Reviews selected research studies with practical application to university library service models and offers suggestions for a research agenda supporting the advancement of strategic services. Discusses information-seeking behavior; user education, information literacy, and learning technologies; scholarly communication and the digital library;…

This study of state university libraries in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates provides information on library organization and analysis of collections, services, staffing, budgeting, expenditures, automation, and information technology. Suggests further research is needed in collections, services and…

Although Spanish interlibrary loans (ILL) have increased from 100 to 525 per 100,000 inhabitants, there are still many problems to resolve. Examines a plan developed by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) Library Network to improve ILL services. Provides a comparative analysis of ILL services from 1992-1995. Includes charts…

Analyzes 243 responses to a questionnaire sent to members of the American Theological Library Association to discern trends and patterns in theological librarianship: libraries represented; personal characteristics of respondents; employing library characteristics; academic status of librarians; salaries; degrees held by library staff; and…

Discussion of library use and user satisfaction focuses on two measures, one based on weighted data and the second based on factor analysis. These measures were studied for their interrelationship and were used to evaluate library services at the National University of Rwanda (Africa). (LRW)

Discusses results of a Web-based survey that was conducted to determine the extent to which Canadian public libraries are collecting multilingual materials, methods used to select materials, and whether public librarians are prepared to provide multilingual clientele with adequate materials and services. Examines constraints preventing public…

Analyzes and describes bilingual authority files at the main library of the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Highlights include a review of multilingual research; perceptions of end users and catalogers; problems with bilingual files; and use of the OPAC (online public access catalog) by users. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of changes in academic library instruction needed for teaching Internet access to electronic databases focuses on a study at the University of Connecticut that compared differences in effectiveness between an online, real-time hands-on class with an eclectic format that combined lecture and a hands-on component. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the influence of library catalog use studies on cataloging codes and practices focuses on a study of reference staff members at three Association of Research Libraries academic libraries that was conducted to determine their use of bibliographic record elements. Records in online catalogs and bibliographic utilities are examined, and…

Analyzes a sample of over 4,700 orders for library materials at the University of California, Berkeley, in terms of the probability that the material will arrive and the factors that determine arrival. Models to evaluate the book ordering process are presented, and variables that may affect arrival time are discussed. (six references) (Author/LRW)

Describes the activities of the federal government, state governments, and library associations in generating statistics on U.S. libraries, and discusses the problems that arise from a lack of coordination. Issues discussed include standardized definitions, scope and coverage, data collection and aggregation, data analysis and interpretation,…

Describes a program of Library Research Clinics developed at Northern Illinois University to teach bibliographic instruction (BI) to one or two students at a time as an alternative to teaching BI in large first-year English classes. Implementation of the clinics with educationally disadvantaged students and with honor students is reviewed.…

Describes a writing assignment for which high school students were to use the Internet to gather information as the basis for composing a piece of satire. Outlines some of the logistics of allowing students to research on the computer as opposed to the library--the problems and benefits--and describes student papers and experiences. (TB)

Updates a storage cost model for academic library collections by examining how changes in construction costs and circulation costs affect the choices of an alternative book storage strategy. Results show that the most economical alternative for a large range of construction and circulation cost alternatives is to convert existing ground space to…

Describes the incongruence between the service priorities of the public library community and the public. The results of a public poll on library roles (e.g., educational support, independent learning, preschool programs, community information, reference, and popular materials) and an analysis of public library data for 1992 are compared and…