Categorizes and compares sample of public and academic library reference questions. (KP)

The results of a survey on the nature and functions of information desks in large academic and public libraries are examined with respect to the functions, staffing patterns, and times of service. The survey expands and updates Kleiner's 1967 study. (JB)

Florida's Ask a Librarian service (http://www.askalibrarian.org) brings virtual reference to users at their moment of need via the Internet. Ask a Librarian is a growing service with 76 participating libraries including public, school, four-year, and community college libraries. The following article describes how Ask a Librarian was developed…

The objectives of the study were to determine the extent and nature of unmet needs of users of reference and research library resources and to propose measures to meet those needs. Data on research library use were collected by 3 questionnaires sent to 4 groups of users: 1) all faculty members of 4-year public and private institutions of higher…

Most of the statistics reported in this Service Record were supplied by the U.S. Office of Education (USOE), National Center for Educational Statistics. USOE compiled the statistics from the information available in the library section of its 1971 Higher Education General Information Survey. The statistics reported are for the 1970/71 school year.…

Technological developments of the past twenty years have resulted in renewed interest in book-form catalogs. Users were surveyed at two libraries to determine that their satisfaction with bibliographical data, entry points, and physical form. (17 references) (Author/DH)

The Cooperative Information Network (CIN) was formed in 1972 to respond as totally as possible to the informational needs of individuals, governmental units, and businesses located within Santa Clara County, California. A network of TWX machines links all types of libraries in the county. Libraries joining the system agree to respond as quickly as…

A new library in San Jose opened on August 1, 2003. This library is the result of a unique collaboration between San Jose State University Library and the San Jose Public Library. The planning for this new library highlighted merging several key areas of operation, including Government Publications. Several years before the two libraries merged,…

Discusses the controversy over whether or not libraries should charge fees for online bibliographic services, reviews the evidence for imposing fees, for maintaining free services, and outlines the relevance of certain sections of the United States Code to decisions concerning the provision of information. Twenty-four references are included. (JL)

The New York State Library is conducting two regional pilot programs to provide on-line information services to public, academic, and special library patrons. These procedures and guidelines were written for reference librarians in participating libraries who will act as the intermediaries between their patrons and the search analysts at the State…

Describes three ways in which libraries use computers to enhance reference services: "Answers," the community information and referral service at Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Massachusetts; the Hot Topics File at State University of New York/Oswego, Penfield Library; and features of RLIN and WLN databases which make them valuable…

The Ohio State Library developed a TWX Interlibrary Loan (TWXIL) pilot project in 1971 in order to: (1) produce information that would be helpful in the design and operation of a reference and information network, and (2) produce improvements in library services and sharing of existing resources through the strengthening and limited extension of…

The Colorado Plan for Library Development is intended to serve as a general guide for the development of library service in the state. The Plan, which includes a number of recommendations from the Nelson Associates Report of 1965 (ED 020 746), was drafted by a committee representing the Colorado Council for Library Development, the Colorado…

Designed to assist smaller libraries in selecting suitable reference materials for their collections, this annual review source identifies and describes 538 of the most useful and affordable reference sources available. The reviews cover reference titles published in 1998. Detailed annotations describe the nature, scope, and usability of each…

Describes the minority internship program at the Bowling Green State University library from the intern's perspective. Highlights include working at various branch libraries as well as a public library; library staff orientation; committee work to promote multiculturalism; and personal assessment of the program. (LRW)