pathfinders were selected from nine Canadian university libraries to assess their degree of conformity to suggested guidelines in existing literature about pathfinders. Analysis revealed the guidelines were not uniformly followed, leaving some pathfinders more complex and less useful than others. Specific guidelines must be…

Includes three articles: (1) describes a collaboration that investigated integrity within the distributed nature of digital libraries through value-added surrogates; (2) describes the digitization of special collections at the University of Iowa libraries; and (3) explains the Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) being developed by the…

Discussion of information consulting in academic libraries focuses on consulting with faculty, administrators, and other related scholars. Topics include the need for more active information consulting, including the growth of interdisciplinary research, changes in information seeking behavior, and changes in scholarly communication; and elements…