Compares Florida State University (FSU) and University of West Florida (UWF) library reference departments using a five-task model for strategic management in organizations. The libraries serve different kinds of users; one supports programs through the doctoral level and the other serves only bachelors' and masters' programs. They have similar…

Six articles discuss librarians as mediators in special circumstances. Highlights include the reference librarian and the information paraprofessional; effective reference mediation for nontraditional public library users, including mentally impaired patrons and illiterate adults; the academic librarian's role in the education process; and…

Describes a survey of CD-ROM users at the Pennsylvania State University library that was conducted to determine who the users were, which systems were most popular, how patrons perceived help available to them, and what types of instruction they wanted. Suggestions for improvements in service were also requested. (15 references) (LRW)

Six articles cover topics related to the impact of the Internet on reference services, including Internet's effect on communication between reference librarians; integrating the use of electronic resources with traditional reference duties; reference services and the virtual library; offering remote services; Internet instruction; and Internet…

Offers a model for choosing among CD-ROM, end user access, mediated online searching, or locally mounted files as alternatives for extending online catalogs and replacing printed indexes. Estimates of demand and comparisons of costs made at Trinity and Clemson Universities provide a quantitative framework for selection. (Contains four references.)…

Twelve articles describe the impact of library technologies on reference services. Staff training, the academic librarian as teacher and information provider, decision-making models for planning reference services, patron database access options, management of reference services, systemwide electronic access, and the electronic library are among…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 40 recent scholarly and general works of interest to reference workers in university libraries. Topics areas covered include philosophy, religion, language, literature, architecture, economics, law, area studies, Russia and the Soviet Union, women's studies, and Christopher Columbus. New editions and…

Discusses the training of professional and paraprofessional staff who do reference work in public, academic, and school libraries. The source-centered teaching approach versus teaching the search process is discussed, user needs are considered, and the use of Dewey Decimal Classification to teach the organization of the collection is described.…

This issue contains 12 articles that present library perspectives on information literacy. Topics discussed include critical thinking and bibliographic instruction (BI); learning style theory and reference desk interviews; teaching information retrieval to end users; library instruction for faculty; cognitive authority; question formulation…

Discusses the needs of multicultural students and examines the responses of three academic libraries in addressing those needs by developing support services. Examples of programs in library instruction, reference service, collection development, and academic program support are included; setting priorities is discussed; and the potential role of…

At Southeast Missouri State University, library handbooks have been developed in an effort to meet patron needs in an environment of reduced library staff. The first handbook, "Welcome to Kent Library," was developed to meet the needs of the revamped general education program, and was given free to first-year students in a required…

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…

Traditional reference service at the Creighton University Health Sciences Library/Learning Resources Center has been transformed into a vibrant, information dissemination system. Maintaining routine reference skills and developing new ones is standard practice. The furious pace of demand for information, and the growing "technicalness"…

These proceedings begin with four theme papers on civil rights, information technologies, the Information Society, and measures of success. Fifty-two contributed papers are then organized into seven broad subject areas: (1) academic librarianship (stereotypes of librarians, minority leadership, collegial leadership, curriculum reform, library…

For this kit, 119 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic libraries were surveyed to identify: (1) the practices in the area of information desks; (2) information desk staffing; (3) information desk functions; and (4) their relation to the other service points within the particular library. Responses were received from 87 libraries, some…