This assessment of 62 reference sources that contain information on U.S. art (classical) music of the twentieth century examines the following categories of sources: (1) Pilot Sources; (2) Lexica; (3) Histories and Chronologies; (4) Gesamtausgaben, Denkmaler, and Thematic catalogs; (5) Indexes and Bibliographies of Literature; (6) Lists of Music…

Rectangular Venn diagramming for planning searches and for use as worksheets that can be revised during on-line searching is described. (Author)

Discusses results of an empirical study of the library reference assistance process that indicate the need to incorporate a select strategy that librarians use in the choice of appropriate information sources. The reference process is examined, a model is presented, and the survey instruments and examples of reference transactions are appended.…

Reviews Web-search tools available to librarians. Discusses the Clever project, (part of the Computer Science Principles and Methodologies Department at the IBM Almaden Research Center, Silicon Valley, California), an algorithm that finds authoritative sources on the Web; Google technology, based on links between Web pages; Ask Jeeves, a…

Discusses the portions of the World Wide Web that cannot be accessed via directories or search engines, explains why they can't be accessed, and offers suggestions for reference librarians to find these sites. Lists helpful resources and gives examples of invisible Web sites which are often databases. (LRW)

Eighteen scholarly papers and eighteen abstracts comprise the content of the 8th "Brick and Click Libraries Symposium," held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship. Many of the…

Described on the agenda as "An Omnium Gatherum for Reference Librarians," this workshop presented by the staff of the Bay Area Reference Center (BARC) cites resources and explains search strategies used by BARC to respond to the types of questions most frequently submitted to them. Methods and tools that may be used by smaller libraries to answer…

Describes an instructional model for teaching the optimization of search strategies based on a small group of related reference tools. (PF)

This study examined the importance of negative searching, or searching to discover topics not previously explored in writing, and its oversight in the library literature. A survey of university faculty revealed a tendency to view negative searching as necessary to scholarly endeavors, but an online literature search showed little discussion of…

A Pathfinder functions as a step-by-step instructional tool which introduces a library user to the variety of information sources availabel in research libraries. (Author/NH)

Considers a definition of online searching and discusses each of these factors--training, search aids, physical setting, search request form, interview and profile construction, terminal session, search evaluation, document delivery, professional reading, and online user groups. Eighteen sources are cited. (EJS)

Identifies the advantages and limitations of online search services offered by libraries, cautioning the searcher and user to consider and evaluate all options before performing online search. The librarian's responsibility to solve the user's information problem in a desirable way is discussed. Five references are listed. (EJS)

Comments based on actual reference use of Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN II)--formerly BALLOTS--in a library environment focus on RLIN files, interlibrary loan, search keys, and subject searches. This article updates a description of BALLOTS as it was developed by Stanford University to support cataloging and acquisitions (Online,…

Reviews some examples of library searches for both specified documents and specified subjects, and considers the distribution of library resources in relation to varying patterns of searches. (FM)

Describes the use of CD-ROM products containing company and industrial information for job searches and career planning. Examples of potential applications are provided, and search capabilities are examined. Brief descriptions of several products are presented, including a database of Security and Exchange Commission filings, Disclosure, Lotus One…