Academic

 A study reported in 1979 at Temple University comparing retrieval of specific articles by subject and title keyword terms in the Social Science Index and the Humanities Index showed thatretrieval of 19 specific articles using 53 subject terms (developed by social science faculty to fit these specific articles) and 51 significant title keyword terms (developed by an undergraduate from the titles of these articles) was more effective using the title keyword terms (68% success rate) than using the subject terms (47% success rate). This suggests that searching these indexes by remembered title words may be more effective than a topical approach when searching for specific articles.                 (Source)

 A 1982 survey of patrons using periodical indexes in an urban university library (survey size: 104 patrons; usable responses: 98, including 53 undergraduates, 41 graduates, 3 faculty, and 1 alumnus) showed thatthe 3 most frequently used indexes (out of 22) were:

                 Readers’ Guide                                 32 (32.7%) respondents

                 Business Periodicals Index               14 (14.3%) respondents

       Psychology Abstracts                       10 (10.2%) respondents                   (Source)

 Public

 A survey reported in 1968 of Michigan public libraries (559 libraries or branches queried; 462 or 82% responding) receiving periodicals from the state, showed that, while most libraries (252) reported that their periodicals are used about equally for current reading and for reference, a substantial number revealed a trend for increasingly larger libraries to report their periodicals used more for reference, starting with libraries serving populations in excess of 5,000.                       (Source)

Dr. David Kohl

 "Libraries in the digital age are experiencing the most profound transformation since ancient Mesopotamian scribes first began gathering and organizing cuneiform tablets."

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