Procedures for developing quantitative measures of reference service are described. Through individual interviews, researchers compiled a list of 93 activities performed by the staff. Each activity was evaluated by the staff in four categories: importance, interest, complexity, confidence. (JAB)

Presents 20 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions that can be used to test for basic knowledge of BIOSIS Previews, a large online life sciences database. (MES)

This article enumerates factors which created demand for fee-based information service (commercial databases, competition for proprietary information in business world, effectiveness of librarians) and relates experiences at two public libraries. Sources of business, value of advertising, techniques of selling, and hiring and deployment of staff…

Describes recent trends in evaluation of adult reference service. (JB)

PEARL (Periodicals Automation, Rand Library) was established as an automated periodicals control system. Its objective is to facilitate the precessing, routing and control of the library's periodical subscriptions and holdings. The system became operational in November 1969. The manual Kardex System was completely eliminated in December 1970. (17…

A brief review of measurements of reference/information service in libraries leads to the observation that few measures have dealt with the service product from the user's point of view. (9 references) (Author/NH)

The report which presented the results of A Study of Reference Services and Reference Users in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area:'' a descriptive study of the reference services of selected libraries and of selected users of those services is summarized. (Author/NH)

The reference librarian finds himself trying to perform his duties somewhere between the demands of the general public, his particular community's mores, his personal view of his role, and what his superiors expect or demand. (2 references) (Author)

Reference librarians working outside the library with the library clientele may not only increase their effectiveness in transmitting information to library users, but they may become the key element in feeding information about user needs back to the library where administrative and selection decisions are being made. (Author/MF)

Librarians are provided with three samples of Reference Question Forms," and useful advice on how to compile library statistics on reference questions. (MF)

Describes reference tools useful for helping library patrons locate educational films. A "Film Search Form" is described which is useful as an aid to systematic film searching. (LLS)

Describes the building block, successive fractions, citation pearl growing, and interactive scanning approaches to search strategy formulation and discusses practical techniques for online bibliographic searches such as being flexible, searching the most specific aspect first, using thesauri, conceptualizing, using full text operators, and…

Defines and describes formal cooperative library reference services and discusses the major variables that produce differences in cooperative reference networks: size, composition, funding, services, delivery mechanisms, control methods, and resources. (Author/LLS)

Briefly reviews the current developments in public access catalogs and poses questions for the public service librarian. (FM)