This report describes a project which evaluated five IBM and Macintosh bibliographic formatting software programs--ProCite, Sci-Mate, Reference Manager, Notebook II, and Bibliography--and which was conducted by the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the request of the campus microcomputer support center. Descriptions of project activities and how well they worked are presented in four categories: selecting and communicating criteria for evaluation; knowing users' needs (expanding your perspective beyond the library); working with software producers; and establishing responsibility and limits for supporting the chosen software. Reactions to the evaluation project and the selected programs are reported, and nine steps are suggested for anyone undertaking a similar project: (1) publicize the fact that the evaluation is being initiated; (2) actively solicit user input; (3) arrange software presentations by users and vendors; (4) visit a few active users of some of the programs; (5) develop and articulate the evaluation criteria; (6) conduct structured evaluations of all of the software being considered; (7) make the selection and advertise it along with the evaluation criteria and a description of the evaluation process; (8) solicit feedback from users on an ongoing basis; and (9) continue to monitor new versions and new programs, comparing them to your original choice(s) and user feedback. (CGD)