Describes a Delphi study conducted to determine factors that affect the process of routing and assigning reference questions received electronically by digital reference services, both to experts within the service and between services. Fifteen factors were determined, by expert consensus, to be important at the conclusion of this study.…

Discusses the use of pathfinders, i.e., bibliographic tools designed to assist patrons in locating published information in specific fields by themselves. Use of pathfinders as teaching tools and special suggestions for their development by public libraries are noted. A pathfinder on personal financial management is included. (EJS)

The results of a questionnaire to determine art scholars' needs isolates areas in art bibliography and art librarianship that seem to be deficient. Specific bibliographic tools and an evaluation of art librarians are discussed. (12 references) (Author/DH)

The effects of personal systems on formal library and secondary information services use are analyzed. Conclusions are that personal information systems are not personalized libraries;'' formal library services should concentrate on developing complimentary programs. (9 references) (Author)

Reference service is defined as the mediation by a librarian between the need structures of users and the structures of information resources. The general process by which reference librarians accomplish this is outlined as including the phases of question clarification, question translation, search strategy formulation, search execution, delivery…

Online bibliographic searching provides an alternative to the traditional manual literature search to access the already large and rapidly growing literature on agriculture. The advantages of online searching over manual searching are greater speed, increased accuracy, and the capability of searching for any combination of topics at once. The…

Provides an annotated listing of various Internet sites, many that are starting points for exploration of specific health subject areas. Special considerations for locating and selecting health and medicine resources are also provided. (Author)

The Congressional Research Service, founded in 1914, is staffed by 542 research specialists who provide information services solely to the legislative function of the United States Government. The Congressional Reference Division and seven subject divisions--American Law Division, Economic Division, Education and Public Welfare Division,…

The main sections of the text treat philosophy, religion, visual arts, performing arts, and language and literature, using the following pattern for each of these five area: (1) trends, (2) accessing information, and (3) principal information sources. Background information about the history and development of the field is presented in each…

Describes resources to use for biology questions and provides search strategies for reference questions involving specific nomenclature. Highlights include nomenclature; common names versus scientific names; locating books and journal articles; and core reference sources. (Author/AEF)

This guide is a recapitulation of the substantive content of a one-and-a-half day course which was given before three groups of Federal scientists and engineers. The purpose of the course was to train and inform working scientists and engineers as to the most direct and efficient means of seeking and acquiring information. A problem-solving…

This essay extends observations made by the author to Dan Marmion, in his editorial, "The Bully Pulpit" ("Information Technology and Libraries," June 1999). The author makes the point that sometimes a user can find an answer to a reference question more efficiently and effectively in a print source, sometimes in an electronic source, and sometimes…

The basics of online searching for bibliographic citations are presented through use of the "Economic Literature Index" (ELI), which is available as File 139 on Dialog Information Services. This article focuses on the choice of media for bibliographic searches, search strategies, and the selection of alternative databases, such as…

Describes the VECM (Vocational Education Curriculum Materials) database and how it can help solve curriculum problems. Elements of this database are discussed: ease of entry and retrieval of information, how information is coded, equipment needed to gain entry, how to use the database, uniqueness of the database, and membership information. (CT)

Two approaches to informing engineering students of library resources are described. The first discusses the activities involved in presenting an overview of the library resources, and the second describes how to plan for student projects involving current topics of their choice. (SA)