Texas A&M University Libraries has been testing virtual reference services since February 2004, but during the fall semester 2005, the Libraries began implementing and actively promoting the services to various target groups. Distance education students were identified as a primary target group for virtual reference services, and as of the…

The results of an extensive survey of the senior academic staff of the Israeli universities on their use of electronic journals and databases are presented. The major findings are that the use of electronic sources is already widespread among the respondents and more than 50% found the electronic services indispensable. Disparities were found…

Results from two multiple regression models involving HighWire journal subscriptions in 2003 for 16 participating universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden indicate a highly predictive relationship between the number of article downloads and the number of users--meaning that the size of a user population can be estimated by…

An increasing number of academic and research libraries have built high-density shelving facilities to address overcrowding conditions in their regular stacks. However, the work performed in these facilities is physically strenuous and highly repetitive in nature and may require the use of potentially dangerous equipment. This article will examine…

This paper discusses the complex nature of transformational change required to achieve a learning culture. Peer mentoring will be discussed as an example of a learning process that is in harmony with the values-based transformational leadership and change process, the professional values of librarianship, and the democratic nature of a learning…

Roy J. Stewart made two very significant contributions to Deaf America. He was a key member of a Gallaudet alumni committee (along with Harley D. Drake, class of 1904, and Frederick H. Hughes, class of 1913) that raised seed money for the construction of the Edward Miner Gallaudet Memorial Library, which was influential in Gallaudet's attaining…

When the author saw the job ad for Metropolitan State University, she thought she had found a new way to be a librarian. In her new position, frustration and occasional terror sometimes grip her: when she's teaching, or speaking in front of other faculty members, or trying to figure out how to be a "professional." In other words, her…

While preparing to migrate from Innovative Interfaces' text-based serials module to its new Millennium Serials product, the author, a manager of technical services operations in a small academic library, found herself faced with a number of decisions regarding how to store holdings information. Holdings data is information about individual items…

Although academic libraries have a long tradition of program assessment, in the past the results have been more meaningful internally than externally. Recent changes in the conceptualization of libraries' role in higher education and advances in measurement tools will likely provide answers to different questions, particularly the relationship of…

Supporting the information needs of researchers adequately is a major challenge for university libraries. This paper outlines results of a survey of 23 researchers conducted by Deakin University Library into their information needs and perceptions of the library's role and performance. The survey challenged established ideas about researchers'…

This article discusses what the growing generation gap among library employees mean for academic research libraries and for the profession. Viewed collectively, the members of the under-35 cohort are a harbinger of a new kind of academic library professional, one whose traits bear directly on the ability of libraries to thrive amid the continuing…

As academic libraries move toward the electronic frontier for their serial subscriptions, there are several issues to be considered. This paper intends to outline the advantages and disadvantages with respect to electronic and paper serials, address selection criteria, and describe our practice in coping with these issues at the Leddy Library of…

Electronic performance support system (EPSS) technology provides a powerful mechanism for helping end-users operate complex systems. This article describes and discusses some research we have undertaken to explore their potential within academic library systems. Based on a needs analysis, an EPSS for supporting library users was designed and…

Academic librarians are challenged with development and maintenance of collections of research materials in various formats. Although it is assumed that they are monitoring the needs of their constituencies as a part of the collection management decision-making process, the literature reflects only a few studies that focus on direct solicitation…

To gather information on effective library signage, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) distributed a survey to its 119 member libraries in fall 1994. Eighty libraries completed the survey. Responses overwhelmingly show the tremendous variety in the way libraries manage signs. Sixty percent of responding libraries report that their…