Discussion of the rising costs of academic library materials and their effects on collection development focuses on the social science collection. It is suggested that combining the numerical weights used by the Research Libraries Group Conspectus to evaluate subject collections with estimates of publication production and changes provides a…

Discussion of qualitative and quantitative research techniques highlights the use of focus group interviews and describes their use at Purdue University to determine student user perceptions of and attitudes toward the library system. The use of the interviews as a supplement to a questionnaire survey is discussed. (20 references) (LRW)

Discusses information needs of university administrators and committees, and describes the development of an information service provided by the Electronic Information Services (EIS) unit of the Indiana State University library. Highlights include staff reactions, a pilot test, marketing the service, cost effectiveness of CD-ROM use, and document…

Describes Chinese higher education and methods for developing bibliographic instruction in Chinese academic libraries. Issues discussed include cooperation between instructors and librarians, the development of teaching materials, barriers that may prevent growth in future user education programs, and possible solutions to those barriers. (11…

Reports results of a survey of research university and community college faculty regarding perceived quality, estimated price, price-quality relationship, selection criteria, and publishers' policies for textbooks. Implications for librarians of the lack of faculty awareness of textbook prices is discussed. (Six references) (MES)

Describes an orientation program that was developed at Northern Kentucky University to supplement the specific job training provided for student employees in the university libraries. Goals that include an increased knowledge of library operations and strengthened commitment to assigned work are discussed, and the program's effectiveness is…

Discusses the effects of copyright law and the ownership of intellectual ideas on scholarly publishing. The effectiveness of copyright law for scholarly and academic publishing is considered, university-based networks for scholarly publishing are described, and problems with and possibilities for electronic journals are examined. (31 references)…

Addresses misconceptions concerning CD-ROM technology. Topics discussed include changes in CD-ROMs and possible obsolescence; high-speed wide area networks, frequency of updates, and pricing; CD-ROM databases in academic libraries; local area networks; interfaces between CD-ROM drives and computers; CD-ROM speed; uses of CD-ROM; and write-once CD…

Summarizes the elements of the Cornell-Yale digitization model and shows how Michigan State University (MSU) has expanded the model, focusing on a project to digitize the American Radicalism Collection of the MSU Libraries. Issues of selection, quality, integrity, longevity, and access are discussed. Sidebars present MSU digitizing procedures,…

Discusses and analyzes information on personnel, gate count, and hours of operation in ARL (Association of Research Libraries) academic science and technology libraries for 1992-93. Data are then compared to similar data taken from the survey of academic health-sciences libraries, and potential comparisons with other library surveys are briefly…

Describes a project at Carnegie Mellon University libraries to convert the congressional papers of the late Senator John Heinz to digital format and to create an online system to search and retrieve these papers. Highlights include scanning, optical character recognition, and a search engine utilizing natural language processing. (Author/LRW)

Discusses whether to provide library instruction for undergraduate chemistry majors as a separate class or integrated into courses, particularly for those who receive a degree certified by the American Chemical Society. The authors suggest that a librarian coordinate course-integrated instruction throughout the undergraduate curriculum. (LRW)

Describes the four-step process of designing a library systems office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): (1) Collect Data: Why Create a Systems Office; (2) Organize and Present Preliminary Data: Educate and Involve Stakeholders; (3) Identify Actions: Write a Plan; and (4) Implement. Addresses the major problems encountered,…

Allocating adequate materials funds from the university operation budget is essential if libraries in China's key universities are to successfully support their learning and research communities. This article examines funding problems, and suggests proposals for change: establish a deducting-percentage system; enhance integrated resources…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine whether bibliographic instruction methods used in an academic library's computer classroom were effective. Teacher-education students were tested using pretests and posttests designed to determine their knowledge and skill in using library technology to obtain research information. The tests are…