Senior marketing research students conducted an unobtrusive survey of reference services at Central Missouri State University, and found 74% of reference transactions rated satisfactory or very satisfactory. Focus groups suggested including library information in freshman orientation packets, providing reference help during the day, and requiring…

Presents a guide, intended as a handout, to help students and business researchers with basic citation forms when they need to cite electronic reference sources in their writing. Presents guidelines for both American Psychological Association and Modern Language Association styles. (SR)

Assesses the current state of reference structures in online public access catalogs (OPACs) in a framework defined by stagnation, progress, and future challenges. Outlines six areas for reference structure development. Twenty figures provide illustrations. (AEF)

Examines issues of viability and necessity regarding the Open System Interconnections (OSI) reference service model with a view on future developments. Discusses problems with the standards; conformance testing; OSI bureaucracy; standardized communications; security; the transport level; applications; the stakeholders (communications providers,…

Key architecture reference sites are highlighted and discussed and grouped into the following areas: directory and biographical information, bibliographical databases, architectural education, product information, databases of buildings, and search engines. (Author)

The Activity Matching Ability System (AMAS) is a computer- based system that helps place disabled persons in suitable jobs. Discusses the assessment of job activities and of individuals to perform those activities, the matching process, benefits of using AMAS, recruitment and selection, planning, placement, identification of training needs, and…

Draws on theory from linguistics (particularly speech act theory), philosophy, and cognitive science to show how the ambiguous nature of "why" questions may lead to unproductive or even hostile responses in the reference interview. Suggests two main strategies for resolving this conflict, contextualization and the use of neutral…

Describes the Information Commons at Solano Community College in Suisun, California, which was envisioned as a 'one-stop' access to all electronic resources for students to use in support of learning. States that, as the commons is located in the library, students have direct access to printed resources that are not available online, as well as…

Discusses electronic reference in libraries and how it has changed over the years with changes in computer technology. Explains technical background and history as well as library and reference impact for three stages in the development of electronic reference: the need for search intermediaries, the emergence of CD-ROMs, and user access to…

Discusses library Web sites and explains some of the benefits when libraries make their sites into reference portals, linking them to other useful Web sites. Topics include print versus Web information sources; limitations of search engines; what Web sites to include, including criteria for inclusions; and organizing the sites. (LRW)

Considers problem library patrons in a virtual environment based on experiences at California Institute of Technology's Web site and its use for virtual reference. Discusses the virtual reference desk concept; global visibility and access to the World Wide Web; problematic email; and advantages in the electronic environment. (LRW)

Discusses a secondary analysis of a user survey from 13 public libraries to isolate factors that contribute to high levels of performance by reference librarians and to identify reliable indicators that can be used to measure and evaluate reference services. Examined user ratings of reference services by transaction type, either self-generated or…

Discusses the usefulness of the World Wide Web to answer reference questions as compared to print sources, based on a study of 104 reference questions. Topics include timeliness of the information, search engines, bookmarks, current versus noncurrent information needs, and time spent on searching. (LRW)

One of the two major ways of interpreting LibQUAL+[TM] data involves placing perceived service quality ratings within "zones of tolerance" defined as the distances between minimally-acceptable and desired service quality levels. This study compared zones of tolerance on the 25 LibQUAL+[TM] items across undergraduate, graduate student and…