Surveys the literature on the lack of use of government documents collections in academic libraries and discusses using library displays to increase awareness. Bibliographies on preparing library displays, locating ideas for government documents displays, increasing awareness and use of government publications, and specific documents for displays…

Develops mathematical models to characterize the probability of continued use of an integrated office automation system and tests these models on longitudinal data collected from 210 individuals using the IBM Professional Office System (PROFS) at the University of California at Berkeley. Analyses using survival functions and proportional hazard…

Describes the habits of human reasoning that distort designers' abilities to intuit how users will understand and respond to graphics. Advocates two solutions: investigating scientifically how visuals communicate to viewers, and using user-based iterative design to explore user's reactions while developing design prototypes. (SR)

Describes a transaction log analysis of the New York Public Library research libraries' OPAC (online public access catalog). Much of the remote searching occurred when the libraries were closed and was more evenly distributed than internal searching, demonstrating that remote searching could expand access and reduce peak system loads. (Contains…

Examined lifetime nursing home use with data from Connecticut for 1977-86. Gives life table estimate of total amount of time after age 65 expected to be spent by persons in nursing homes and total amount of nursing home use paid for by Medicaid. Estimates lifetime risk of Medicaid spenddown in nursing homes at 21.5 percent. (Author/PVV)

Describes a practical classroom application of contextual factors, ease-of-use factors, and document design criteria. Offers an assignment which introduces students to the relationship between research and its implementation in document development. (PRA)

Examined effects of factors on support group attendance among family caregivers to frail elderly relatives. Found that attendance by primary caregivers was greater for those who were older, who had secondary informal caregiver involved in providing care, or who had significant health problems. Attendance was greater for those caring for…

A survey of 67 women parolees in the greater Boston area suggests that factors of parole, characteristics of the parolee, and elements of the offense combine to discriminate between women who use social services and women who do not. Recommends correctional policies based on the link between social services and a reduction in continued…

Reports on two stages of an investigation into the perceived quality of online databases. Presents data from 989 questionnaires from 600 database users in 12 European and Scandinavian countries and results of a test of the SERVQUAL methodology for identifying user expectations about database services. Lists statements used in the SERVQUAL survey.…

Examines the empirical results from an evaluation of interactive software designed to support health-promotion planning. Findings from a case study of two main users of the technology and the program director suggest that users' viewpoints should be exploited in a meaningful manner to explain how and why users make use of technology. Contains 55…

Finds that (1) animated banner ads (display advertisements hyperlinked to an advertiser's Web site) result in quicker response and better recall (from college students) than non-animated banner ads; (2) larger banner ads lead to better comprehension and more clicks than small banner ads; and (3) user mode (information seeking or Web surfing) did…

Studied use of the Internet by college students by determining sites selected on 6 of 70 computers in a college computer laboratory. The overwhelming use of the Internet in this open lab conformed to university acceptable-use policy, with almost no use of the computers to contact pornographic sites. (SLD)

Discusses the need for statistics for librarians to measure the performance, use, and value of electronic scholarly journals to make the best purchasing decisions for their institutions. Reports on two reporting mechanisms, one of which uses the library's log files, and describes other current projects to determine usage measures. (LRW)

Proposes the Hypermedia Interaction Cycle (HIC) as an iterative, self-regulatory, 3-phase model (preparation, exploration, and consolidation) capturing the dynamics of hypermedia interaction from a user's (browsing) perspective. Studies how undergraduate journalism students interact with the Web while browsing for news-story ideas. (SR)

Examines the challenge and future of language, typography, and technology in various juxtapositions. Compares book and screen, typographic history and future. Discusses need for language reform and user studies, and examines technology's impact on human communication. Uses an "abecedary" order to make unexpected connections and provide…