After 10 years of experience, the Santa Monica Public Library (SMPL) advocates e-mail reference as an essential service that provides a personalized, convenient, and accessible service for a growing constituency. Discussion includes e-mail reference service parameters and challenges and opportunities. Presents suggestions for public libraries just…

Discusses "Night Owl," a Maryland public library's after hours telephone reference service. Issues include project start-up, user profiles, types of questions, volume, after hours reference accessibility, security, costs, service limits, publicity, staffing, and employee turnover. Similar services in other states are cited. (Contains six…

Examines the effect of information technology on library school curriculum, the role of reference librarians in public libraries, reference services, and user access to information. Identifies four limitations that may affect the service given by reference librarians: subject knowledge, language, cultural literacy, and logical inference…

Discusses and compares the incorporation of technology by larger public libraries in Canada and the United States. Technology mentioned includes online public access catalogs; remote and local online database searching; microcomputers and software for public use; and fax, voice mail, and Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf and Teletype writer…

Includes three articles that consider the effects of the Internet on public library reference services. Highlights include the reliability of Internet information sources, its timeliness as a tool for information access and dissemination, the Internet as change agent for libraries; reference publishing, helping the searcher refine requests, and an…