Sometimes users need to be asked if they need help. This is difficult with online users, because in-person cues cannot be used to engage when the users need assistance. Proactive chat widgets help to solve this problem as the chat box slides out onto the screen and prompts the user for help. The need for the proactive chat widget was also seen as…

A primary role of any e-resources librarian or staff is troubleshooting electronic resources (e-resources). While much progress has been made in many areas of e-resources management (ERM) to understand the ERM lifecycle and to manage workflows, troubleshooting access remains a challenge. This collaborative study is the result of the well-received…

This study explores student use of the mobile Web in general and expectations for an academic library's mobile Web site in particular through focus groups with students at Kent State University. Participants expressed more interest in using their mobile Web device to interact with library resources and services than anticipated. Results showed an…

The University of Minnesota-Duluth is the second largest campus in the University of Minnesota system. The UMD library, which serves more than 11,000 students and 500 faculty members, is primarily an undergraduate library. The reference team consists of eight librarians, including author Sunshine Carter, reference and electronics resources…

This paper will look at the services presently offered to distance students by libraries within the categories of professional staff, access to resources, reference assistance, and library user instruction. It will then offer the argument that these services could be improved by developing embedded librarians within online academic courses as a…

Full-text services require more instruction and reference help than electronic bibliographic databases. To relieve pressure on reference staff, librarians at Pennsylvania State University developed weekly "Just-in-Time" demonstrations to help patrons learn how to use LEXIS-NEXIS. This article provides an overview of LEXIS-NEXIS and…

Examines issues of knowledge management within academic libraries and how reference librarians can become more effective as information intermediaries. Describes the common knowledge database (CKDB) developed at Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus to more fully integrate libraries on campus and to facilitate the use and management of…

Describes the usability study that was designed at Hampshire College (Massachusetts) to see whether students were successfully using the library's Web site, particularly for reference services. Emphasizes the need for retesting and discusses results of the usability testing, including an increase in Web site hits and database searches. (LRW)

The director of the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements describes the "Mental Measurements Yearbook,""Tests in Print," the institute's online database, its symposium, and symposium books. Suggestions to librarians for increasing effectiveness of service to users of tests are included. (Author/EM)

A pilot study at the University of Arizona library reports improvement in verification of questionable citations by using RLIN and OCLC as reference tools in place of print sources. A further full-scale study is planned. (RAA)

Describes the design and operation of a system that resulted from a project undertaken by a small specialized library to provide self-help for patrons seeking reference assistance. The areas of information available on the system are described, including standard reference titles, library holdings and services, reserve readings, and placement…

This study examined current information retrieval strategies used by online searchers involved in psychological research. A survey was distributed in fall 1988 to 200 database coordinators at institutions of higher education throughout the United States to obtain information on the databases accessed and use of multi-database options. The response…

These three essays describe the practical and administrative aspects of the implementation of computerized database searching at the Albany, Buffalo, and Stony Brook SUNY campuses. Originally prepared as papers for a conference of SUNY librarians, each essay focuses on one campus to address such questions as the number of patrons who use the…

A survey of business librarians at schools offering graduate degrees in business showed that: (1) most librarians search databases other then those related to business subjects; (2) most searches are for citations to articles; (3) most searches are paid for on a cost recovery basis; and (4) most librarians do searches for off-campus patrons.…

Explanation of enhancements of a new version of the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN II)--originally called BALLOTS-- focuses on reference applications of what is primarily a technical processing system, e.g., complementing searches, verification, union catalog, and interlibrary loan. Illustrative examples are provided. (EJS)