Genre is a hot issue in readers' advisory (RA) circles right now. Many people are looking at how genre functions and morphs. Studying a genre is not a new idea. Over two decades ago, and even longer in less formal ways, librarians began gathering to study genres--asking such questions as in what genre does this book fit and why, what are its…

Examines possible rules governing reference interviews: needs rule, wants rule, face value rule, and clarification rule. Face value rule is defended as a legitimate expression of one conception of the reference librarian's professional role, implying a restricted view of librarians' responsibility for outcome of reference inquiries. (MBR)

This exploration of reasons why historians do not take full advantage of government publications as sources of historical materials focuses on the difficulty of accessing information under current classification and indexing schemes. (CLB)

The role of school librarians has changed as the rapid expansion of information technology during the last decade has placed more emphasis on their participation in the instructional process, and propelled the librarian into a new role as school media specialist. Many media specialists have difficulty in grasping their role in schools. They are…