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Networks allow different users from outside the library remote access to library catalogues. These remote users may face problems that differ from the OPAC users' in the library. They may not be comfortable with the computer technology and may not be familiar with the OPAC of the library. Libraries should offer different support services than they would provide to on‐site users. Libraries should be responsive to the needs of remote users. These users need technical advice as well as special instruction aids and guides to lead them to the information they want to retrieve.

It is important for digital library to attract users to be reliant on the library. Besides providing research resources, the library still has many ways to achieve this goal. This article aims to experiment on the library merit system which provides different ways to enhance users' viscosity on using library.

For the experiment, a merit system was developed and implemented; users' feedback was collected by a questionnaire survey for analysis.

The results showed that the degree of users' viscosity on the digital library was increased and several areas for a successful digital library portal should be paid more attention to.

The merit system can successfully increase users' viscosity with digital library.

The paper aims to provide an overview of the e‐resources and services in Tsinghua University Library, Beijing, and describe five campus‐wide user surveys. It states how these user surveys play an important role in service quality enhancement.

Following a brief history of Tsinghua University Library, a summary of the collections and services developed in recent years is given. The library has made a great effort to learn about users' needs and to improve service delivery through a series of user surveys. The paper describes these surveys, including the conclusions and the improvement measures adopted.

Feedback gathered from user surveys provides vital information for improving library services. Through these user surveys, the library received a large amount of data to be analysed and a lot of valuable information, it promoted communication with our users, and the librarian's service literacy has also improved.

An overview of user surveys, including methodology, content, organisation, and implementation process, as well as data analysis, might offer reference and practical experience for other university libraries.

User surveys play an important role in the library's service quality enhancement. The paper provides a useful overview and practical experience of the topic.

The aim of this paper is to focus on the formulation of a Library 2.0 program that will guide the realization of a “user‐centered” service pattern.

In‐depth user investigations are the first step toward a successful Library 2.0 program, which will reflect what users really hope to achieve through Library 2.0. Three user investigations were carried out with the purpose to get users' opinions and suggestions about Library 2.0 services. Then the target was formed on the basis of analysis and evaluation of users' needs. The Library 2.0 programming was analyzed in four tiers of management ideas, service patterns, technical support, and content development.

User investigations are of primary importance in programming Library 2.0, and a program formulated on such investigations will not miss its aim, and be more realistic.

The paper does not dwell on technical particularities of Library 2.0, but focuses on the key role of a program in realization of the concept of Library 2.0, and the methodology of programming.

This article surveys university library users’ attitudes towards overdue fines. Users of the libraries of the University of Benin, Benin City, and Delta State University, Abraka, both in Nigeria, were used as subjects for the study. A total of 143 users who responded to a questionnaire participated in the study. Frequency counts, percentages and t‐test statistic were used to analyze data. Findings revealed the users’ opinions and feelings about overdue fines. No significant difference was found between either university library with respect to their users’ attitude toward overdue fines. Neither was any discovered in attitude between genders. This paper makes recommendations that can help libraries boost the collection of overdue fines.

This paper aims to urge the new culture of assessment of the quality of library services among Iran academic libraries and to assess the overall services quality of libraries from the users' perspectives based on the LibQUAL model.

In this survey researchers used the LibQUAL model to assess service quality in the central libraries in engineering and technical governmental universities in Tehran city. For gathering data of libraries users, researchers used the LibQUAL questionnaire in a non‐electronic format and translated into Farsi.

It was found that library users were dissatisfied with their library building. But these libraries performed very well in the information control dimension. Furthermore, the examination of users' expectations showed that the proposition “Employees who are consistently courteous” was most important, and “Employees who instill confidence in users” had less importance.

Using the LibQUAL Survey has helped the university libraries in Iran to better serve their main user groups, and for the first time researchers used the non‐electronic format of LibQUAL questionnaire in the survey.

The purpose of this paper is to explore key issues involved with opportunities, challenges, and future developing trends of delivering dynamic and distributed web‐based academic library information resources, services, and instructions for library users in the digital age.

Based on the typical web‐based, three‐tier client/server architecture, this paper explores ten key issues how to leverage quality library user services in the digital age: roles of academic libraries; funding support; information resources; information access; information services; instructions and trainings; impacts of cutting‐edge technologies and emerging technologies; web contents management and knowledge base; assessment and evaluation; and Librarians. Also discussed are the next‐generation web‐based client/server library information architecture and services in the foreseeable future.

With the rapid development of the internet and the world wide web, information exchange and information distribution can be transformed either by disparate formats or by dynamic channels. Knowledge, competence, and skills cannot follow up with the rapid advances of science and technologies. Many library users need assistance to access, locate, convert, synthesize, and evaluate information effectively and efficiently. It is very imperative for libraries and librarians to design, develop, enhance, implement, and deliver high quality user‐centered information services, resources, and instruction at the fingertips of library users.

Target readers who include librarians, instructors, trainers, consultants, managers, IT specialists, executives, and other professionals who are involved with developing and delivering distributed library user services via the internet will find this article of value.

This article examines why Korean academic libraries embarked on restructuring their organization and identifies possible solutions to some problems that these libraries face. The conclusion is drawn from the results of a case study on Sejong University Library that Korean academic librarians should become user‐centered professionals. After restructuring, the user service librarian’s job content has changed to concentrate on servicing users on specific subjects. The subject librarian will take care of reference services, SDI, DB instruction and book selection on the same subject.

The Saab Medical Library (SML) developed its virtual medical library site in 1997. The spread of the Internet prompted its development, in addition to continuous requests from users to provide such a service for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The virtual library is dynamic, growing and changing continuously, and the role of the traditional reference librarian and the end‐user education programs had to change to fit this borderless library. This paper discusses the aim, preparation, problems and lessons learned after three years of the user education program in a virtual library setting, and how reference work had to change to satisfy the needs of both the system and its users. The reference librarian has to carry out a smooth transition to a virtual library and help users cope with the technological changes. Training at the SML, as in any academic library, aims at teaching how to retrieve information rather than providing answers. This training is presented in different forms such as orientation sessions, seminars, and course‐related instruction, in addition to Web‐based instruction. In a virtual setting, reference librarians should act both as educators and consultants for end‐users, advising them on the search strategy as well as the software set‐up. The “Lebanese Corner” and an e‐reference service were added to complete the picture of this virtual library. This change had advantages and disadvantages for the users.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings of a survey promoted and financed by Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale about users' perceptions of digital libraries in Italy. The primary objective of the survey was to obtain feedback from users on their perceptions of digital library services and to give them an opportunity to make suggestions. A secondary objective was to establish and test a collaborative methodology with which to evaluate best practice for digital libraries.

Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather the data. A questionnaire was also distributed to the managers of those cultural institutions involved.

The results of the survey indicated that users have different perceptions with regard to digital libraries and that they tend to use the services of more than one cultural institution. Overall, there is a positive attitude towards digital libraries, but the survey also underlines that users often do not know how to use the libraries and are unaware of all of the services offered. The accessibility of the interface was considered important, but as it becomes more sophisticated offering more services more staff assistance will be required.

The survey has had limitations of time and resources available. The focus was on on‐site users at the cultural institutions and not remote users and non‐users.

The results of the survey have identified user priorities, but users are rarely involved in the design of digital libraries. The Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale aim was to stimulate a culture of excellence in the different cultural institutions involved, focusing on users' expectations.

The survey served to test experimental quality indicators and inquiry methodologies that focused on library users. This paper considers the implications of these results for digital libraries in general, and the value of a cooperative approach to the identification and evaluation of digital library users in particular.