Women's studies faculty often engage in complex information-seeking patterns as they examine social issues from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. Academic librarians constructing an understanding of those patterns in order to provide effective reference service can incorporate the results of this national, qualitative study…

Discusses integration of the government publications reference collection into the central reference collection at the University of Arizona library. Topics include the integration process, training methods, the training program effectiveness survey, perceptions of competence in reference provision, and an assessment of government documents…

Presents questions for evaluating a media center's reference section, focused on types of resources; reference-material evaluation criteria and items that belong in or are misplaced in the reference section; relocating materials and ensuring use of newly classified materials; and how to collect data on usage of resources. (AEF)

Discussion of virtual reference services focuses on software that is currently available and further developments that are needed. Topics include co-browsing and collaboration capabilities; communications technology, including chat technology and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP); networked reference services; and online reference collections…

This guide provides a review of the relevant literature on desalination within the collections of the Library of Congress. While not intended as a comprehensive bibliography, this guide is designed as a quick and ready reference source for the reader, and includes the following sections: (1) articles that provide introductions to the topic of…

This collection includes four handouts: (1) "Selection Critria Considerations for Computer-Based Resources" (Linda B. Richardson); (2) "Software Collection Policies in Academic Libraries" (a 24-item bibliography, Jane W. Johnson); (3) "Circulation and Security of Software" (a 19-item bibliography, Sara Elizabeth Williams); and (4) "Bibliography of…

This guidebook and annotated bibliography is designed to provide a basic listing of sources of state (Maryland), federal, and some general law for the non-law library community, and to offer some insight into the suggested approaches for dealing with legal reference inquiries. Listings of contributors and members of the Task Force on Improving…

Participants in a workshop on the ethics and problems of medical reference service in public libraries generally concluded that people have a right to information concerning health and librarians should rely on common sense in answering medical reference questions and refrain from interpretation and diagnosis. Presentations included a report on a…

An automated retrieval system for reference works was constructed as a prototype in order to illustrate the capabilities and potentialities of future retrieval systems. More than 170 biographical works were indexed and stored in a computer disk to form a biographical data base, and a computer program was written to match patron queries. Consistent…

The purpose of this work is to provide librarians and students with a guide to Canadian reference material divided into the following fields: general reference works, the humanities, science, and the social sciences. It is a selective guide only, and does not aim at completeness. The material covers Canada in general, the ten provinces, the…

This annotated bibliography of materials dealing with the evaluation of library reference services is arranged by category including literature success, quality, and accuracy of answers; cost and task analysis; interviews and communication; classification of reference questions; reference collections; staff availability; use and nonuse of…

Differing perspectives of reference collection development librarians and publishers are presented for the following topics: fairness of pricing trends; best/worst ways to communicate about new reference titles; deciding which sources should be published; impact of electronic materials on reference services; deciding on/selecting formats; and…

Gives a general overview of selected reference resources dealing with ethnic and gender studies available on the Web and presents an annotated list of sources. Studies are broken into African and African American Studies; Asian and Asian American Studies; Latino/Chicano Studies; Native American Studies; Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Studies; Men's…

Describes Internet reference resources in language and literature. Includes general literature sites; language dictionaries; language resources; electronic text collections; author information and criticism; poetry; folklore and mythology; and children's literature. (AEF)

Presents a selection of Web-based reference resources in the earth and physical sciences, focusing in particular on geology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and weather. Sites listed are those likely to be of broad interest, and most or all of the contents of the resources listed are available for free. (Author)