This study, which was conducted at the University of Quebec over a period of six months, focuses on four systems for online information retrieval that are available to users at the university and provide access to some of the same databases: BRS (Bibliographic Retrieval Services Inc.), CAN/OLE (Canadian On-Line Inquiry), Lockheed DIALOG, and…

Describes the addition of a collection management module to an advanced reference course in the arts and humanities, and reports the preliminary findings of a practicum that used the Research Libraries Group Conspectus as a basis for collection analysis in the humanities for a university library. (Author/CLB)

Deals with the difficulties that arise in overcoming the physical and bibliographic problems of microform government publications. Areas discussed include accessing documents, arranging collections, and type of physical facilities and equipment needed. Practical suggestions for promoting use of microforms documents are given. (Author/EM)

Proposes and investigates feasibility of using three new variables in addition to simple activity counts in measuring reference services: (1) user questioning regardless of where activity occurs; (2) treating individual user and question as unit of analysis; and (3) examination of questioning in context of other library use. (11 references) (EJS)

Use of online bibliographic databases as ready-reference sources was evaluated in five-month study at three reference areas in University of Arizona Library. Equipment and training requirements were analyzed, and statistics were collected on databases searched, costs per search, question type, and patron and staff reactions. Ready-reference…

Needs assessment in legislative libraries has three critical components: a well-thought out strategy to identify what should be understood about Members' research and information needs, expectations and preferences; a range of reliable, effective and appropriate methods to find this critical information; and ways of building what is learned into…

Academic libraries and schools of library and information studies (LIS) may, by using LIS students to staff an information desk as fieldwork for a basic reference course, collaborate to provide useful educational experiences to LIS students and reliable reference service to library users. (Author/AEF)

Examines three publications as guides for evaluating library reference services and the potential of one for the development of children's services. Highlights include public library planning, limitations, output measures for children's materials and information services, and the library role. (AEF)

Explores library-user infatuation with electronic resources, the rapid growth of electronic resources and their impact on traditional reference services, and reference services in an electronic society. Discusses a survey of 200 academic libraries investigating electronic resources and their impact on library personnel, especially on…

A quantitative study of a university chat reference service (online synchronous) addresses the following research questions: (1) What types of questions are being asked? (2) Who is asking the questions of the service? and (3) Did the customers get correct answers to their questions? All the transcripts (351) from January through August 2002 were…

This study investigates the availability and practicality of using affordable commercial document delivery systems instead of conventional interlibrary loan (ILL) to provide California State College, Bakersfield (CSB), Library users with periodical literature from off-site locations. The purpose, limits, conceptual framework, and importance of the…

This report summarizes research undertaken at the Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A & M University to assess the impact that end user information retrieval systems may have on library staff and users. Two systems, BRS/After Dark and Search Helper, were made available in the library for end user searching at no cost. A total of 260 users…

The purpose of the investigation was to develop and test an audio-tutorial program for a course in Basic Reference. The design of the investigation was a posttest-only-control group design with 63 students randomly assigned to either an audio-tutorial or a lecture group. Data were collected and analyzed using a t-test for two groups and four…

Goals of this analysis of the community and its library users in Canton, Ohio, were to: (1) examine the community served and not served by the district reference department; (2) examine types of services provided for users by the department; (3) design a service policy; (4) make recommendations for service improvements; and (5) formulate action…

Discussion of issues concerned with providing library reference services to machine readable data files focuses on numeric databases. The team approach used at the University of Florida, which incorporates reference librarians, programers and data managers, database producers and vendors, and professional associations, is described. A bibliography…