Describes how extended reference service is offered within the electronic environment at the University of Central Florida Library. Discusses how new technologies, specifically electronic discussion lists, facilitate reporting and program implementation within the library community as a whole. Summarizes underlying principles, alternative…

Describes a study of Ohio State University Libraries' net.TUTOR program that provides Web-based instruction on various aspects of using the Internet for research. Analyzes data extracted from 465 user-history logs to determine patterns of usage by course-affiliated users versus general users. (Author/LRW)

Public libraries emerged as educational institutions during the second half of the 19th century. Their aim was the intellectual and moral improvement of individuals and societies. After several decades it became evident that public libraries had failed as "people's universities." They came to acknowledge the provision of entertainment as…

The Bowling Green State University Web tutorial, FALCON, models a standard library instructional session on use of the library's Web-based catalog. The tutorial's self-containment, achieved with a complex system of files and without a live catalog connection, enables users to learn how to search the catalog at a pace, time and place of their…

Considers the role of library support for distance learning activities at the University of Surrey, with specific reference to master's programs in linguistics and in English language teaching management, whose students have no face-to-face contact with staff since most of them work overseas. Describes the distance learners' information service.…

Describes the Ohioview Research Consortium, composed of university libraries and government agencies, which was formed to promote the low-cost distribution of government civilian satellite data for public use. Discusses the strong leadership role that the university library component has been called upon to play. (LRW)

To facilitate research, an agreement was reached between Emporia State University's Library Services and the Biology Division to offer subsidized online searches. Explores the relationship and how the collaboration has evolved over the years. Outlines the instruction session now being offered, and discusses its effectiveness. (AEF)

To help library directors and Web developers create a benchmarking program to compare statistics of academic Web sites, the authors analyzed the Web server log files of 14 university science and engineering libraries. Recommends a centralized voluntary reporting structure coordinated by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and a method for…

Discusses the concept of a digital library and the utility of space/time referencing. Describes the unified space/time/keyword/format search and retrieval and indexing system of the ISLA (Information System for Los Angeles) at the University of Southern California. Focuses on the practical application of space/time referencing and methods of…

Research confirms that active learning techniques, like case studies, increase student participation and learning. This article provides an overview of case study methodology, discusses its appropriateness in library instruction, and presents two case studies used in a library instruction course at Murray State University (Murray, Kentucky).…

Includes eight articles that address issues related to library design and function in Australia. Highlights include renovations and redevelopments; public libraries' expansions for changing needs, including a youthspace; a joint-use university and public library; the new Australian War Memorial research center; and a new university library. (LRW)

This naturalistic study examined the role of nonverbal communication in the academic library. The decision to approach or not approach a reference librarian was studied through the use of Mehrabian's immediacy metaphor, and it was hypothesized that the nonverbal behavior of the librarian is related to the user's decision. Contains 53 references.…

Discusses the uses of micrographics in higher education, based on a 25-year period at Wake Forest University's (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Library. Discusses acquisition of scholarly collections in microform on a subscription plan; the trend away from microopaques to microfiche and the advent of the reader-printer; improved access to microform…

Academic clientele expect their library to select the best information and organize it effectively for their personal consumption. Some answers to a hierarchical approach are customization through a MyLibrary feature, a role-based vertical view, and a powerful search engine all built on a rich resource database. Each is discussed. (AEF)

Discusses the need for an intuitive library information gateway to meet users' information needs and describes the process involved in redesigning a library Web site based on experiences at Roger Williams University. Explains usability testing methods that were used to discover how users were interacting with the Web site interface. (Author/LRW)