The two types of ethics with which this paper is concerned are: (1) those directly related to policies or attitudes of reference service in relation to inquiries which are symptomatic of current social change and (2) those associated with the quality of individualized reference service. (Author/NH)

Fiscal austerity in libraries has forced some administrators to consider alternatives such as computerized reference services or non-professional staff at the reference desk for reducing the cost of professional reference service. (JAB)

Describes what is happening concerning developmental information service guidelines published by the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) of the American Library Association (ALA) in 1976 and discusses evaluation guidelines for reference/information services of libraries. (Author/JD)

Points out the innovative nature of the American Library Association "Guidelines for Information Services." (PF)

Contains the text of the American Library Association Reference and Adult Services Division's guidelines entitled "A Commitment to Information Services." (PF)

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…

Facilitation of interpersonal communication between patron and librarian is central to reference librarianship. (LS)

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)

Presents results of a telephone survey of 30 librarians from rural Pennsylvanian public libraries conducted by the Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship at Clarion State College, Pennsylvania. Average population served, hours of service, book collection size, and questions asked are noted. Seven references are cited. (EJS)

This research report presents the results of a survey of public libraries that serve areas where populations are 25,000 or fewer individuals. The long range goal of the study was to gather data that would help to initially describe some of the circumstances in which and because of which rural information services exist and endure. Questionnaires…

The research that is reported was done to describe some of the conditions under which or because of which information service is provided in small, rural public libraries, and suggests some of the problems that are endemic to such service. (Author/FM)