UCLA, which has one of the top 10 research libraries in the country, has been using Taos software since 1996. However in 2001, Sirsi Corp. announced that it was freezing development on Taos software. As the associate university librarian for information technology at UCLA, the author relates that it was his responsibility to lead the way through…

Information literacy has been a subject of interest for academic librarians for nearly thirty years, however special librarians have written comparatively little on the topic of information literacy in the workplace. It is an important issue as it provides an opportunity for special librarians to enhance their role in their organisation. This…

This report marks the second release of library statistics data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2007. The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative…

Given the many changes in our students and their study and research practices, libraries are finding it necessary to seek new ways to reach these students. The Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created a new model to do so. Librarian's Office Hours are a hybrid of reference and instructional services that…

Library patrons familiar with Web searching conventions often find library searching to be less familiar and even intimidating. This article describes and evaluates a series of usability research studies employing two different and popular methodologies: user-centered redesign and usability testing. Card sorting and affinity mapping were used to…

In 2004, Sampson-Livermore Library at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, began circulating laptops to its patrons. After a small pilot project, full-scale implementation occurred and the service proved to be very popular. Policies and procedures were adjusted at several steps along the way to accommodate lessons learned from the…

In the early 1990s, numerous academic libraries adopted the web as a communication tool with users. The literature on academic library websites includes research on both design and navigation. Early studies typically focused on design characteristics, since websites initially merely provided information on the services and collections available in…

To assess their knowledge, use, and attitudes regarding peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, this study surveyed academic librarians (n = 162) via a mail-in survey. Correlations between the sample characteristics (age, gender, year of MLS, type of library job) and P2P knowledge, use, and attitudes were also explored. Overall, academic librarians…

This article highlights various literature covering a broad range of topics that are of interest to public services librarians, from collections and user services to one's own research and professional development. Although addressing many topics, these authors have all used or advocate for solid research methods and data analysis in their works,…

This guide, quite specific to one institution, was developed as a companion document to the University of Alabama Libraries Tenure Document. It interprets and supplements the University of Alabama "Faculty Handbook" requirements for promotion. Some of the differences in performance and effectiveness between regular teaching faculty and…

The reference interview is a critical function of reference work; what a librarian says and does can either build a relationship of trust and satisfaction with patrons, or serve to distance them from librarians. This pilot study examined the attitudes of academic and public librarians toward the reference interview. Librarians from Kent State…

The problem of food and drink in libraries and the potential damage to library materials that may occur have always been troublesome issues. Most attempts to totally eliminate food and drink have produced mixed results at best and libraries have expended precious staff time trying to enforce such rules. The food and drink issue is particularly…

This publication consists of a set of case studies of quality assurance practices in distance teaching universities. The case studies are particularly relevant at a time when universities in many parts of the world, both new and established distance teaching universities, are placing great emphasis on reviewing and revising what they do in…

The prospect of resolving a library's space and utilization problems through expansion and renovation carries with it the question of how to maintain operations during construction. Few libraries, especially those in the academic world, can afford to close their doors for very long, even though the prospect of maintaining ongoing operations amid…

The Zanesville Campus Library serves the students and staff of Ohio University-Zanesville (OUZ), the Muskingum Area Technical College (MATC), and the local community. A library use survey was conducted to answer the following questions: (1) How many patrons are using the library and at what times? (2) What percentage of patrons were affiliated…