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The purpose of this study was to investigate the gap between library users' expected and perceived library services and to examine the role of library services in developing user satisfaction and loyalty. A quantitative research design using a questionnaire was used to investigate the research objectives. Undergraduate students were selected as the population from the Information Technology University. The questionnaire was adopted from previous literature. It was pilot tested with 50 undergraduate students and found reliable. Data was collected from 304 respondents and were analyzed using SPSS (v.20) software. The study found that library users expected a high level of service in three categories, i.e., Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as a Place, as all mean scores were higher than 7 when rated against a scale from 1 to 9. The participants reported that they were likely to consult the library and recommend it to others. The structural equation model confirmed that better services will increase users' satisfaction with the library resources and services and will lead to winning users' loyalty. The findings from the study provided useful insight into the determinants of user satisfaction and loyalty and could be useful for other academic libraries seeking ways to increase user loyalty and user satisfaction with library resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the gap between decreased budgetary allocation and the need to sustain free and improved quality public library services continues to increase, librarians are expected to think more innovatively about how to bridge this gap while ensuring the notion of free public library services is not compromised. This study aimed to investigate revenue mobilization and the sustainability of free public library services in Ghana. The study adopts a multiple case study approach, exploiting the advantages of the use of a combination of varied data collection techniques using 3 Regional Public libraries in Ghana to enhance representativeness. The data was collected from some major stakeholders, including Head Librarians, library staff and patrons of public libraries using questionnaires and qualitative interview sessions. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed in selecting respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and thematic analysis were deployed as analytical tools to examine the data. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers conclude that the challenge is in tracking down the elusive mix of fee-based services that deliver more than they take away. We therefore, admonish that those who still preach against fee-based services on moral grounds accept the reality that seeking alternative funding (beyond government's subventions) to sustain public library services has become a Hobson's choice to most public librarians. Recommendations are also proffered in mitigating the present challenges affecting service delivery in public libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of information-seeking behavior on library services used by the disabled in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprises 302 disabled students in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Total enumeration technique was used. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.75. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that advisory, carrel and consultancy services were the most available services. The most used services were user education services and consultancy services. The respondents' information-seeking behavior mostly involves seeking information on health and retrieving information from the e-library. The study concluded that information-seeking behavior influenced the use of library services of disabled students. The study recommended that library management must provide more resources on healthrelated subjects, especially in electronic form. Finally, the management should improve their current awareness services tailored to the needs of disabled students and library staff should be trained on how to serve every library user irrespective of their challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User services are often seen as the public-facing work of a library. Yet, all aspects of a library are to provide service to users, including the back-of-the-house work of technical services or collections departments. When done with a user focus this behind-the-scenes work, while often imperceptible, should be considered a public service. Doing so allows back-of-the-house library staff to view their work more holistically and enables deeper collaboration across teams. By creating a service model where all aspects of the library serve the user, libraries can provide a strong user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research project was undertaken by a university library system to develop a sustainable user experience strategy. A task force was convened to conduct a pilot project with members from both libraries in the system to assess staffing responsibilities, guidelines, processes, and data-gathering procedures. The team tested an electronic resources list common to both libraries. In describing the methods employed by the task force in their research, this article outlines the benefits and drawbacks of staffing configurations to initiate user experience practices in an academic library setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Public library users' expectations of library resources and services related to open data as well as their own estimation of their data literacy skills are examined. Library users were surveyed from nine different Indiana public library communities. Findings suggest that public libraries are viewed as resources for finding data and educational programming for data skills, particularly as it relates to the community context. Additionally, study participants assessed their data skills to be average or slightly above, indicating a foundational knowledge from which to design library resources and sources to meet a community's data needs. Keywords: open government data, public libraries, data literacy skills, communities, information behaviors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fall 2019 the Access Services and User Engagement librarians at the Woodbury University Library undertook to identify campus library marginal and nonusers among faculty and students. We administered an online survey and conducted follow-up, one-on-one interviews in an effort to understand: (1) Why some Woodbury community members visit the library and/or use its physical and/or digital resources infrequently or not at all; (2) Whether and how these marginal and nonusers secure the resources necessary to teach or learn successfully at Woodbury; (3) Whether and how these marginal and nonusers acquire the research competencies necessary to teach or learn successfully. We additionally utilized data from past responses to the library's annual user survey in order to define and contrast marginal and nonuse with regular library use. Investigations into the behaviors of library marginal and nonusers are rare and have generally focused on how libraries might better market their collections, services, and spaces. We expanded our focus to include identification of services and resources available to University community members outside of the library with a view toward understanding what other entities might be better suited to provide and, thus, how we in the library might re-formulate our unique value proposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, which hit academic libraries in the United States during the spring semester of 2020, forced librarians and staff to redouble their efforts to reach out to users in light of newly enforced safety measures such as building closures, quarantine periods, enforced social distancing, etc. This article describes three services—one adapted, one newly developed, and one a collaboration across several units on campus—to allow users to continue receiving the assistance and the materials they needed despite the obstacles inherent to the pandemic. Unexpectedly, these changes also helped streamline processes in a post-pandemic academic library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the contexts of audience and user studies via research into two cases of civic libraries created by local communities. Results from this study could encourage communities to create and/or step in to co-produce the local library services for their community. The findings of this research add an alternative view from library service users to established library services and may be helpful to local authorities in redesigning the public library service. Two cases were chosen to investigate the phenomenon of civic libraries: the library at Sänna Cultural Mansion in a small village in Southern Estonia and the library of the New World Society in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic special collections librarians have made great strides in making their collections discoverable and accessible to a wide audience. This article examines use of special collections departments and the many kinds of outreach librarians undertake to increase access to and knowledge of their collections, including creating electronic finding aids, digitizing material, collaborating with faculty, increasing participation in instruction and reference, and using exhibits, social media, and relationships with community partners to further the mission and goals of the library and the college or university. The article uses the University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Library patrons are adopting mobile devices for personal and other uses. The ubiquity of mobile devices will lead to changes in how and where learning and education happens. Libraries have wanted to become ubiquitous by making resources and services available anywhere, anytime. Reference librarians can use mobile devices and applications to include services in mobile learning environments. Challenges to libraries include uncertainty about which technologies to adopt in a rapidly changing technology landscape, the cost of technology adoption, staffing for 24-7, diversity of needs and preferences among library patrons, and the need to offer stable, consistent services. The combination of mobile librarians, mobile patrons, and mobile content provides an opportunity to move closer to the ideal of the ubiquitous library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Updating her 2003 article in Reference Services Review ('The Future of Reference: Get Real!' Reference Services Review 3(1), 2003, 39-42, DOI: 10.1108/00907320310460898), the author emphasizes the need to get a good sense of what one's users' priorities are, concentrating efforts on successful tools researchers will actually use; responding to changes that have taken place in research and scholarship; devising instruction for use in actual environments, spaces, and timeframes; focusing on local user needs; and working to influence user-centered design of library online systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation in public libraries has been concentrated in the areas of participation, making & creating, learning, new outreach and partnerships. These trends represent the emerging areas of strategic focus for public libraries and are strongly influencing the development of library services towards a model that is collaborative, creative and participative, and that places the library at the centre of its user's daily lives. This article provides an overview of these trends, with examples of how they are manifesting in library services, programming and strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple methods study was conducted over three academic terms during the 2015 fiscal year at Santa Clara University Library to assess the impact and value of overnight library hours. A survey was conducted after midnight during times the Library was open 24 hours, five days a week (24/5), the last two weeks of the quarter. The survey was further informed by patron counts conducted hourly by library floor and type of activity. Survey questions were based on Sowell and Nutefall's study (2014); activity counts used categories similar to Johnson and McCallister's overnight study (2015). This SCU research queried service needs in overnight hours, finding, as others studies have, that late-night users are primarily seeking a quiet space with comfortable amenities conducive to concentrated study. This conclusion was supported by patron count data that documented user activity between midnight and 7 a.m. showing patrons overwhelmingly working on personal laptops (53%) or library PCs (14%). Over 90% of respondents strongly agreed (66%) or agreed (27%) with the statement that “having the ability to use the Learning Commons/Library during the overnight hours (midnight-7 a.m.) has made a positive difference for me academically.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, people who do not have computers or the Internet go to public-access computing (PAC) venues such as libraries, telecenters and Internet cafes. What is the nature, scope and impact of the services offered by these PAC venues? Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a mixed-methods investigation of libraries, telecenters and cybercafés in 25 developing countries around the world shows that there is a strong ecosystem of PAC venues in developing countries, and that users are shifting away from libraries in favor of commercially driven Internet cafes that provide good customer service and support to meet their information needs. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the benefits of using public-access computers indicates that while users enjoy faster and cheaper access to more sources of information, PAC venues appear to be used more for building and maintaining users' social networks, personal relations and entertainment, and less for education, health, e-government or e-commerce activities. We discuss the success factors that emerge in the study, the implications of the choices in public-access venues to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing countries and the focus on personal relations as a critical information need for underserved populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that academic libraries can be difficult to navigate and that students are often frustrated with not being able to find the right materials. This current study attempts to identify access barriers in FSU's Strozier Library by assessing the effectiveness of signs and directories, as well as wayfinding patterns of both undergraduate and graduate students. Two different assessments are implemented: a directory survey and a tally of the directional questions received at multiple help desks. Results show that the majority of students prefer to speak with a human being when attempting to locate something in the library; however, the directories are seen as helpful. The results have immediate implications on staffing practices and directory design. Future research is discussed as FSU continues to assess access and wayfinding and the cognitive process of students as they navigate the library building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating, collecting, and analyzing building usage statistics can greatly increase the ability of an access services unit to meet the changing dynamic of patron needs in an academic library. By analyzing three different data points, the Access Services Unit in Malpass Library at Western Illinois University was able to determine the most effective and efficient way to deploy the student workforce to meet the demonstrated needs of the patron population throughout the day. This article will examine those data points and how they were analyzed in order to improve the services provided by the Access Services Unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information overload interferes with our abilities to use information effectively. It represents a challenge in searching print as well as online collections. Academic librarians have developed strategies to help their patrons reduce the effects of information overload. This article provides best practices employed by academic librarians to reduce their users’ information overload. Five themes emerged in a review of the literature: information presentation, library instruction, user strategies, librarian roles, and software technologies. Information literacy instruction remains particularly important in combating information overload since the promotion of users’ research skills facilitates their search competencies. Research on information problem solving that focuses on metacognitive strategies may help decrease information overload among users searching digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most libraries have fully integrated cadres of student assistants into their daily operations, including helping at points of service. As libraries rely more and more on student assistants, we must maintain exceptional customer service to our users. This requires our student assistants to possess information literacy skills that exceed those of our users. This assessment investigates the information literacy skills of first-year library student assistants when compared to the general first-year student population, and it examines if first-year library student assistants’ information literacy skills increase more than those of their peers during their first semester at college. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Numerous publications on patron-driven acquisition (PDA) for print books and similar materials have reported that patron-requested materials circulate more. Tying circulation to selector may be failing to address the complex of factors that contributes to items' circulation. In the present study, the authors revisit a PDA program's data and to determine whether PDA print books' circulation advantage persists when the potential interactions of several additional variables are taken into account. As with prior studies, library patrons were significantly better predictors of circulation than were librarians or approval plans. However, librarians proved to be significantly better predictors than were approval plans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The University of Denver's Penrose Library saw a substantial increase in use as a result of several new and enhanced services over a six-year period. In turn, longer operating hours and increased staffing for a 24-hours-a-day, five-days-a-week (24 × 5) operating schedule was funded. This case study analyzes student need for longer library hours and the key factors used to justify additional staffing and enhanced hours of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors discuss the rapid growth in the use of smart devices and the resultant need for libraries to meet patrons where they are, via quick response code. Suggestions for use include marketing of library services, strengthening bibliographic instruction, supplementing reader's advisory services, and enhancing online public access catalog records. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Too frequently, and often too late, academic librarians learn of patron experiences involving problem patrons, misdemeanor criminal activity, or poorly secured areas. Regrettably, these experiences can irrevocably diminish perceptions of access to the vibrant learning spaces and services offered by our institutions. This article assesses the current state of security personnel staffing and patron security issues at 25 public, four-year universities in two southeastern states. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This study is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic resources and services in Pakistani university libraries on the basis of users'' satisfaction. A survey method was employed to conduct the research. Using convenience sampling, eight university libraries; four each from Islamabad and Lahore including two from the public sector and two from the private sector having IT applications, were included in the users survey. The total population (i.e., 40,236) of library users was very large; therefore, a reasonable, manageable and convenient sample of 800 library users, including 100 users each from the eight libraries was selected. A semi structured questionnaire was designed to collect data, while a five-point Likert Scale from 1 (Dissatisfied) to 5 (Extremely satisfied) was used to measure the satisfaction level of the respondent. The study concluded that Pakistani university libraries are offering effective electronic resources and services to their users. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A homeless man's lawsuit against a public library went to federal court 20 years ago, leaving a legacy of constitutional law that balances the rights of library customers against the responsibilities of library administrators. The case, Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, has come to stand for the proposition that there is a First Amendment right to receive information. A corollary of this principle is that a library can violate the Constitution if it unfairly expels a customer. At the same time, however, the court recognized that appropriate conduct is essential for the operation of a public library. For this reason, the Kreimer case established that library administrators can and should adopt behavior policies that allow all members of the public to use the library. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Is there a future for the library cataloger? For the past thirty years this debate has increased with the continued growth of online resources and greater access to the World Wide Web. Many are concerned that library administrators believe budgetary resources would be better spent on other matters, leaving library users with an overabundance of electronic information to muddle through on their own. This article focuses on the future of the cataloging profession and its importance to the needs of library patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texas A&M University Libraries has been hard at work putting the power of course reserves in the hands of its users. Reserves services have traditionally been restrictive, granting only faculty the authority to place items on reserve or allowing students access to items only after they have been checked out. From faculty adding streaming content to their e-reserves to students having hands-on access to their course reserves, this article tells the story of how an academic library system is allowing its patrons to 'do-it-themselves.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a patron-driven acquisition program at the University of Denver. Instead of selecting books from YBP's slip approval plan, the Penrose Library will load MARC records for these titles and for a selection of electronic books from ebrary and EBL. All University of Denver students and faculty will be able to select the title and format (print or electronic) that best suits their needs, thereby allowing the library to expend its collection funds in a more user-oriented way. Through this demand-driven acquisition model, the library offers its users a much wider range of titles, while ensuring that more of the titles purchased are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries need to make progress with user centered search and discovery work. Context specific resource and search recommendations, alternative approaches, efficient federated searching, and live synchronous help must be a more vital part of the online landscape which libraries present to users. Staff must view the virtual and physical presence as parts of the whole spectrum of service and be comfortable in both environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article defines the elements of Access Services, explains the importance of those aspects in the library, and proposes a course centered on Access Services for library schools. The areas of circulation, interlibrary loan, course reserves, collection maintenance, and public relations are core components of Access Services. Each of those segments is a key aspect of a library's effectiveness and has a direct effect on a patron's perception of the library. Based on analysis of ALA-accredited Library and Information Science programs and their course catalogs, Access Services has not received the same attention as other areas of librarianship such as reference, cataloging, or archives. A course centered on Access Services would focus on each aspect of an Access Services librarian's job, using real-life experiences, scholarly publications, and new technologies to prepare students for success in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users are increasingly expecting services to be available outside traditional venues and time frames. Clearly, not all library functions and services can be performed all the time, but a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) tool is one function that can be. Librarians at Notre Dame decided to create a searchable FAQ database as a method to efficiently reach users at their time and point of need and as a way to provide instant, virtual feedback to common questions. The content for the FAQ database was derived from the analysis of over 3000 chat and email questions collected over the course of three years' use of Docutek, an email and chat reference software. The process of coding the questions as well as the technological solutions employed to create a searchable database of frequently asked questions is described. A link to the FAQ appears on the ND Libraries Ask-A-Librarian page and has already seen much use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A library's web site is a virtual “front door” to its services and collections. Libraries can use their “Ask a Librarian” pages to promote reference services and to inform patrons about the different options available. Much variation is found in the naming of those pages and the number and type of reference contact options they include. This article reports the results of an examination of the reference assistance pages of libraries that are members of the Association of Research Libraries. In particular, the study attempted to determine whether virtual modes of reference service are being promoted at the expense of traditional options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the need for rethinking resource sharing to offer both library users and nonlibrary users options to obtain the material they seek from both libraries and commerical sources. The article discusses several programs that are emerging including the "GoGetter" function, the Rethinking Resource Sharing Manifesto, user needs, and delivery issues. Lastly, it suggests some ways that the participants could become involved and provide input to RethinkingResourceSharing.org. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service to pro se patrons continues to be one of the core issues facing law librarians. The current downturn in the economy makes this issue more critical than ever. This article provides one way to better meet the needs of this growing class of law library patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patron use of the Internet may appear to overwhelm the public library's traditional role. This is often the case at the Colonial Heights Branch of the Sacramento Public Library. Fortunately the services which are required to support Internet use complement those required to assist patrons with the print and media collections. This essay recounts the important, primarily personal ways in which a branch library in a low socio-economic neighborhood reinforces its traditional informational and instructional role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sooner Xpress service arose out of a need to improve and expand services for library users at the University of Oklahoma. After several years of service for our distance education students, a decision was made to expand those services to include all campus and local users in an effort to streamline retrieval services in the library. Both returnable and non-returnable items are included in the Sooner Xpress service. This article presents the history of the Sooner Xpress service and reports the problems and solutions that have been encountered thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of resource request and delivery services in libraries is being re-designed in response to a shift in patron needs and expectations. The design of these services needs to include definitions of patron needs/expectations, staffing and systems components, and local policies and capabilities. This article includes a review of literature on the use of delivery services, a survey of current practices in interlibrary loan departments, and a review of the policies implemented and technical decisions made at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University during the ILL/Document Delivery integration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special-subject libraries can be particularly intimidating for casual and seasoned patrons alike. Music libraries, with their variety of materials, formats, and vocabularies, can present particular challenges for the user. With this proposal for a model of service delivery, as well as many tips gained through experience working the front-of-house in a large academic music library, music library Public Services staff can significantly enrich the patron experience, which, in turn, will pay tangible dividends and enhance the stature of the music library on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to investigate how the public library user was constructed in a Danish context in the period 1880–1920. The article argues that the definition and understanding of users as coming from all classes in society is a blind spot in Danish librarianship today. The article applies the theories of Michel Foucault on discourse and power in order to discuss how the user was constructed as a classless category and as a means of controlling the masses in libraries. This requires an examination of the way the library population was categorized, as well as of the bureaucratization and normalization of the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the success of Internet access via search technology, such ease of access is still not available in Web archives, as a greater amount of relevant contextual information is essential in accessing Web archives. The degree of relevance of the contextual information has to be customized to suit research on culture and heritage study over time. Information scientists have long been struggling to find a system that can help them organize Web archives so that users can have access to complete and coherent collections. Lessons can be learned from archivists who have an established tradition of linking materials to its origin and ownership or what is termed provenance. In this paper, we demonstrate how Web Annotation for Web Intelligence, more than just an intuitive way of expressing one's thoughts on the materials under study, is in fact an appropriate tool for cataloguing Web archives in order to ensure a high quality of access for users. Informed by the theory of Records Continuum, a demonstration of access to archived Web materials will be presented. We then recommend an effective way of allowing the continual organization of Web archives based on several design principles for a Web annotation system. This system would preserve the evidence and context of the cataloguing process. Such a tool would also help facilitate collaboration among information professionals in organizing complex Web archives. Implementing the recommended Web annotation system will help ensure better-quality archives with more evidence and contextual information preserved within the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was once a time when librarians could tell patrons what to do. If patrons wanted high-quality scholarly information they had to come get it in the library and had to do so on the library's terms. But we no longer live in a world of information scarcity; we now live in a world of information glut, and our patrons no longer feel as if they need us. Are they right? Are they fooling themselves? Do we need to change their minds-or our practices? And what does any of this have to do with serials work? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The privacy and confidentiality of library use are often at odds with efficiency in and customization of library public services. When librarians make decisions about services and privacy, they should consider strategic approaches to defining and discussing privacy and become familiar with the law of library privacy and their ethical commitment to privacy in library use. A wide range of library services and efficiencies threaten privacy and introduce the potential for secondary uses of personally identifying information collected by the library. Market failure for privacy weakens the value of consumer surveys and consent as substitutes for librarians' choices between privacy and services. Compromises such as those outlined by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee offer reasonable approaches to libraries and librarians struggling with the uncertainties that characterize the challenge of meeting both service and privacy interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the decision that some libraries are making to only provide the electronic version of certain journal subscriptions. The article suggests that this decision would make content searching easier for consumers who can begin looking up their topic right away instead of first trying to locate the issue in the library. Also discussed is the amount of stress that would be relieved from libraries who would no longer have to manage and catalog paper copies.

Binghamton University Libraries implemented an IM reference service using the Trillian client to monitor multiple IM accounts at two distinct reference service points. This paper addresses the process and practical considerations of implementing the service including selection of the appropriate software, creation of IM accounts for each service, development of a staffing schedule, and training of reference staff. Also included is an outline of future plans for improving IM services for students and academic library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of Web Crawler activities based upon Web access logs from the Web site of an academic library. It further compares crawler behavior with that of regular human visitors. The results provide practical insights and foster a culture of evidence-based practice for better managing network-based resources and maintaining a reliable IT infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines technologies used to provide library patrons with the same kind of success in finding information as achieved with Google searching. It is recommended to simulate Google, and then move beyond Google. One technology that allows libraries to emulate the "do not make me think" environment provided by Google is federated searching. With this kind of searching, users can access article's indexes, the library's online catalog and locally developed or Web databases all at the same time. Another technology, faceted browsing or search clustering, allows the user to narrow down their search results contextually.

Library blogs offer a compelling means of reaching out to patrons and engaging them in conversation. However, even the most well-written blog can suffer for lack of an audience if not marketed properly. The marketing concept and the related marketing mix provide useful frameworks for planning and implementing blog projects to give them the best chances of being read by the intended patrons. This article will describe the marketing concept and marketing mix and explain how these ideas can be successfully applied to any library blog endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no standard form for patron registration at special collections libraries. The author recommends that special collections adopt a registration form that features a basic common set of information categories. The information gathered with these forms can be used internally to learn more about a collection's users and how to better serve them. The information can be compared and shared between libraries to gain more knowledge about the users of special collections and their needs. The challenges of updating and creating registration forms are discussed and suggestions are offered for their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to illustrate the challenges that a reference law librarian might face when facing the information needs of Constitutionalist patrons. Constitutionalist patrons here are defined as members of a diverse community of groups that challenge the validity of the mainstream legal system in a variety of ways. The paper provides background on the different types of patrons who fit the generic category of Constitutionalist, explains the theories that these patrons use to view the legal system, and discusses sources and materials that are of interest to them. The intention of the paper is to provide the reference librarian with the necessary background information to understand the perspective from which the patrons approach the law library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baby boomers are epitomised by the phrase ‘wanting it now’. This large group of the population is better educated, more technologically literate, generally wealthier than any previous generation and has high expectations of quality services and products. Just as they have led other social revolutions, baby boomers are expected to revolutionise the meaning of ageing and retirement. They are also renowned for their voracious consumption of information in all media, which means that libraries have good reason to be involved in planning and policy development if their services are to be considered relevant and timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]