International staff exchanges for academic libraries

Internationalization is a major concern for many universities, and library faculty exchanges have increased in importance for the participants and their academic communities. This article reports on a survey of academic library directors and exchange participants from both the United Kingdom/Ireland and the United States/Canada.     

Developing language and literature collections in academic libraries: A survey

Reports a 1995 survey of Wisconsin academic libraries regarding collection development practices in the subjects of languages and literature. In general, libraries rely heavily on faculty selections and course- relatedness, buying almost exclusively current English language material. An analysis of OCLC holdings indicates that Choice's 1993 “Outstanding Academic Books” are not widely held, confirming the survey results showing an emphasis on local demand over presumed quality.     

The economic downturn and libraries: an international survey

There is some concern that libraries, particularly university libraries, are facing a very bleak future because of the word‐wide economic downturn. Much of the evidence regarding the economic problems and consequent impacts is parochial, far from robust, and there is a suspicion of stakeholders talking the situation up. This paper presents robust and independent evidence on the extent to which libraries from around the world are experiencing financial hardship, the impacts that result, and what the future looks like. Comparative analyses are made on the grounds of country, sector, and size of institution. The particular situation of university libraries is highlighted and the implications of the findings are examined from the perspective of scholarly publishers.     

Organizational aspects of the virtual library: A survey of academic libraries

The virtual library is presently being investigated across disciplines, often with a strong technological emphasis. The present study takes an organizational approach by placing the virtual library in the context of the academic library, and focusing on opinions of the library directors concerning the virtual library. The problem investigated refers to the propensity of academic libraries to become organized as a virtual library, which is conceptualized in terms of four general models. Directors of academic libraries were surveyed, and the literature on changes in the library organization was reviewed. It has been found that academic libraries exhibit visible organizational changes. When the virtual library is concerned, however, library directors tend to understand it just as digital technology, are mainly supportive of such library, and demonstrate a number of limitations that prevent them from thinking of virtual libraries in more radical terms.     

Statistics usage by French academic libraries: a survey

The article presents a survey on usage statistics management in academic libraries in France. The objective is to provide empirical evidence on real methods and processes, best practices and problems experienced by librarians. The survey adapted Baker and Read's methodology to the French context. One‐third of French academic libraries answered the survey. Results show that usage statistics are crucial for librarians' daily work. COUNTER reports are mostly used, specifically the JR1 format. Two‐thirds of the libraries enhance the usage statistics with other data. Librarians face three major difficulties: lack of time, lack of usage data produced by French vendors, and the need for customized tools. The article contains a short literature review and ends with recommendations for further studies. It is the first published survey on usage data management in France and allows for comparison with results from other countries.     

Reforming administration in Chinese academic libraries. A key to success

As centers of research and study in colleges and universities, Chinese academic libraries are heavily used and play a significant role in higher education. However, the level of administration can affect service to patrons and have an impact on their development. In this paper, the characteristics of administration in Chinese academic libraries are examined from both a historical perspective and current practice. The problems arising from the centralization of authority and administrative structure are also examined. Some possible suggestions are made of ways to improve library services in areas such as the quality of leadership, the creation of new positions, the increased responsibility of assistant directors, the re-organization of work distribution, the establishment of reference services, the development of faculty and staff participation in committee work, the importance of a library liaison program and the importance of designing a strategic plan for the library.     

Use of Web 2.0 tools in academic libraries: A reconnaissance of the international landscape

The purpose of this paper is to provide a reconnaissance of major academic libraries located in Australia, Canada, the U.K. and U.S.A. that have embraced Web 2.0 tools for enhancing library services. The research is based on a survey of websites of 277 university libraries. The checkpoints used for this evaluative study were given by Nguyen (2008) for evaluating various Web 2.0 tools. Additional checkpoints were arrived at after visiting and browsing the various sites. The findings of the study acknowledge the strength of Web 2.0 tools in improving library services for users. Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Instant Messaging (IM) and blogs are popular in academic libraries. The paper concludes by offering best practices for implementing Web 2.0 tools in academic libraries.     

Ethnographic methods in academic libraries: A review

Research in academic libraries has recently seen an increase in the use of ethnographic-based methods to collect data. Primarily used to learn about library users and their interaction with spaces and resources, the methods are proving particularly useful to academic libraries. The data ethnographic methods retrieve is rich, context specific, and often difficult to collect via other methods. This review provides an overview of research demonstrating how ethnography can be applied to learn about a variety of issues in academic libraries, ranging from space use to a way of teaching new students about library resources and facilities.     

浅谈馆际交流对高校图书馆队伍建设的影响

文章结合鞍山科技大学图书馆和大连海事大学图书馆开展馆际交流的实践经验,论述了馆际交流是提高高校图书馆队伍素质的有效途径,指出了馆际交流的实用性、可操作性和可行性.     

The extent of bibliographic instruction in academic libraries: A Preliminary Examination

The author presents the result of a preliminary survey of academic libraries and reports on the magnitude of bibloiographic instruction programs across various types of institutions. The major findings suggest that librarians at four-year baccalaureate schools are reaching a significantly greater proportion of their student bodies than those at graduate institutions.     

Recent advances of information literacy education for international students in Chinese academic libraries

The author of this paper investigates the recent advances of information literacy education for international students at academic libraries in China. The author carried out a questionnaire survey through the Questionnaire Star platform from April 2019 to July 2020 among 152 librarians from 117 university libraries in different parts of China, including 35 librarians from the universities which participate in the country's construction plan of world-class universities and world-class disciplines. Moreover, another questionnaire survey on library information literacy education for international students was conducted among 35 international students in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Through analysis and discussion of the survey results, the research studies the overall status and existing problems of information literacy education for international students in Chinese academic libraries, and offers suggestions for the improvement of international students' information literacy education in the future.     

How students use their libraries: A case study of four academic libraries

The purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences in student behavior in or uses of four academic libraries in the greater New York City area. Using on-site observations and semistructured interviews, the authors collected data about resources and tools used by students as well as their academic and nonacademic activities and contributing factors. Across all four libraries, the study identified that students were actively engaged in academic pursuits utilizing multiple library resources while working with print and digital tools. Students were also observed resting, eating, and engaging in other nonacademic activities. The variations in student behaviors across the four libraries can be explained by contextual variables that influence students' behavior in a library, including student demographics, academic requirements, work habits, and disciplinary affiliations.     

Collection development and outsourcing in academic health sciences libraries: a survey of current practices

Academic health sciences libraries in the United States and Canada were surveyed regarding collection development trends, including their effect on approval plan and blanket order use, and use of outsourcing over the past four years. Results of the survey indicate that serials market forces, budgetary constraints, and growth in electronic resources purchasing have resulted in a decline in the acquisition of print items. As a result, approval plan use is being curtailed in many academic health sciences libraries. Although use of blanket orders is more stable, fewer than one-third of academic health sciences libraries report using them currently. The decline of print collections suggests that libraries should explore cooperative collection development of print materials to ensure access and preservation. The decline of approval plan use and the need for cooperative collection development may require additional effort for sound collection development. Libraries were also surveyed about their use of outsourcing. Some libraries reported outsourcing cataloging and shelf preparation of books, but none reported using outsourcing for resource selection. The reason given most often for outsourcing was that it resulted in cost savings. As expected, economic factors are driving both collection development and outsourcing practices.     

外文期刊:高校图书馆的痛

论文从分析高校图书馆外文期刊建设中存在的书刊涨价、不合理重复等问题入手，提出电子版外文期刊的大量涌现并没有提高图书馆的外文期刊购买能力，电子版外文期刊建设的问题却随之产生。最后论文从图书馆的角度希望外文期刊能被合理定价，让图书馆及用户利用网络实现外刊资源共享。     

无线网络在高校图书馆的应用

文章论述了在高校图书馆搭建无线网络的优越性和必要性,探讨图书馆架构无线网络的可行性方案,提出组建无线网络的方法及应注意的问题.