Presents a history of academic library instruction and the role of the librarian as educator. Topics include teaching in the library versus teaching in the classroom, the role of new information technologies, and criticism of academic librarians as classroom teachers. (Contains 102 references.) (LRW)

Traditional measures of quality are no longer adequate to reflect library excellence and impact. Analysis of an Association for Research Libraries data set showed that there was a relationship between the ARL Index and services; between the number of undergraduate students and services; and between instructional presentations and operating…

Sophistication and accessibility can be dangerous bedfellows, especially when it comes to information sources. One of the real challenges in undergraduate academic libraries can be connecting students in a meaningful way to the resources that will be most helpful and understandable for them. This article discusses how techniques borrowed from the…

This paper examines how future metadata capabilities could enable academic libraries to exploit information on the emerging Semantic Web in their library catalogues. Whereas current metadata architectures treat the Web as a simple means of interchanging bibliographic data that have been created by libraries, this paper suggests that academic…

This article presents a case study of the collaboration between the Business Career Services Office (BCSO) and the Business and Economics Library (BEL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The collaboration with BCSO helped BEL to become a strategic partner to both the College of Business and to graduate Business students. A survey…

This study investigates the satisfaction of library users at Wayne State University who utilize alternative information access methods. The LibQUAL+[TM] desired and perceived that satisfaction ratings are used to determine the user's "superiority gap." By focusing limited library resources to address "superiority gap" issues identified by each…

The author investigates issues faced by academic research libraries in providing virtual reference services to unaffiliated users. These libraries generally welcome visitors who use on-site collections and reference services, but are these altruistic policies feasible in a virtual environment? This paper reviews the use of virtual reference…

Reference interactions with patrons in a digital library environment using digital reference services (DRS) has become widespread. However, such services in many libraries appear to be underutilized. A study surveying the ease and convenience of such services for patrons in over 100 academic health science library Web sites suggests that…

Online course syllabi provide a convenient source of information about library use. This article discusses the strategies used to retrieve syllabi, analyze library use, and develop new opportunities to collaborate with faculty. A new Web-based service was developed to pull course- and library-related materials into a convenient package.

This article argues that developing technologies have resulted in rapid and fundamental changes in the way libraries conduct business. It is argued that, in light of these changes, academic librarians need to reconfigure the way their time and resources are allocated in order to assist users in making the most effective use of networked…

Successful models of statewide library consortia are evident in many locations. Academic libraries in independent institutions of higher education in Mississippi must seek alternate affiliations since they do not participate in the MAGNOLIA consortium for public institutions. What does the future hold, especially for database licensing for…

Academic libraries segregate their personnel into professional and supportive categories almost exclusively on the basis of the American Library Association's (ALA) accredited master's degree. This article surveys the professional discourses of academic librarians and adopts a critical theory methodology to critique this practice. The authors…

UCLA, which has one of the top 10 research libraries in the country, has been using Taos software since 1996. However in 2001, Sirsi Corp. announced that it was freezing development on Taos software. As the associate university librarian for information technology at UCLA, the author relates that it was his responsibility to lead the way through…

Information literacy has been a subject of interest for academic librarians for nearly thirty years, however special librarians have written comparatively little on the topic of information literacy in the workplace. It is an important issue as it provides an opportunity for special librarians to enhance their role in their organisation. This…

In 2004, Sampson-Livermore Library at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, began circulating laptops to its patrons. After a small pilot project, full-scale implementation occurred and the service proved to be very popular. Policies and procedures were adjusted at several steps along the way to accommodate lessons learned from the…