E-Problems,E-Solutions

Summary

Problem patrons are not a phenomenon exclusive to the public library arena. Academic libraries have throughout time had their own share of difficult patrons. This article focuses on problem patrons and reference staff in the academic library with a particular focus on electronic equipment and resources, particularly the Internet. Issues include viewing of pornographic images by patrons, plagiarism and the librarian's role, use of e-mail and chat, and cell phone use in the reference area.     

Managing the Use of Cellular Phones in a Small College Learning Resource Centre

Summary

Seventy-five per cent of young people in Britain own a cell phone. In a survey of sixth form college (small college) Learning Resource Centres (LRCs), cell phone usage occurred regularly and was occasionally a serious problem. LRC Managers need to decide whether to ban cell phone usage or not. Disruptive behaviour in libraries is defined as any behaviour that disturbs other users. Using this criterion, cell phone use should be banned in the LRC. Policies on cell phone use need to be clearly displayed and enforced tactfully and consistently. College management support will increase the effectiveness of any ban.     

Library Web Pages and Policies Toward “Outsiders”

Abstract

The article reports the results of a visual survey of library Web sites conducted over a seven-month period in 2000. Included in the survey were 100 ARL libraries in public and private universities in the United States. The author sought information about the libraries' policies regarding access to services and resources for unaffiliated users-library users who are not students, faculty, or staff of a library's parent institution. The author focused on four areas: entrance to the building, circulation policies, interlibrary loan service, and the use of proprietary databases. The author also looked for mention of services to unaffiliated users in library mission statements and the costs for use of services or resources. As expected, the variation among library Web sites was great, in terms of the amount of information provided, the level of access to services and resources, and the cost for access. No attempt was made to confirm the information by direct correspondence with staff at the libraries, in part because the intent was to determine only what one could learn from a library's Web site.     

Who Will They Think We Were? Public Libraries and Records Retention Practices in Six Midwestern States

ABSTRACT

This research project investigates public records retention policies incorporated into practice in public libraries in the upper Midwest. The authors compared behaviors mandated by state legislation to practices in place based on a survey of public library administrators in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana. The intent was not to determine actual compliance, but to elicit information about practices. While variables such as definitions of terms and standards of policies affect the interpretations of the results, the findings highlight that public librarians have an awareness about retention policies, though they vary from institution to institution. Within this article, the authors discuss these records management practices in relation to their value in the development of institutional and professional history.     

A Look at Circulation Statistics

ABSTRACT

Nearly all academic libraries keep circulation statistics which are often shared with their parent university, library consortia, and national organizations. This study attempted to discover what goes into circulation statistics by surveying Southeastern research libraries. Libraries were asked what they count in their circulation statistics and what their circulation policies are to identify differences across libraries. The results of the survey indicate that there is no set formula for counting circulation statistics.     

Jim and Alison Do User Education

Summary

The authors use English 101, their primary program, as a springboard for a discussion of teaching as a library function. Both view the one-hour presentation that is commonly done in libraries as grossly inadequate; they offer solutions that are working at Washington State University Libraries. These include cultivating better relations with departments in order to increase the time spent for library instruction, understanding different pedagogy styles and departmental cultures, creating Web modules to reach more students, and focusing attention specifically on one clientele, i.e., freshmen.     

Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual. Tucker,Virginia, and Lampson,Marc

Abstract

In an effort toward establishing a standard for academic library hours, this article surveys and compares hours of operation and service for ARL libraries and IPEDS survey respondents. The article ranks the ARL libraries according to hours of operation and reference hours and then briefly discusses such issues as libraries offering twenty-four hour access and factors affecting service hour decisions.     

E-Mail Reference Evaluation

Abstract

E-mail reference has been utilized as a reference tool in academic libraries since the early 1980s. Today it is one of the most common media for providing digital reference service. An important aspect of providing any service is evaluating users' satisfaction levels with that service. Users of the Ask-A-Librarian e-mail reference service at a large academic library over a ten-month period voluntarily completed a seven item web-based questionnaire. The results indicated that the majority of respondents were satisfied with Ask-A-Librarian overall. This paper discusses how the library used the survey results to improve the existing service, and to implement a new one-chat reference. Reference service providers should not only ask users for feedback on existing services, but also should include them in the planning and design phase of new services. In doing so, they demonstrate their commitment to providing adequate and appropriate services to their patron community, and ultimately can save their institutions time and expense.     

Accessibility of Psychology and Education Test Kits

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, education and social science librarians began to gather information about libraries' management of test collections. This article looks at the circulation loan patterns represented in past research and compares it to results of a survey conducted by the authors. The survey also determined whether libraries are modifying their policies to provide broader access to psycho-educational test kits for distance education students. Circulation loan patterns reported in past studies are compared with current survey results to determine whether libraries modify their policies to improve access to psycho-educational test kits for online and distance education students. The survey looks at ownership and responsibility of test kits, authorizing access and in-house and unrestricted circulation policies.     

Human resource challenges for public libraries: survey results

ABSTRACT

This essay presents the major findings from a survey about human resource management in public libraries. The survey was conducted in October 2016 via the Internet. The participants were librarians with human resource management experience employed by public libraries in the United States. The majority of the participants responded that human resource management was challenging to some degree. While a majority were able to solve their human resource problems successfully, a majority of the respondents believed that the human resource curriculum for library science programs was inadequate.     

Videodisc technology trends in academic health sciences libraries

This paper describes a national survey designed to determine trends in videodisc use, development, and production in academic health sciences libraries throughout North America. In the winter of 1989, 131 four-page survey instruments went to library directors in academic health sciences institutions. Of these, 63 (48%) survey forms were completed and returned. Survey results indicated a wide range of videodisc technology use and development and a growing production of both Level I and Level III videodiscs within academic health sciences libraries. Videodisc technology delivery for student use was centralized within many medical libraries, although videodisc development was not centralized within academic health sciences centers. Most libraries (67%) have purchased videodisc technology and over one fourth (28%) are repurposing a videodisc within their institution. Over one fourth (25%) of respondents have already begun to develop their own videodisc software, and almost one fourth (24%) of respondents have a Level III videodisc in production. Clearly the use and development of videodisc technology for biomedical instruction is expanding within academic health sciences libraries.     

Tools of Academic Library Assessment: the User Survey

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries are taking a closer look at how well they are serving the needs of their users. As a result assessment activities become more important. In this column, the authors will focus on and describe one major tool of assessment—the user survey.     

Assessing Determinants of Perceived Ease of Use of Institutional Repositories by Lecturers in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

Institutional repositories (IRs) present platform to disseminate research findings to complement the traditional scholarly communication model. The use of IRs is beneficial to authors, host institutions, libraries and society at large. Despite the numerous benefits of IRs, there is low deposit of scholarly works by lecturers and the investment on IRs seems to be a waste. This study examined determinants of perceived ease of use (PEOU) of IRs by lecturers in Nigerian universities. A survey of lecturers received 857 respondents. Awareness, anchor and adjustment factors were found to be determinants of PEOU of Institutional repositories by lecturers in Nigerian Universities.     

Opening a Library 24 Hours

Abstract

A current discussion topic among academic librarians is opening the library 24/7. Concern frequently focuses on whether the patrons per hour justify this use of resources. In other words, “If we open the library, will the users come?” In response to student demand for 24/7, researchers at the University of Oklahoma conducted a pilot study of late-night use at the main library. More than 80 percent of the respondents reported they were satisfied with the current hours. Seventy-four percent indicated their primary reason for coming to the library was to study. The preliminary results will be useful in designing follow-up studies. As a result of the pilot survey at Bizzell Memorial Library (the main library), the University Libraries administration has determined that extending hours to 24/7 will only be offered during finals week.     

Charging for library and information services in medical libraries: a review of the literature and a survey of current practice*

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我国不同区域民众利用公共图书馆状况调查研究

就公共图书馆服务的利用情况对全国24个省份的城乡民众进行问卷调查,从不同区域民众利用公共图书馆的比率、对图书馆位置的了解情况、不经常利用图书馆的原因、公共图书馆存在的竞争优势等方面进行统计分析。结果表明,被调查者中经常利用（每月或每周都用）图书馆的人数占18.1%;“知道也去过”图书馆的人数占44.7%;有时间但不经常利用图书馆的3个主要原因为：附近没有、书籍少且更新不及时和缺乏宣传而不了解;认为公共图书馆吸引人的地方是有丰富的信息资源、免费的服务和环境优雅。最后归纳民众针对图书馆建设、馆藏与组织、服务、活动与讲座及宣传方面所提出的宝贵建议。     

Where the private meets the public: Results of a survey of library professionals’ observed student use of academic library spaces for prayer

Abstract

Reports of college students using the library for spiritual practices, including prayer and meditation, consist mainly of anecdotal observations, news stories, or press releases about the creation of such spaces within academic libraries. Driven by their own experiences with students using library spaces for prayer, the authors examined how prevalent this was across US academic institutions. Using a large-scale national survey, this study found library professionals observe a wide range of student prayer behavior in a variety of library spaces, regardless of institutional or campus demographics. The results provide academic libraries with evidence to support accommodating students’ spiritual needs in library spaces.     

Piloting a long-term evaluation of library data workshops

Background:Over four years of hosting library data workshops, we conducted post-workshop evaluation of attendees'' satisfaction with the workshops but not longer-term follow-up. To best allocate library resources and most effectively serve the needs of our users, we sought to determine whether our data workshops were impactful and useful to our community. This paper describes a pilot project to evaluate the impact of data workshops at our academic health sciences library.Case Presentation:We surveyed individuals who signed up for data workshops between 2016 and 2019. Surveys included open-ended and multiple-choice questions, with the goal of having participants describe their motivations for taking the workshop(s) and how they ultimately used what they learned. An analysis of responses using the Applied Thematic Analysis model indicated that the workshops had an impact on the respondents, although the strength of our conclusions is limited by a relatively low response rate.Conclusions:Survey results indicated that our workshops impacted how researchers at our medical center collect and analyze data, supporting the conclusion that we should concentrate our educational efforts on providing skills-based workshops. The low response rate and time-consuming nature of the analysis point toward several improvements for future evaluation efforts, including better tracking of workshop attendees, a shorter survey with fewer open-ended questions, and survey implementation within one year of the workshop date.     

Graduate LIS Students' Attitude Toward University Libraries and Personnel

This is an attitudinal survey that profiles Kuwait University Library and Information Science (KULIS) students' attitudes concerning Kuwait University's (KU's) libraries. It uses the phenomenological approach to analyze respondents' data regarding confidence in their skills and the effect on attitude toward KU's resources. It furthermore explores the attitudes of KU staff and the level of assistance offered to KULIS students. The results show that most of the respondents visited the library to access electronic resources. Some respondents disagreed that the staff had treated the KULIS suspiciously, yet a majority disagreed that the KU library staff was professionally trained to help KULIS students. Several respondents strongly agreed that they were confident in their searching skills. The results of the survey are used to recommend curriculum changes and ways to improve library and other academic support services at academic institutions generally.     

Anything,Anywhere, Anytime: The Promise of the ANimated Tutorial Sharing Project for Online and Mobile Information Literacy

ABSTRACT

Reaching and teaching users in the diffuse, multigadget, online/mobile world is a significant challenge facing libraries. This article discusses how the ANimated Tutorial Sharing Project (ANTS) production model provides libraries with a sustainable approach to building large numbers of multimedia learning objects that are useful beyond one library. It will also discuss how ANTS file conversion and syndication efforts mean that these learning objects (1) can be made highly visible to users accessing content via a computer or smart phone and (2) enable libraries to establish a meaningful electronic presence for the purpose of providing point-of-need information literacy.