Possible reasons for the decline in annual adult book issues from UK public libraries are reviewed. Annual book issues have been decreasing since 1980, due mainly to a decrease in issues of adult fiction and, to a lesser extent, adult non‐fiction. Possible intrinsic causes include cuts in book...

Annual book issues from UK public libraries have been decreasing since 1980, due mainly to decreases in issues of adult fiction and, to a lesser extent, adult non‐fiction. This paper describes an analysis of trends from 1980 to 1998 in annual book issues and selected factors that may have...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the provision of audiovisual materials in UK public libraries and their economic value. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey of all the public library authorities in the UK was used to investigate current provision of...

Purpose – This paper seeks to report the results of research conducted to model the information‐seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University and the factors influencing that behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – The research employed a number of different approaches: a...

Purpose – The aims of this paper are to: investigate the citation‐patterns of monograph books in taxonomic botany (looking mainly at publications and publishers, and the age of current literature); and make recommendations for collections management and reference services in libraries that...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodological usability evaluation approach for e‐commerce websites in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐faceted usability evaluation of three Jordanian e‐commerce websites was used, where three usability...