Reviews results of microform user studies to reveal which computer output microfilm (COM) products are accepted and which ones are not. Impediments to use are discussed, and a list of further readings on COM is included. (SW)

Reports findings of a study of the 10-year use of 334 biomedical journals in the Lane Medical Library of Stanford University Medical Center. Use and density of use (use/shelf space occupied) statistics are tabulated and a ranked list of the journals, by use and use-density, is appended. (JD)

Studies television viewing as a leisure-time activity competing with obligatory activities and other free time activities. Compares data with an earlier study to indicate that away-from-home activities compete most successfully with television for the use of leisure time. (JMF)

Extracts five conclusions from a survey of library material use studies: (1) recorded use in many libraries is low; (2) use within the library parallels circulation; (3) past use predicts future use; (4) recent materials are used more frequently; and (5) Americans use few foreign language materials. (FM)

Summarizes use statistics for the first year of search activity for the Kansas City Libraries Metropolitan Information Network (MINET). Included are databases searched, types of participating libraries, patron status, search systems used, charges, nonpaid searches, and referrals. (SW)

Discusses a study to examine developed acreage in 14 national parks. Total park acreage is compared to service center and campground acreage and total mileage of primary and secondary roads. The most probable future for national park landscapes is maintenance of the status quo. (Author/KC)

Suggests how to incorporate conventional textbooks into innovational teaching in high school social studies courses. Suggestions include: ask students to alter time lines in textbooks according to their own interests, examine bias of textbook author, react to author's language, and focus on daily life during a particular historical period. (DB)

Explains how social studies pupils can use an awareness of textbook design to become better students. Suggestions include reproducing the collage on an American history textbook as a large poster for classroom use and directing students to design a graphic unit opener in the same style as the ones in their textbooks. (DB)

Discusses the subjective meaning of television news watching in terms of five factors: surveillance-reassurance, cognitive orientation, dissatisfactions, affective orientation, and diversion. (JMF)

Describes a computer simulation model developed to provide information on the number of terminals or readers needed in the advent of microfilm or computerized catalogs in libraries. Systems with two to 14 terminals are simulated, and decision variables include average patron waiting time, number of patrons lost, and average terminal utilization.…

Develops a probabilistic model of the usage of an awareness-maintaining mechanism in a collaborative hypertext database system. Studies longitudinal time series data of user-database interaction. Finds that the recurring patterns in the occurrences of the awareness-seeking event were related to several contextual aspects of the Computer Supported…

Extends connections between retrospective citation age studies and reliability theory by considering the failure rate function from reliability, re-interpreted as the age-specific citation rate (ASCR). This is linked to earlier studies of retrospective citation distributions by Egghe and Ravichandra Rao who introduced a function claimed to…

Describes the usability study that was designed at Hampshire College (Massachusetts) to see whether students were successfully using the library's Web site, particularly for reference services. Emphasizes the need for retesting and discusses results of the usability testing, including an increase in Web site hits and database searches. (LRW)

Discusses the concept of information scent in a Web site, which is based on mental associations between concepts. Describes research in the field of human-computer interaction, including how humans locate information and semantic networks; and discusses navigation success, user testing, good links, and facet-based browsing. (LRW)

Reports results from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) E-Metrics study to investigate issues associated with the usage statistics provided by database vendors. Considers standardization of key usage statistics and reporting format and validation of reported statistics; and offers recommendations for libraries and calls for continuous…