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The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of collaboration among seminar libraries and central library of universities and to recommend certain measures to strengthen this collaboration. Central libraries of leading universities in Pakistan possess more resources and manpower than seminar libraries. The task of planning about the important matters like access to e-resources, selecting infrastructure and automation mechanics lies with central libraries. Growth of information and communication technology (ICT) and information explosion has created opportunities for the libraries within a university for creating a cordial and beneficial relationship between central library and seminar libraries.

Mixed-method design was used for exploring the collaboration and nature of relationship among central libraries and seminar libraries within the university. Data were collected from library executives chairing their sections at their workplaces in central libraries of leading universities during the author’s visits to these libraries for MPhil study for collecting data about organisational structures of central libraries. A questionnaire was constructed to elicit information about the relationship between the central library and the seminar libraries that was supplemented with the telephonic interviews from library professionals and faculty about the nature of this relationship.

The data analysis of the present study revealed that the relationship between the central library and the seminar libraries is of a diverse nature. Private sector universities have developed integrative relationships, while some public sector ones have interactive relations and some have independent libraries with limited relationship. All library professionals interviewed have rejected the idea of independent seminar libraries and majority of them proposed integrated relationship between the central library and the seminar libraries.

This study suggests that the relationship between the central library and the departmental library should be developed by considering the depleting resources and by developing ICT. According to library professionals, the relationship between the central and departmental libraries should be of either interactive or integrated nature. University administration and library administration should come forward for building a beneficial relationship among libraries within the university. This study will lead to broader collaborations among libraries of different universities in Pakistan.

No study has ever been undertaken in Pakistan to explore the relationship between the central library and the seminar libraries of universities. This study will be a milestone for building collaborative relationships among different libraries within universities.

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

The purpose of the paper is twofold: to provide an overview of the present situation at the Greek central public libraries and to identify strategic development areas in regard to education and training, social and economic development, e‐government, reading policy, cultural cohesion and identity.

A survey was conducted in January and February 2008 through extensive semi‐structured interviews with all the 29 Greek central public libraries.

The paper finds that a formal strategic plan is becoming necessary for the Greek central public libraries in order to understand themselves, redefine their policies and priorities, and further consider the needs and expectations of their users and of the society as a whole.

This paper contributes to the discussion on the development of strategic planning aimed at the central public libraries in Greece and may assist in providing evidence for strategic planning in a national and/or in an institutional level.

It is one of the very few studies in Greece providing empirical evidence for the strategic planning and management of the central public libraries.

Universities are social and economic instruments for investment in man and thereby for the development of human resources at the highest level. This is truer in the case of developing countries where science and technology have not yet extended their beneficial aspects to whole spheres of social life. While preserving culture and heritage, universities are the most powerful institutions for social change and innovation. At the same time, universities and colleges themselves are subject to changes and need to adapt to these.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the library use pattern of humanities faculty members at University of the Punjab, Lahore.

A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted to get response from the targeted population which consisted of 90 teaching and research staff of humanities departments. The response rate was 69 percent.

The study reveals that most of the respondents feel themselves good in library use skills, which is owing to their high frequency of library use, not to any formal training. They prefer to use the library themselves, rather than seeking help from the library staff. Respondents found the central library richer in collection than their departmental libraries. Most of respondents were visiting the library for using the reference material or for searching some specific information and they seldom seek help from the library staff. Resources and services/facilities available in the central library were professed to be better than their departmental libraries. Respondents fulfilled their information needs not only from central and departmental libraries of the university but from other libraries in the city as well. They were facing the problem of non‐availability of required material due to their heavy dependency on the library resources. Dissatisfaction was also shown with the library staff and technical support. More journals and reference material in humanities were suggested by the respondents, along with better facilities and services.

The knowledge about the information needs and library use pattern of users helps the library and information science professionals to develop the library collections, improve the services and upgrade the facilities.

This paper provides a case study of how specific kinds of scholars use library services and should be of interest to librarians providing information services for humanists.

The purpose of this study is to measure the gap and compare the quality of services provided by the Central Library of the University of Tehran and Allameh Tabataba'i University and identify the components of service that need improvement in these libraries.

In this study, a descriptive survey method is used for data collection. The study sample contains 205 people selected out of 31,000 members of Tehran University and 100 people out of 15,000 members at Allameh Tabataba'i University. The LibQual tool is used to measure different levels of users' perceptions of library service quality.

Based on the findings of the study, the level of service received at the University of Tehran was higher than the minimum expected level, and at Allameh Tabataba'i University, the level of service received was lower than the minimum level of expected, which indicates users' satisfaction at this index at the University of Tehran and users' dissatisfaction at Allameh Tabataba'i University. In the index of information control and library as a place in Tehran University, the level of service received was higher than the minimum level and in Allameh Tabataba'i University, the level of service received was lower than the minimum level, which indicates the satisfaction of users in this index at the University of Tehran and users' dissatisfaction at Allameh Tabataba'i University.

Service quality, or quality of service, is the measurement and comparison of the size of service provided with users' expectations. The following principles illustrate the dimensions of service quality: Quality of service is much more difficult to measure than the quality of goods. The quality of service is based on users' expectations. Quality of service varies in status, meaning that the quality of a service is measured against the customer's initial expectations of that service (Parasuraman et al., 1985).

Being the first performance evaluation, community synchronization, economic justification, user satisfaction and customer orientation are the values of the present study.

Interlibrary lending during the period 1900 to 1945 lacked co‐ordination, adequate funding, and motivation by the majority of librarians. Public library services had reached only 38% of the population of England and 50% of that of Wales by 1915. With the growing volume of relevant publications becoming available it was recognized that individual libraries could not cope alone with the demands of the population. Co‐operation was advocated in the form of union catalogues and co‐operative book purchasing. Those responsible for adult education pressed for a solution to their book provision problems and a proposal to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT) in 1915 for a Central Library for Students, was agreed. Emphasis on educational purposes soon gave way to interlending for library purposes — a process reinforced and continued with the establishment of the National Central Library and the Regional Library System. The NCL took up its role of book provider and interlending co‐ordinator in 1930 but interlending services were dogged by lack of finances. The support of CUKT and other philanthropic bodies was crucial at this time. Criticisms of interlending services could have been diminished by a greater collective responsibility from librarians. The desire to increase their own collections weakened the drive towards an interlending service. The concept that finally prevailed was too limited to be adapted to post‐war circumstances.

ALTHOUGH the first Public Libraries (Scotland) Act was placed on the Statute Book in 1853, it was not until 1899 that the Corporation of the City of Glasgow was empowered to establish and maintain public libraries throughout the city. Between 1876 and 1897 four attempts were made to secure public approval for the adoption of the Public Libraries (Scotland) Acts, but when all these efforts proved unsuccessful, the Corporation decided in June, 1888 to include in a Local Bill for submission to Parliament, certain clauses conferring upon themselves the power to become a library authority. Promoted in 1899, the Bill became known as the Glasgow Corporation (Tramways, Libraries, etc.) Act 1899, and the library clauses passed through Parliament without opposition and received Royal Assent on 1st August, 1899. The powers conferred by this Local Act empowered the Corporation:

This paper sets out to describe the results of a four‐year‐long study into the efficiency of Estonian central public libraries.

The study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA), a non‐parametric linear programming‐based tool to determine the relative efficiency of 20 central public libraries of Estonia. Relative efficiency shows the capacity of an organisation to provide the same output for less expenditure.

The study finds that 40 per cent of the libraries investigated used their resources effectively. Efficiency scores of the rest of the libraries varied from 0.74 to 0.98, with staff expenditure slack being the main inefficiency factor for half of inefficient libraries.

The results of this research enhance the diagnostic capacity for planning the future activities of Estonian central public libraries and offers insights into using DEA for efficiency measurement and decision‐making in public libraries in general.