Academic library managers need a multimethod, objective, valid tool for measuring service quality. Examines three research studies in the measurement of service quality in Australian and New Zealand academic libraries: the Hernon and Altman Study; Hernon and Calvert Study; and the University of Waikato (Hamilton, New Zealand) Survey, a two-stage…

Many libraries have noise problems that can't be fixed with ceiling and carpet treatments, physical arrangement, or sound barriers. This study at Henderson Community College (Henderson KY) attempted to confirm results from an earlier study suggesting that reducing light levels led to reduced noise. The data showed mixed results, but overall the…

Provides a list of political Internet resources that have proved to be valuable for reference in academic and public libraries. Highlights include political parties; campaigns, candidates, and election results; campaign finance; political news; incumbent voting; and interest groups and issues. (AEF)

In 1990, George Mason University (Virginia) proposed building a combined library/student center. Examines the processes, policies, and procedures used to develop a new library collection combining multiculturalism, diversity, and core texts. Discusses the collection development plan, strategies, and policy; faculty involvement; key series and sets…

Explores the different perceptions of community college and four-year institution library professionals toward bibliographic instruction (BI) for transfer students based on a SUNY (State University of New York) study. Topics include a literature review, the use of a written survey and interviews, and differences in instructional design and faculty…

A study of criteria used by academic library directors to evaluate monographs and journal articles for tenure and initial promotion determined the four most important criteria for monographs (solicited external assessments, awards, reviews, and solicited internal assessments) and for journal articles (appearance in referred journals, nature of the…

When the Higher Education Library Information Network of Rhode Island transferred members' bibliographic data into a shared online public access catalog (OPAC), 10% of the University of Rhode Island's monograph records were missing. This article describes the consortium's attempts to retrieve records from the database and the effectiveness of…

The application of business skills and practices to the operation of academic libraries is becoming popular. Management skills will be useful as increased information production and technological complexity are being offset by shortages in resources and labor. To avoid conflict, managers must focus on teamwork, quality, customer service,…

Academic libraries must change in response to developments in higher education, information and telecommunications technology, and scholarly communication or risk becoming marginalized. Describes why revolutionary and not evolutionary organizational change is necessary; identifies organizational elements, assumptions, and approaches that need to…

To determine if users of the library at Auburn University (Alabama) used the cross-references provided by the series title authority file in online catalog searches, this study performed a transaction log analysis of 2,793 searches and found that cross-references are used. The number of redirects rose as the number of cross-references in the…

Describes various projects being undertaken by academic libraries to provide information in digital form. Highlights include the Library of Congress's program; access via the Internet; software programs; cooperative library projects; possibilities of financial support from the private sector; technical problems; and copyright issues. (LRW)

Describes the IMPEL (Impact on People of Electronic Libraries) project that investigated the social, organizational, and cultural impacts of the increasingly electronic environment experienced in academic library and information services in the United Kingdom. Topics include librarians' perceptions of their role and future role; subject…

Addresses issues of access and policy in developing Web-based interactive reference services via academic library home pages. Discusses results of a national survey that showed that less than half of surveyed institutions use Web-based interactive reference as an extension of traditional reference services. Tables include findings. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the role of academic libraries as campus meeting centers, highlighting the distinction between changing functional requirements that are addressed with space programming and the social and emotional needs of a community that are realized through the design of place. Offers examples of design ideas and recommendations for librarians and…

Describes changes in the undergraduate library at the University of Washington that resulted in combining the reference and computer support desks into one service desk. Discusses benefits and drawbacks to the new service and considers training, communication, the librarians' changing work environment, and expanded services. (Author/LRW)