A survey of reference librarians working in 114 public libraries in metropolitan Chicago was conducted in 1983 to determine their acceptance of specific community information and referral (I&R) services, as defined by Thomas Childers in his nationwide survey of public libraries in 1978. A total of 106 responses to the 1983 survey were…

This study explored the relationship between expanded information and referral (I&R) services and traditional reference services in public libraries in North Carolina. Results show librarians feel I&R services should be limited to those closely related to traditional reference services. Other I&R services typically provided by social…

Reports on an evaluation of the higher levels of California's statewide reference referral network that involved an unobtrusive method utilizing existing records of actual reference transactions evaluated by panel of judges. Reference evaluation methods, findings of other studies, and other uses of the method are discussed. (Nineteen references…

A 2-phase study evaluated the existing reference referral network in California, and developed and evaluated two alternative designs, one organization-based and the other formula-based. The evaluation phase consisted of the following tasks: (1) a survey of all public libraries and cooperative systems of the state regarding their priorities for and…

This study was the first phase of a multiple phase project to generate knowledge about the creation and rapid growth of information and referral (I&R) services in public libraries in the United States in the late 1960s and the 1970s. I&R service is defined as facilitating the link between a person with a need and the resources outside a library to…

This 2-volume report measures and records the use of 16 public library children's services in Connecticut to provide management information and a model to improve the quality of services from collection development to the provision of reference and referral services. The first volume discusses the purposes of the project; examines documentation…

This study surveys the current involvement of public libraries in the provision of information and referral services to the communities they serve. Data were gathered via questionnaire from 125 public libraries nationwide to ascertain their level of involvement in advocacy, case management or tracking, direct client interviewing, escort services,…

Highlights data from unobtrusive exploratory study related to referral process of reference questions posed at academic depository libraries. Related literature is reviewed, followed by discussions of assumptions related to referral process, implications of study findings, recommendations to improve quality of referral services, and research…

This study is the second of a two-phase survey of public library information and referral (I&R) service. In this phase, seven public libraries offering I&R services were studied in depth to provide descriptions of their operations, organizational factors, and the reactions of their users. Organizational factors and operations were studied through…

A survey of 92 corporate and government libraries in Victoria, Australia, reveals that 64.8% were restructured over the last 5 years. Reasons for outsourcing; services being outsourced; the impact of budgets; and the use of service fees are examined. (AEF)