Extra-library information services are helping libraries find solutions to the problems created by the changes in the information environment, the demand for current information, and the media by which the knowledge is distributed. There are three types of these services: (1) document handling systems, (2) data handling systems, and (3)…

This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the telephone reference service of a university library. Questions were called in by volunteers to several different divisions of the library to try to determine: (a) factual accuracy of responses, (b) level of interviewing by the staff person, and (c) attitude of the staff person. Results of the study…

Identifying and describing hundreds of the most valuable and up-to-date references for smaller libraries and media centers, this book can help librarians build better reference collections and answer everyday reference questions with confidence. Approximately 500 titles have been selected from "American Reference Books Annual" (Libraries…

Provides a guide to selective Economics reference Internet sites. Included are sections on statistical resources, international data, working papers and other sites of interest to economists. (Author)

Discusses the Media Awareness Network, a Web site established by the National Film Board of Canada and designed to provide the latest media-related news; information about media education workshops and other media Web sites; subject specific teaching units; and updates on government policy related to violence, pornography, copyright, and hate…

Discussion of reference services for children and child-related questions focuses on examples encountered at the San Francisco Bay Area regional reference center. Highlights include sharing resources, online searching, telephone inquiries, using adult reference sources, the use of specialized collections, and using the Internet. (LRW)

Examines whether library reference staff are cognizant of newspapers as a potential source of reference information, and explores what happens when library staff members make referrals--often a sign that they do not know the answer to the question themselves. Discusses results of a recent study of public libraries in Canada which revealed that…

The Perseus Digital Library (PDL), under continuous development since 1987, is one of the primary digital resources for the humanities. A summary of the PDL genesis and current status is given and the multifaceted and longitudinal evaluation effort is described. A brief synthesis of results is provided and reflections on the evaluation along with…

Outlines a study to develop methods to assess the quality of digital reference services, test and refine measures and quality standards to describe digital reference services, and to produce a guidebook that describes how to collect and report data for these measures and standards. (Author/AEF)

This manual provides detailed instructions for using SilverPlatter software to search the ERIC CD ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a large bibliographic database relating to education which contains reference information on numerous journal articles from over 750 journals cited in the "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE),…

This guide and annotated bibliography is designed to introduce sociology students to the basic research tools in their field that are available in the Fogler Library at the University of Maine. Brief explanations and examples are provided of the relevant Library of Congress subject headings and call numbers used in Fogler Library, as well as the…

The Statewide Film Library Network developed this procedural appendix for use by staff members of participating libraries so that they could organize their procedures along lines compatible with the system. The general objectives of the manual are to indicate steps in sending and receiving messages within the Network, to suggest methods for the…

The guide identifies approximately 100 anthropology source materials in the reference department of McLennan Library at McGill University. It was designd to help students doing anthropological research and to illustrate the variety of materials on social and cultural anthropology in the McLennan Library. Physical anthropolgy, linguistics, and…

The main sections of the text treat philosophy, religion, visual arts, performing arts, and language and literature, using the following pattern for each of these five area: (1) trends, (2) accessing information, and (3) principal information sources. Background information about the history and development of the field is presented in each…

Chronicles the development of the legislative reference services of the Library of Congress and briefly describes the current Congressional Research Service, which resulted from legislative acts passed in 1946 and 1970. (CLB)