This study examines the role of the user study as a management tool in academic libraries and proposes a task-oriented survey method to estimate the library clientele's need for documents. Research on work and task-oriented information studies is discussed and applied to the development of a survey instrument. A case study employing the task-oriented survey instrument is presented in the second half of the paper. Sixteen members of the faculty of the Department of Special Education at California State University, Northridge, responded to the survey questions in an interview or through campus mail. Forty courses and 824 students were represented in the faculty responses. Based on an expected need formula, it was estimated that the students would need more than 8,517 document exposures to successfully complete their assignments. The study includes three appendices: (1) Outline of Academic Library Services, (2) Department of Special Education Programs, and (3) the survey instrument. There is a 36-item bibliography. (Author/RAA)