Examines the foundations of academic librarianship in terms of the ends and means of library services, recognition of the difference between them, exploration of the quality of library services, and development and refinement of descriptions of these concerns. The impact of information technologies on these areas is discussed. (17 references) (CLB)

This study examined the effect of the availability of an academic online catalog on the use of academic libraries by college-bound high school seniors to determine: (1) degree of academic library use in connection with research projects; (2) use of the catalog to search for library materials; and (3) the nature of library materials used. (12…

The first of two articles discusses the advantages of online subject searching, the recall and precision tradeoff, and possible future developments in electronic searching. The second reviews the experiences of academic libraries that offer online searching of bibliographic, full text, and statistical databases in addition to online catalogs. (CLB)

Discusses the use of commercial time sharing systems (BRS, DIALOG, and Dow Jones) by business administration students at the Wharton School, and describes a survey of alumni that examined their use of these systems after graduation. Possible reasons for the low correlation found between use of an online system in school and after graduation are…

Argues that, if libraries are to maintain their role in learning and research, they need to shift their focus from documents to content and from collection to individuals. Topics discussed include library concerns in 1939, services made possible by technology, and the necessity to implement information management strategies on campus. (22…

Describes the situation at the Texas A and M University Library that led to the decision to provide demonstrations of CD-ROM databases outside of the library setting. The equipment requirements, microcomputer selection, and use of large screen projectors are discussed, and guidelines are provided for organizing a transportable demonstration…

Describes the use of fixed point analysis procedures at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals to determine as narrow a range as possible of interlibrary loan turnaround times in science and engineering subjects. The findings are discussed in terms of the complexity of interlibrary loan factors and items determined as relevant for further…

Describes a survey of reference-bibliographers at 21 medium sized academic libraries that examined workload in terms of daily activities, committee work, and publication responsibilities. The need for further research to determine the impact of reference-bibliographer workload on the quality of library services is emphasized. The questionnaire…

Describes an electronic bulletin board called LIBRARY that was developed at Carnegie Mellon University to display the tables of contents of scholarly journals and timely postings of new monographs in the fields of computer science and robotics. Areas discussed include preparation involved in beginning the service, management and upkeep, feedback…

Reviews literature on marketing techniques for public, academic, special, and school libraries from 1982 to the present. Results of a survey of librarians in Indiana and Illinois on marketing techniques are included, and a 114-item annotated bibliography is presented. (LRW)

Describes two CD-ROM reference systems and the reactions of undergraduate students, faculty, and librarians to these systems. The discussion covers criteria that influenced users' reactions (e.g. ease of use, expertise in Boolean logic, database currency, and multidisciplinary characteristics of databases) and conclusions about appropriate systems…

Reference materials used by librarians responding to reference requests and by patrons at the Iowa State University Library were analyzed to determine which subject areas of the collection received greatest use, and whether subject areas and types of materials used by librarians differed from those used by patrons. (19 references) (MES)

Reports the results of a study comparing the performance of commercial document suppliers with the performance of traditional interlibrary loan. The discussion covers comparisons of speed, cost, the effect of publication characteristics on speed and cost, and success rates, as well as implications of the findings for interlibrary loan services.…

Describes a study conducted by Northwest Missouri State University's library to determine which (if either) of two methods of reinforcing library orientation instruction elicited greater retention of information among freshman seminar students. A word find exercise completed by students individually and a Jeopardy-style game led by a librarian are…

Discusses protection of intellectual property and the fair use of information from the academic library perspective. Comments on several factors related to intellectual property: politics, economic and cultural contexts, time constraints, and software and online systems. Suggests developing new laws for online environments. (AEF)