The resources of thousands of books and pamphlets are housed in countless libraries throughout the United States; librarians codify, classify, and circulate these materials in ways that are often mysterious to library users. There are many ways to reduce this element of mystery: effective service at the reference desk; prominent signs and…

Reference librarians must, if they hope to survive, retool in preparation for becoming the interface between the patron and computer-based information systems. This involves sharpening the interview technique and understanding where to plug into the information flow process. (4 references) (Author)

The Machine Readable Collections Reading Room of the Library of Congress is described with an emphasis on the reference assistance required and how it compares with assistance required in other areas of the Library of Congress. The interaction between users and librarians is shown to be like that of bibliographic instruction. (EAM)

Because of the emphasis placed upon selection of materials for the undergraduate in the last two decades, the library needs of graduate students have not been given adequate attention. Due to research and specialized methods of teaching, graduate students search for a broad range of material instead of using reading lists and course reserves. In…

Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of patrons and reference librarians as sources of data for the evaluation of the effectiveness of answers to reference questions. Describes the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation program and considers staffing patterns, time spent, collection size, and bibliographic instruction. Reference Transaction…

Outlines the history and curriculum of Stuyvesant High School, and describes both the intellectually gifted student body and the role played by the school's library media center. Topics discussed include the library facility; its collections; library instruction; reference services; and plans for the future. (CLB)

An investigation of the school and public libraries in Newport, New Hampshire was conducted to determine the kinds of cooperation which would lead to the best possible service for users. The following major recommendations were made. First, it was suggested that the Advisory Council on Libraries created for the study, be maintained, and that a…

Prepared to provide guidance in the provision of reference service, this statement expresses the understanding between the library administration and the Reference Services Department of Ellis Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia concerning the manner in which the department's responsibilities are to be carried out. The procedures will…

Prepared to inform and update Boston College faculty and administrative personnel on the impact of automation and resource sharing on the Boston College library system and the services it provides, this report contains sections on: OCLC and its interlibrary loan subsystem; the consortia in which the Boston College libraries participate; present…

This workbook is designed to introduce the Harvey A. Andruss Library at Bloomsburg University (Pennsylvania) to a novice user. It is one component in a self-paced unit in library instruction which also includes an exercise book and a computerized tour of the library. Chapter 1 is concerned with the orientation of the library and covers its…

Provides an overview of the basic components of a digital library. Highlights include library collections; metadata; services, including information seeking and retrieval, reference query fulfillment, and user training; user interaction with digital libraries, including searching, browsing, and navigation; economic support; maintenance;…

Produced as part of a formal library review process, this publication reports the results of a 1981 survey of approximately 1000 undergraduates, postgraduates, and academic staff at the Australian National University (ANU) to determine their use of and satisfaction with facilities, materials, and services provided by ANU's library system. A high…

This College Library Information Packet (CLIP) Note surveys training programs in small and medium-sized academic libraries. In August 1995, 265 small and medium-sized academic libraries were sent a questionnaire; the response rate was 78% (n=206). A comprehensive analysis of survey results is followed by examples of training documentation…

This report examines the institutionalization of library services for distance education students at four educational institutions in British Columbia, and provides an overview of the status of distance library services in British Columbia by comparing those services with distance library service provided elsewhere in Canada. The development and…

This book covers the role, purpose, and philosophy related to each of the major functional areas of library public service. This sixth edition, on the presumption that most people know the basic facts about computer hardware, does not include the chapter (in the previous edition) on computer basics, and instead integrated specific technological…