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The purpose of this paper is to extend the principles of earlier print-based availability surveys to the context of today’s electronic library, and explores the question of an appropriate methodology. The ability of clients to find what they want remains a central question, as does the library’s ability to identify and address the reasons that clients fail to find what they are looking for.

Catalogue users at Curtin University Library were invited to complete an online survey indicating whether they had found the electronic item they were looking for, and if not to nominate the reason why. Responses were then verified and analysed by library staff.

The survey attracted a low number of usable responses, though the proportion of respondents who stated they were able to find what they were looking for was consistent with the findings of earlier studies. It was possible to identify a small number of cases where the library did not hold the item required, though most failures were either due to technical reasons or could not be fully investigated because not enough information was provided by the respondent.

The survey conducted was inconclusive, partly because the delivery method used was quite cumbersome, and also because it focussed on known item searches rather than topic searches. The paper includes suggestions on how the survey could be broadened and technically improved.

The paper shows the value and limitations of conducting a materials availability survey in the electronic library, and makes suggestions on how the effectiveness of such a survey can be maximised.

Describes the development of collections and services to users at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Library. Indicates services to the institution′s own users and to other neighbouring libraries and institutions. Describes the use of information technology in the Library. Also considers collection development and control and other services to users.

This paper discusses the implementation and delivery, at Ryerson University Library in Canada, of three consortially‐facilitated, user‐centered initiatives to enhance traditional interlibrary loan services. Through a collaborative purchase of approximately 4,000 NetLibrary ebooks, with the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) consortium and the Consortium of Ontario Libraries, the Library provides unmediated access to shared monographs. Ryerson's fully‐subsidized document delivery service allows users to order journal articles directly from the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI Source) database.

This paper focuses on four areas, all of which affect a library’s bottom line in one way or another: fitting library materials expenditure into the parent organisation’s budget cycle, including suggestions for taking advantage of any unspent institutional allocation at the end of the financial year; budget control, including managing commitment and expenditure; internal budget allocation, where it argues in favour of a flexible formula, developed to suit the needs of the organisation; and audit and stocktake. It argues that success in these areas provides the basis for successful collections management.

A survey was carried out in 1979 into the loan availability and provision of audiovisual materials in the United Kingdom, whether through the Regional Library Bureaux or through separate co‐operative arrangements such as the Greater London Audio Specialization Scheme. Interlending practices are seen in relation to basic audiovisual provision and demand in public and educational libraries. The effects of inadequate bibliographical control, copyright problems and the practical aspects of the inter/ending of audiovisual materials are discussed. The results of the enquiry indicate limited provision, small demand and a widespread lack of knowledge concerning the existence of audiovisual materials and their availability.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons behind the persistent preference for printed content among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. Specifically, this study highlights the availability of reading materials in print, electronic and audible formats in Arabic as an intervening factor shaping reading behavior. More broadly, it aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how language preference can impact reading format preferences.

This study’s research design revolves around understanding reading format preferences among registered members of Jordan’s largest and oldest private library. This approach involved the examination of secondary library user survey data collected from N = 313 of its patrons in 2022. To gain a greater understanding of the preference for printed materials, this study conducted semistructured interviews over the phone with n = 31 participants of the library’s survey.

The findings of this study indicate a strong preference for print books among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. However, the availability of content in electronic and audible formats in Arabic, their preferred reading language, emerged as a potentially significant factor in the persistent preference for printed reading materials.

This study offers new insights into the specific role that the availability of content in Arabic, and possibly languages other than English, may play in shaping reading format preferences. By shedding light on this aspect of reading behavior, this research offers valuable information for libraries and publishers seeking to cater to the needs and preferences of Arabic readers.

The purpose of this paper is to study construction companies performing reconstruction to better understand the positive and negative effects of hurricanes on the construction industry.

Construction companies with hurricane reconstruction experience in gulf coast states were surveyed to obtain information about their activities from 1999 to 2008. A wide range of company sizes were represented in the collected data, from less than 15 to more than 100 employees, and from less than five to more than 100 million dollars in annual work volume. Specific points investigated include how hurricane reconstruction affects profitability, scheduling, estimating accuracy, and volume of business (both short term and subsequent). Other factors examined were labour availability, labour costs, material prices, material availability and how insurance company involvement impacted work progress.

While the rewards of additional work are obvious, this study found that labour shortages, availability of materials, and issues with insurance companies are the main risks construction companies face. Construction companies should have a hurricane construction plan to capitalize fully on so much opportunity. The plan should include contingency pricing to combat the rise in job costs, a geographic region to work into keep from getting over extended, a strong labour force, and a plan for displaced employees. A plan will help mitigate risk and increase the probability of success.

This paper should provide useful information for contractors, government entities and others who are involved with reconstruction efforts after unpredictable disasters, particularly hurricanes.

This paper describes quantitative and qualitative research undertaken at the University of Sussex Library. The research was concerned to investigate the behaviour and motivations that led Library users to give puzzling responses in a user survey into book availability. The responses concerned the Library's Reserve Collection of key course texts. Hence the paper firstly sets out to describe the user survey, and then goes on to give an account of the qualitative research methodology employed to look beyond the survey results. This methodology involved semi‐structured interviews with students and tutors, which were analysed with the help of the software package QSR NUD*1st. The research uncovered interesting and useful information relating to the way Library users approach the Library service, a summary of which is included in the paper. The research methodology was found to be a valuable addition to the information gathering strategies of Library management, revealing patterns of user attitudes that are difficult if not impossible to access using traditional survey techniques alone.

The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate the primary constraints that quantity surveying firms in Nigeria encounter while integrating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles into building designs.

The study used a quantitative approach by administering a well-structured questionnaire to 114 quantity surveyors. The collected data were analyzed using methods such as frequencies, percentages, mean item scores, Kruskal–Wallis test and exploratory factor analysis.

The top five ranked constraints were limited access to funding or financing options, limited availability of green materials, limited availability of insurance for sustainable buildings, limited availability of sustainable design resources and limited diversity and inclusivity within the design profession. Based on the factor analysis, the study identified six clusters of constraints: structural-related constraints, technical-related constraints, financial-related constraints, capacity-related constraints, legal-related constraints and culture-related constraints.

This study has several practical implications for quantity surveying firms, policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in building design and construction in Nigeria. The findings of this study can also inform future research on the integration of IEQ principles into building designs.

By identifying and structuring the clusters of constraints faced by quantity surveying firms in Nigeria when implementing IEQ principles, this study provides a novel approach to understanding the challenges associated with IEQ implementation in the building sector. This understanding can guide policymakers, industry stakeholders and quantity surveying firms in developing effective strategies to overcome these constraints and promote IEQ principles in building design and construction.