Guest columnist Paul D. Healey discusses World Wide Web as an Internet reference tool for librarians in adult reference services. Discussion highlights include an examination of Web uses in retrieving hypertext documents, a review of Web uses in law libraries, an analysis of quality control problems, and challenges faced by users. (JMV)

Four articles describe the usefulness of the Internet to reference librarians and discuss Internet search tools: "Getting Started on the Net" (Karen R. Diaz); "Gopher Searching Using VERONICA" (Lousie McGillis); "How to Use VERONICA To Find Information on the Internet" (Jackie Mardikian); and "The Internet…

Examines how technology has changed the library systems since the 1970s and 1980s. Asserts that information retrieval has gained a speed and immediacy that it did not have a decade ago, and that library users have expectations of convenience when using electronic information sources, which has caused reference librarians to rethink traditional…

The basics of online searching for bibliographic citations are presented through use of the "Economic Literature Index" (ELI), which is available as File 139 on Dialog Information Services. This article focuses on the choice of media for bibliographic searches, search strategies, and the selection of alternative databases, such as…

DIALOG, an interactive, computer-based information retrieval language, consists of a series of computer programs designed to make use of direct access memory devices in order to provide the user with a rapid means of identifying records within a specific memory bank. Using the system, a library user can be provided access to sixteen distinct and…

The utility of computer based on-line retrieval of material from the ERIC document files was tested by members of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Media and Technology at Stanford University and by the Region IX office of the U.S. Office of Education in San Francisco. The DIALOG retrieval system developed by the Information Sciences Group of…

Describes three ways in which libraries use computers to enhance reference services: "Answers," the community information and referral service at Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Massachusetts; the Hot Topics File at State University of New York/Oswego, Penfield Library; and features of RLIN and WLN databases which make them valuable…

Describes the VECM (Vocational Education Curriculum Materials) database and how it can help solve curriculum problems. Elements of this database are discussed: ease of entry and retrieval of information, how information is coded, equipment needed to gain entry, how to use the database, uniqueness of the database, and membership information. (CT)

Presents literature that describes the online negotiation process in general terms and summarizes views of authors who have dealt with the interview in the reference process. Specific aspects of the online negotiation interview and the measurement of user satisfaction are highlighted. Ninety-one references are cited. (EJS)

In order to determine the feasibility of offering free online searches to undergraduates at Texas A&M University's Evans Library, free searches were offered to selected technical writing classes. Student evaluation of the searches are provided and ways to make the service available to undergraduates are suggested. Ten references are cited.…

This study initiated service request sheets, evaluated reference services provided by the staff of the Cleveland Law Library (Cuyahoga County, Ohio) for the time period April-September, 1995. Five thousand and fifty-two questions were included in the study, of which 2,949 were of the type in which reference service was provided. The other 2,103…

Two approaches to informing engineering students of library resources are described. The first discusses the activities involved in presenting an overview of the library resources, and the second describes how to plan for student projects involving current topics of their choice. (SA)

Provides an introduction to World Wide Web search tools for reference services. Discusses characteristics of search services and types of tools available, including search engines/robot-generated databases, directories, metasearch engines, and review/rating sites. (AEF)

Explores current pressures for research libraries to adopt new technologies, myths that impede progress, the question of what resources and search strategies researchers tend to rely on, and attitudes of faculty toward librarians and library services. User needs, convenience, and timeliness in providing library services are emphasized, and…

Examines the changing role of reference and bibliographic instruction librarians in undergraduate education. Topics include teaching students how to find information; faculty resistance to library instruction; students' ability to evaluate information sources, including information on the Internet; and computer-based instruction. (LRW)