Discussion of reference services for children and child-related questions focuses on examples encountered at the San Francisco Bay Area regional reference center. Highlights include sharing resources, online searching, telephone inquiries, using adult reference sources, the use of specialized collections, and using the Internet. (LRW)

Wireless hotspots are popping up in local coffee shops everywhere. Anyone with a wireless-ready laptop or PDA can surf the Internet at one of these hotspots. The same is now true for all 32 branches of the Orange County Public Library (OCPL) in California. Though many public library systems are moving toward wireless access, most require patrons…

Provides background on the California State Library Packet Radio project, which will use packet radios to deploy a wireless, high-speed, wide-area network of 600 nodes, including 100 libraries, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Project goals and objectives, plan of operation, equipment, and evaluation plans are summarized. (MES)

The csrdweb.net Web site is a cross-lab initiative to pilot the use of Web-based profiles and e-mail discussion groups as tools to support networking among Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) schools. A Laboratory Network Program (LNP) project, the initiative used resources from all 10 regional educational laboratories (RELs) to…