Illinois public community colleges were surveyed in November 1976 to determine the current level of community college institutional research activity and to identify changes in the institutional research function over the previous three years. Results of the study showed: (1) statewide, 22 full-time and 13 part-time professionals and 20 full-time and 25 part-time paraprofessional and clerical support staff were employed in the institutional research (IR) area; (2) 56% of the 39 community college districts and 51% of the 51 campuses had established, operational IR offices; (3) at 27% of the campuses, the person responsible for IR devoted 75-100% of his time to that function, while at 53% of the campuses, less than 25% of the researcher's time was spent on that function; (4) IR officers typically reported to a president, chancellor, or a vice-president; (5) educational qualifications of IR personnel were found to be high, with the majority holding a master's or doctoral degree; and (6) a sizable number of IR personnel indicated interest in in-service training workshops for skill improvement. Eleven tables of data compare the results of the study with data from a similar study conducted in 1973. (JDS)