A checklist evaluation on thirty-seven Women's Studies programs conducted using the individual institutions' online public access catalogs (OPACs) is presented. Although Women's Studies collections are very difficult to build, an evaluation of existing programs shows that collections, for the most part, have managed substantial coverage of the…

The author's first school librarian position was in her hometown elementary school where she had been a library aide in the fifth grade. The principal spelled out the problems with the situation she would be entering--the school library was the least favorite of the resources, many policies and procedures were antiquated, and the collection needed…

In 2008, we started by pulling a sample of 483 public libraries from across the country, using 2007 public library annual report data. Because small libraries have different needs and resources than larger libraries, we stratified the sample to make comparisons by size, according to the following population groups: fewer than 10,000 served;…

As one undergoes educational reform, there is a renewed emphasis on scientific inquiry as a key component of the curriculum. Likewise, school librarians center instruction upon an "inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects" (AASL 2007, 3). A great deal of congruency exists between scientific inquiry and the information…

Reading is often thought of as a skill, something to be learned and practiced. But reading can also be considered a creative art, capturing the imagination of the reader in ways that result in creative thought and expression. School librarians have a unique opportunity not only to support classroom-based reading skill building but also to serve as…

School librarians play numerous roles throughout a day. They are information specialists who keep up with the constant changes in information and technology. It is important for them to keep students up-to-date and teach them to use technology properly. Gaming and technology are both important concepts for 21st-century school librarians to…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to report findings on the perceptions of quality of educational facilities in Kenyan public universities, and the implications for teaching/learning, and the learning environment. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted an exploratory descriptive design. A total of 332 and 107 undergraduate students…

What do Google Maps and a library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) have in common? Google Maps provides users with all the information they need for a trip in one place; users can get directions and find out what attractions, hotels, and restaurants are close by. Librarians must find the ultimate OPAC that will provide, in one place, all the…

While trying to access microform content, patrons at the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources at Valparaiso University were often hampered by unfamiliar equipment, temperamental software, and a puzzling file management system. In an effort to address these problems, the Access Services Department launched a pilot program for…

A library should be a free place where people can access and share information. Many school libraries have such strict access to Internet resources that patrons are blocked even from many educational sites. Restrictions do need to be in place to protect students from online predators and inappropriate content, but access needs to be carefully…

In this article, the author reports on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference which occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 29-April 2, 2011. There were numerous panel sessions to choose from, and the author attended "Fostering Library as Place for Distance Students: Best Practices from Two…

This article describes how York University analyzed the results from its 2010-11 implementation of the Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services for Libraries survey to measure value of investments in e-resources. The results were assessed through two variables: e-resources used by faculty when carrying out funded and non-funded…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to verify and estimate the impact of the antecedents of Programme satisfaction and to explore its link with student loyalty in the higher education (HE) sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach: A Programme Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) was developed, based on the National Student…

Quality in distance higher education is one of the main concerns among institutions today. This study sought to explore students' experiences with quality tutorials in ZOU an open and distance education institution. The study employed the descriptive survey design and generated both quantitative and qualitative data using a questionnaire with both…

For nearly two decades, librarians have been noting and writing about transformational change in collection development and subsequently predicting future directions for libraries in terms of building digital collections. This paradigm shift caused by the incorporation of more and more electronic resources into existing library collections and…