Many of the programs developed by the Library of Congress have been created for the benefit of libraries in the United States, and represent a specialized form of federal aid. (Author)

Describes the introduction of an online searching service at the Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College (Rhode Island). Highlights include the acquisition of a microcomputer, vendor choice, cost considerations, setting up the workstation and establishing procedures, search sessions, and benefits to all elements of college community. Twelve…

Defines and describes formal cooperative library reference services and discusses the major variables that produce differences in cooperative reference networks: size, composition, funding, services, delivery mechanisms, control methods, and resources. (Author/LLS)

Provides a general overview of library automation and a number of suggestions to assist in making decisions about automation in small academic libraries. Three areas of automation are discussed--reference service, circulation, and technical processes--with emphasis on the planning process, implementation, and evaluation. (CLB)

Survey of 56 public reference librarians from New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania reveals that they perceive reference service as comprising question answering (34 percent); locating information (30 percent); service (17 percent); providing materials (7 percent); aiding readers in library use (4 percent); telephone referral (2 percent); 100 percent…

Examines the theory and application of zero base budgeting (ZBB) and presents an example of ZBB in an academic library reference department, illustrating the preparation of a budget proposal and demonstrating the different approaches to staffing for reference services and varying funding levels. (FM)

The advent of deinstitutionalization and consumer health advocacy has spelled changes in mental health information seeking by general public, by families of mentally ill, and by the mentally ill themselves. Their information needs have implications for academic and public libraries and libraries in psychiatric facilities and general hospitals. (14…

Three articles examine the effects technology is having on academic library reference services and bibliographic instruction. Highlights include discussions of current and future reference librarian roles, specifically the "human touch" aspect of reference; and examples of reference services undergoing technological advancement and those that have…

OhioLINK (Ohio Library and Information Network) is transforming library and information access at 35 universities and colleges in Ohio. Document delivery, resource sharing, collection development, and reference and research database access are all undergoing rapid evolution and expansion. This model can be put into operation at other consortia.…

Suggests ways in which school, public, and special libraries can cope with television related demands, from circulating books promoted or dramatized on television to videotaping local events, as well as cooperating with local stations to provide information services to listeners. The current situation of public and cable television is also…

The activities of the Vermont Department of Libraries in library cooperation are outlined. (PF)

Librarians must be alert to the local information needs of library users, and must also develop library instruction programs to help patrons make more effective use of the library. (LS)

Examines some of the issues that public libraries have had to deal with in delineating and pursuing as a specific organizational goal the provision of access to information. The perspective adopted is historical but not strictly chronological. Thirty-six references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Identifies the advantages and limitations of online search services offered by libraries, cautioning the searcher and user to consider and evaluate all options before performing online search. The librarian's responsibility to solve the user's information problem in a desirable way is discussed. Five references are listed. (EJS)

Considers the need for academic libraries to measure the effectiveness of reference services on an ongoing basis, and discusses factors to be considered in the planning, design, implementation, and analysis of various assessment methods. The different evaluation criteria for reference staff, bibliographic instruction, and online services are…