Presents a rationale for the use of outcomes assessment and identifies three competing assessment perspectives that examine quality: looking at users from the perspective of the academic library; looking at libraries from the users' perspectives; and libraries in the life of the institution. Discusses information literacy, and differentiating…

Describes how the Oregon State University library used the recently published "ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education" as a framework for an initial self-study of instructional practices and for promoting the concept of information literacy. The survey used for…

Discussion of professional development opportunities for instruction librarians focuses on the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Institute for Information Literacy Immersion program. Describes experiences at the University of Massachusetts that resulted from librarians attending the program and reports results of a survey of…

Describes the Interactive Reference Assistance project developed at the University of Michigan to provide remote reference service for students in campus residence halls through the use of specialized software, desktop computers, and desktop cameras that allowed video and audio links directly to library reference staff. (LRW)

Describes the process of teaching professional development courses to academic faculty, staff, and graduate assistants at Emporia State University that focused on electronic resources. Illustrates the increase in total library instruction, favorable reactions of faculty, and enhanced image of the library, and considers the future of library…

Reviews efforts by academic research institutions to capture and preserve archival records of American labor institutions, focusing on a recent project to assess the state of labor archives efforts and the challenges facing union officials and labor archivists. Describes the Labor Archives Project (LAP), including the research methodology and…

Reports on an evaluation by the University of California at Berkeley Library of five vendors providing preservation microfilming services. Data are provided on technical criteria and cost. Other factors of vendor evaluation, including location, turnaround time, and communication, are also discussed. A list of questions used to gather background on…

Discussion of recent developments in personal workstations and software that make it possible to extend the utility of library systems presents the advantages of workstations as well as technical problems and potential solutions. Development of a simple prototype workstation environment at the University of Western Ontario is described. (16…

Describes the retrospective conversion of microform card files of serials and monographs at Pennsylvania State University. The discussion covers decisions made regarding microreproduction notes, series tracings, micro call numbers and holdings information, and analytics. Appendices provide examples of multiple versions of the same work on one…

Discussion of the cyclic nature of library use focuses on the use of spectral analysis to identify periods in library circulation series and pickup for shelving at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The theoretical context of time and frequency domains is presented. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of strategic planning in academic libraries focuses on Bowling Green State University's experience with the strategic planning process. A strategic planning model is explained; the development of goals, objectives, and priorities is discussed; planning for implementation is described; and the review and revision process is discussed.…

Describes the resources available to scholars in the library and information science collections of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Western Ontario. For each university, the description includes a history of the development of the school of library and information science as well as resources found in special…

The University of Northern Colorado has had a curriculum materials collection in its library since 1896. This early collection contained school furniture, books, pictures, apparatus and devices for class use, games, and toys. The collection has been maintained despite periods of neglect and today contains all the formats of an up-to-date…

Presents a functional organizational model for research libraries consisting of six major divisions and subunits: acquisition (buying, borrowing, leasing); organization (records creation, records maintenance); collections (collections management, selection, preservation, special collections and archives); interpretation (reference, instructional…

Recommends and describes assertive management techniques for dealing with conflicts or problems in libraries: (1) listening to understand problems; (2) stating expectations clearly; (3) focusing attention on the real issue; (4) explaining situational givens; (5) compromising/negotiating when possible; (6) being persistent and patient; (7) giving…