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From its beginnings as the Library of the Army Surgeon General to today's Internet-driven information environment, the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) has served a variety of audiences. As NLM strives to provide the best possible service to health scientists and consumers, the form of that service has changed depending on resources available and the state of technology. Throughout its history, NLM has adopted innovative programs and technology at the earliest sensible moment that would serve its patron needs. Today, NLM is a leader in providing electronic biomedical information to health professionals, researchers, the public, and anyone else with access to the Internet. These services have evolved in response to available technology and the demands of the various audiences, from clinicians to consumers. To serve the needs of this variety of patrons, NLM connects health information resources in ways that enable each audience to find the information appropriate to their need. NLM continues to improve this organization as the audiences demand and technology and resources allow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines changes in academic libraries in the U.S. Importance of understanding how and why libraries are changing; Limitations and difficulties of traditional library performance measures; Environmental factors that may help account for changes in library use: Impact of user behavior and preferences on library collections, services and facilities.

Provides information on a study which developed performance and learning goals for academic libraries in the United States. Information on the development of cooperative partnerships with customers; Details on the LibQUAL+ instrument; Conclusions.

Provides information on a study which examined the usage of academic libraries in Eerie, Pennsylvania. Review of literature; Details on research data and constructs; Research methodology.

Provides information on a study which examined the perception of users in North America on library service quality using the LibQUAL+ instrument. Problem statement; Methodology; Participants in the study; Role of the library Web page; Conclusion.

Provides information on a study which examined user needs, satisfaction, and performance of the University of Washington Libraries in Seattle. Details on library user surveys; Methodology and design of the user survey; Results of the survey.