Faculty perceptions of two urban university libraries: The University of Akron and Georgia State University

This study investigated, analyzed, and compared faculty perceptions of materials and services at two large, urban university libraries--Bierce Library at The University of Akron, and Pullen Library at Georgia State University. Similar in size, both universities are state institutions. As urban universities, both were closely bound with the history and growth of their cities--Akron, Ohio, and Atlanta, Georgia.;The researcher sent 200 copies of the questionnaire to the director of Pullen Library, who dispensed them to faculty members. At The University of Akron, the researcher distributed 200 copies of the questionnaire equally among the seven colleges. A cover letter accompanied each questionnaire. At designated times, questionnaires were returned to the researcher.;Four research questions (general hypotheses) and ten specific hypotheses were constructed to investigate faculty perceptions of the two academic libraries. One of three statistical tests were run for each hypothesis: a t-test, median test, or chi-square test. Only one hypothesis (H1F) showed statistical significance; there was a significant difference between faculty members in two regions in their perceptions of library services for search materials. The findings of the study led to the conclusion that region does not affect faculty perceptions of academic libraries.;A questionnaire developed and used previously in the self-study process at The University of Akron served as the instrument for this study. The Library User Questionnaire contained 30 questions divided into four sections: (a) Services and Materials, (b) Priorities, (c) Frequency of library use, and (d) Demographic Information. A Likert scale format of closed-ended questions was used for the first three sections; demographic information asked for faculty status, type of classes taught, length of time at the university, and specific college to which the respondent belonged.