Reviews the use of microfilm as an acquisitions and preservation tool in academic libraries, and discusses how this use has fallen short of predictions that microfilm would revolutionize research methodology and scholarly productivity. This history is used to provide cautionary guidance in approaching the era of electronic documentation. (35…

Describes two use studies of the microforms collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one conducted in 1982 and the other in 1987. Collection profiles are presented, use study methodology is discussed, and results of the two studies are analyzed and compared. (Five references) (LRW)

Describes how principles of learning theory can be applied to bibliographic instruction to increase its efficacy and broaden its scope. The discussion covers conditions of learning, including motivation, active responding, and reinforcement; learning of information seeking behaviors, including the power of reinforcement and librarian-initiated…

Discusses topics related to use of search trees to enhance subject searching in online catalogs: subject searching in existing systems; search trees defined; highlights of a study of subject queries; normalized subject headings; the exact approach to subject searching; one-word queries; multiword queries; queries failing to produce retrievals; and…

Describes a user survey of document delivery in academic settings that used a conjoint analysis approach. Results of interviews with faculty members and graduate students that investigated preferences for library interlibrary loan services versus commercial document delivery services and the effects of cost and speed of delivery are discussed.…

Describes cataloging the Slavery Pamphlets Collection microforms set at the University of Southern Mississippi, a collection of 2,348 titles concerning slavery or published by religious societies publishing anti-slavery materials. Highlights participation in the OCLC Major Microforms Project, procedures, title search, review of records and pieces,…

Describes how the Nashville State Tech Library has added Internet resource links to its home page and online catalog. Highlights include original cataloging for Web sites, selection and cataloging criteria, problems encountered, and faculty attitudes and input. (LRW)

Examines ways in which instructors and teaching professionals might work with students in guiding their research to establish good practices in citing and using resources from the World Wide Web. Discusses active learning, experiences at Bucknell University, and using traditional library resources. A final project assignment is appended.…

Describes a study of gender and race data for 86 academic libraries in eight NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I conferences. Results show an increase in white women as deans, whereas women and men of color continue to have a small presence in top library management. (Author/LRW)

This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by "Alternative Press Index" to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. Results by subject clusters show low holdings rates. The impact on scholars, students, and library collections is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Examines how faculty at Texas A&M University perceived a library liaison program. Discusses what faculty thought were important library services, whether they saw improvement resulting from the program, whether the subject background of the liaison librarian was indispensable, faculty support for the program, and faculty opinions about the…

Evaluates the Role Repertory Grid Procedure, a technique derived from personal construct theory, for its practicality and validity as a way of gathering patron perceptions about the effectiveness and efficiency of academic library space. Concludes that further research regarding validity and reliability is needed. (Author/LRW)

Explores college and university students' perceptions of the Internet and Internet resources; their criteria for evaluating information gathered from the Internet; views about the role of the library, librarians and traditional library resources in relation to the Internet; and how faculty perceptions of the Internet compare with student…

Describes the card sort technique that was used by Cornell University to help determine how users would organize a set of concepts to be included in an online digital library help system. Presents Cornell's experiences as a case study with detailed instructions for conducting and evaluating the card sort technique. (Contains 13 references.)…

Discussion of mergers in China between individual colleges and universities and much larger universities that have been a part of China's higher education reform focuses on the influence on academic libraries. Topics include collections; acquisitions; staffing; services; funding; resource sharing; library administration; online cataloging systems;…