This study examines the evolution of services for young adults (defined as persons 14-18 years old) in the Miami-Dade (Florida) Public Library System from 1951, when the first Main Library opened and the first Young Adult Librarian was hired, up to 1984. These years were a time of rapid growth for both the library system and community, as well as a time when ideas about young adult services underwent a number of changes on the national level. The study places young adult services in the library within the context of community and national change during this period. Primary source materials for the historical case study were interviews with present and former librarians in the Miami-Dade system, as well as department reports. / The study found that the goals and problems of young adult services in the Miami-Dade system were remarkably consistent during much of this period. The most common goal was that of attracting young adults to the public library, although this was subordinated to encouraging reading for personal enrichment during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when large numbers of high school students were already using the library for school assignments. School work was both a source of problems and an opportunity to reach students, throughout the period. Outreach to teenagers outside the library became an interest in the 1970s. / The limited number of librarians assigned to young adult service, the high rate of turnover among them, and the assignment of librarians who had no background or interest in this area, formed the most significant problems. The situation with staffing seemed to improve with the opening of the large regional branch libraries in the late 1970s, but budgetary problems forced cutbacks that continued to create difficulties. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-10, Section: A, page: 3599. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The purpose of this study was to describe the information-seeking behavior of science teachers in selected secondary public schools in Duval County, Florida. Information sources they used, the characteristics of these sources important to the teachers, and factors affecting their selection of resources were analyzed. The goal of the study was to provide empirical data which can be used by school library/media specialists and other information providers to plan, design, and maintain more effective and efficient information systems. / The questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument and was mailed to a total of eighty teachers who were identified as teaching at least one biology and/or chemistry course in the senior high schools in the Duval County Public School System. A total of sixty-eight questionnaires were returned for an acceptable response rate of eighty-five percent. / Cross tabulations for the variables in the hypotheses were calculated using chi square analysis. The chi square statistical test at the .05 level of significance was used to report differences among the teachers. / Three hypotheses were tested: (1) There are no significant differences in the information-seeking behavior of public school science teachers based on the subjects (biology and chemistry) taught. (2) Thre are no significant differences in the information-seeking behavior of public school science teachers based on the level (standard versus advanced) of the courses taught. (3) There are no significant differences in the information-seeking behavior of the teachers based on personal and professional characteristics such as: (a) Teaching experience. (b) Professional development activities. (c) Level of education. (d) Socio-economic status. / The major findings of the study indicate that: (1) There is extensive reliance on the textbooks by the science teachers regardless of the subject taught; level of course taught; or personal and professional characteristics. (2) The teachers tended to rate the academic library "excellent" but used their personal libraries more. (3) A lack of time was the major problem in obtaining information. (4) The characteristics of an ideal information system included convenience, accessibility, currency, relevancy, computer technologies, appropriate staff, and timeliness. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, Section: A, page: 0240. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Four hundred eighty-seven online search librarians in comprehensive and doctoral institution libraries in the United States were surveyed about end user online searching. Of the 431 respondents (89 percent), only 10.4 percent or forty-five of the responding libraries allow end users direct access to conduct their own online searches. The majority of librarians indicated that they are offering instructional programs in online searching. Upon closer examination of the purpose of this instruction, it was determined that only a small percentage of the instructional programs are actually teaching the user to conduct their own searches. / While the majority of the online search librarians believed that end user searching was inevitable, there was a feeling of ambiguity concerning this development. The majority of the librarians believed that online search librarians would assume a more challenging role as a result of end user searching. And yet, the librarians did question whether or not end users were going to want to conduct their own searches and the role the librarian should assume in encouraging end users to conduct their own searches and in training end users to perform these online searches. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: A, page: 1520. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the Goals for Indian Library and Information Service, as jointly established in 1973 by the National Indian Education Association and the American Library Association, are being met in school and academic library services provided Native American students and to make recommendations for improvement, if so indicated, in the comprehension and implementation of the six Goal areas examined. These are: cultural needs, Indian representation, Indian materials, programming, Indian personnel, and funding. / A survey questionnaire, containing a Likert-type scale for rating statements representing the Goals, was sent to librarians and administrators employed in American Indian schools and colleges. Out of a total population of 124 institutions, a usable response was received from 133 individuals representing seventy-three percent of the institutions. / The data collected were analyzed in order to make comparisons of perceptions between administrators and librarians, Indian and non-Indian educators, and school and college respondents. The research hypotheses stipulated that there is a difference between the perceptions of these various groups of educators regarding accomplishment of the Goals. / No statistical difference at the .05 level was found between librarians and administrators or between Indian and non-Indian respondents. However, a significant difference was indicated between school and college educators on four of the six Goals. College librarians and administrators generally noted a slightly higher degree of achievement of the Goals on cultural needs, materials, programming, and personnel than did their school colleagues. / In summary, the view of the accomplishment of the Goals for Indian Library and Information Service which emerges from this research is relatively conservative. Active support is not commonly evident in regard to the Goals on the employment of Native American library personnel or the provision of Indian materials reflecting principles of cultural awareness. Perceptions of the accomplishment of Goals on library programs and Indian representation, which are based upon communication, tend to reflect passive policies of implementation. Finally, the availability of continuous funding sources appears to be a significant factor in determining perceptions of achievement. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-08, Section: A, page: 2116. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

A study of the presence of collection development policies as a growth or limiting factor on microsoftware collections was conducted among six small academic libraries. Four hundred thirty six institutions were surveyed concerning the presence of microcomputers and attendant programs for public use. Six case studies were chosen from the respondents; three libraries with small microsoftware collections, three with advanced collections. Conclusions drawn from the six case studies indicated that those libraries which planned for microcomputer services and addressed the software in their collection development policies, projected these services in a more organized fashion. Only two subjects of the case studies had policies regarding the acquisition of software programs in place. The other libraries either had no policy or were in the process of revising the existing policy. Those libraries which implemented collection development policies regarding software did have software collections that mirrored the collection development policy. Library leadership and financial resources were both important factors in the development of the collection development policies and the software collections. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-12, Section: A, page: 3002. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Responses to a survey were received from 53 reference librarians out of 84, and 104 international students out of 256. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a significant relationship existed between international students' perceptions of the importance of library knowledge; their success in using the library, with the following variables: Length of stay at an American school, participation in library instruction programs, sex, region of origin, English language proficiency, and previous library experience. Reference librarians' perceptions of students' success in using the library and the importance of library knowledge to them were examined in relation to the following variables: Length of experience in reference work, participation in library instruction programs, and sex. In both cases, the Chi-square was used to determine the relationship. In addition, the t-test was applied to examine whether there was a significant difference between students and librarians' perceptions on the following variables: Card catalog, government documents, informational tools, bibliographic tools, research methodology, library collection, and library services. / Results revealed that four of the variables which are related to the importance of library knowledge, services, and collection were found to be significantly different and the null hypothesis was rejected in respect to card catalog, informational tools, government documents, and library collection. Similarly, four of the variables tested with regard to students' success were found to be significantly different, and the null hypothesis was rejected in respect to card catalog, bibliographic tools, research methodology, and library collection. / Recommendations were made to library educators who teach reference courses, library school administrators, and reference librarians. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: A, page: 1301. / Major Professor: Ronald Blazek. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

Recent research in the library and information fields highlights the concept of "strategic planning" as a possible framework for planning a library's future. This concept now is slowly emerging in many developing countries, as it emerged in industrialized countries several years ago. / This study attempted to reveal insights into library planning initiatives. The major goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive exploration of library planning in university libraries in Saudi Arabia. The study was to determine the degree to which university presidents, library deans, and librarians understand strategic planning and the degree to which they report that their universities or libraries are practicing strategic planning. It also examined the relationships of some variables and the understanding and reporting of the practicing of strategic planning. / A research survey design utilizing questionnaires was chosen as the most appropriate and effective method for gathering the data needed to answer the study's six research questions. Three different but related populations were queried. These groups were university presidents, library deans, and librarians employed in the seven Saudi university libraries. Descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, Analysis of Variance, and t-test procedures were used for data analysis. / It was found that a majority of the respondents understand traditional planning more than strategic planning. Also, it was found that the majority of the respondents believe that they apply traditional planning more than strategic planning in their universities or libraries. Regarding the variables, some of them had a strong impact and some had a slight but not significant impact on the understanding and the practicing of strategic planning by the respondents. The findings of this investigation provided the means for the development of the suggested models of strategic planning for university libraries and universities presented in this study, and speak to the issue of diffusion of strategic planning innovation in these institutions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-12, Section: A, page: 3672. / Major Professor: F. William Summers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The purpose of this study was to establish baseline data on the use of CD-ROM technology in libraries and information centers in Saudi Arabia. This study examined the knowledge, experience, and attitudes of library directors in the country as well as selected demographic and financial data about the libraries. / A descriptive survey research method utilizing a questionnaire was chosen as the most appropriate and effective method for collecting the data needed to answer the study's research questions. Of the 68 libraries and information centers identified by the researcher, 66 (97%) provided usable responses. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were the statistical procedures used for the data analysis. / It was found that 35% of the responding libraries were using CD-ROM technology and 32% were planning to acquire this technology in the future. The rest (33%) of the responding libraries were not using CD-ROM nor did they plan to acquire it in the future. Several reasons were given for not acquiring this technology: the library was too small, CD-ROM was never considered, CD-ROM costs too much in relation to the library budget, there was no user demand, and useful products were not available in Arabic. / Institution control (public/private), student enrollment, library budget, number of professional librarians, respondents' level of education, and respondents' experience with online and CD-ROM searches were factors that significantly impacted the decision to acquire CD-ROM in a library. / The study findings indicate that the majority (74%) ofthe libraries with CD-ROM employ additional security measures to protect their CD-ROM systems from damage and loss. Despite the large percentage employing security measures, fewer than 20% of the respondents believe that their libraries have serious security problems. / The overwhelming majority (94%) of the respondents believe that CD-ROM use and evaluation should be included in the library school curricula. More than 85% of the respondents, whether their libraries have CD-ROM or not, believe that the availability of CD-ROM in libraries has a positive effect on librarians' image. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0015. / Major Professor: Charles Wm. Conaway. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-09, Section: A, page: 5253. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-09, Section: A, page: 5254. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.