The introduction to a special issue on locally loaded databases in online library systems discusses three trends in using technology to provide greater access to materials available in library collections: unification of local collections; access to outside resources; and inclusion of reference works and full text in online catalogs. (three…

Like any well-run company deciding on what products and services to offer, a good library should pay attention to customer demand when it is building its business reference collection. What kind of information do business patrons want? Most are looking for company and industry details: a corporate address or name of an officer, financial data for…

The number of electronic resources has climbed up steadily in recent times. Some of these e-resources are reference sources, mostly in Science, Technology and Medicine (STM), which publishers convert to electronic for obvious reasons. The library budgets for materials usually have two main lines, budget for one time purchase (monographs) and…

This annotated bibliography focuses on, but is not limited to, reference sources on education found in the library at St. Bonaventure University, New York. The ERIC database leads the list of leading education reference sources. Also mentioned are the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors" and the Academic Index (InfoTrak) computer system.…

Examines the increasing information value of government documents as resource materials, the effects of information technology on access to government documents, and the resulting need for cooperation among archivists and librarians in selection and administration of these materials. (CLB)

Discusses the growing importance of machine readable data files (MRDFs) as library reference tools, and describes the policies and services for MRDFs developed at the University of Florida libraries. Guidelines to selecting, acquiring, and planning for MRDFs are appended, along with examples of ERIC records for MRDFs. (four references) (CLB)

Describes the historical and present roles of the prison library, as well as the nature of the prison librarian position. Identifies and analyzes the obstacles confronting a prison librarian when selecting academic materials and making those materials accessible to prisoners. (AEF)

The 207 research papers listed in this bibliography were prepared by members of the Archivist Career Training Program from 1975-1991. Individual papers are listed alphabetically by author within the year in which they were produced. These papers provide information on various aspects of the National Archives, including presidential, federal,…

The 158 research papers listed in this bibliography were prepared by members of the Archivist Career Training Program from 1978-1990. Individual papers are listed alphabetically by author within the year in which they were produced. These papers provide information on various aspects of the National Archives, including presidential, federal,…

Outlines prevalent electronic information pricing models along with their strengths and weaknesses. Highlights include full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts; pure head counts; print plus fee; concurrent users; IP (information provider) classes; by transaction, connect time or retrieval; other factors, e.g., total budget and materials budget;…

Discussion of ready reference and current events collections in high school libraries focuses on a comparison of two CD-ROM services, EBSCO Topic Search and the SIRS Researcher. Considers licensing; access; search strategies; viewing articles; currency; printing; added value features; and advantages of CD-ROMs. (LRW)

Purpose of this study was to examine whether data collected locally by biology faculty at a large research university may provide a better indicator of journals they value than data compiled over a broad geographic area, to relate those journal issues cited by faculty to the holdings of the library, and to determine how faculty access articles…

Discusses sources of information useful to teacher-librarians regarding the use of CD-ROMs in schools. Highlights include "CMC News" ("Computers and the Media Center"), the most popular CD-ROM titles in use, the increase in CD-ROM ownership, and primary use of CD-ROMs for reference and current information access. (LRW)

Prepared by the reference faculty of the Ramsey Library at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, this guide is the primary text for Bibliography 101, a one-hour course designed to help undergraduate students acquire basic understandings of the range of information resources available, how information is organized, and how it can be…

Discusses the use of the Internet for ready reference and considers limitations, reference policy, and cost issues. Highlights include general reference sources; database searching on the Internet; Gopher; bibliographic control and access to Internet resources; personnel issues; and levels of service. (Contains 30 references.) (LRW)