This manual, prepared for the UCLA Law School Library, outlines sample policies, procedures, and rules for a law school reference department. The manual consists of (1) a discussion of patron categories and priorities; (2) a statement of the kinds of services to be offered; (3) determination of the means of providing these services via procedures…

This paper presents data and discusses: (1) the procedures used in the preparation and delivery of eight computer-produced bibliographies, (2) the benefits of using them, (3) the costs in dollars, librarians, and time, (4) the possible operational problems, (5) suggested improvements, (6) additional uses, and (7) questions concerning service…

Patron service is a high priority in the library setting and alleviating a large percentage of the directional questions will provide librarians with more time to help patrons more thoroughly than they are able to currently. Furthermore, in view of the current economic trend of downsizing, a navigational computer system program has the potential…

This study analyzes the use of external links on Ohio public library World Wide Web sites, focusing on methods used to facilitate access to Internet resources. The categorization of links was analyzed, with specific focus on the organization, scope, and presentation of links arranged topically. This study suggests that the public libraries of Ohio…

Ten law librarians, at one private and three academic law libraries, were studied to ascertain what types of reference services they provide to their patrons. The current model employed in public libraries today was used as the baseline against which to measure these legal reference services. This model employs five traditional categories of:…

This paper reports on a study that analyses the questions asked and services offered at the information desk in the reference department at the Kent State University main library. A total of 460 questions asked during 52 hours of scheduled time at the information desk in Spring 1997 were categorized. The main types of questions were directional;…

This study compares ABI/INFORM and Wilson Business Abstracts in order to determine user preference. Surveys in the form of questionnaires were used to evaluate users' preference of interface, database response time, search results and ease of use with both business CD-ROM databases. Kent State University students, faculty, and patrons interested…

A proportionate stratified random sample of undergraduates, graduate students, and professional school students at the University of Chicago was interviewed to determine the extent to which they were aware of the Regenstein Library's reference services. A rather low level of awareness of reference services was found throughout the student body.…

E-mail reference services in Ohio public libraries was studied using the survey method in January 1999. Through the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), the researcher identified 94 Ohio public libraries that have World Wide Web pages that host an e-mail address as a contact method. Fifty-nine questionnaires were returned, resulting in…

Since public libraries contain copyrighted works in the form of print, electronic or audiovisual sources, librarians and library paraprofessionals need to possess sufficient knowledge of United States copyright law to meet the information needs of patrons successfully and legally. A literature review revealed that minimal works address this topic.…

This study initiated service request sheets, evaluated reference services provided by the staff of the Cleveland Law Library (Cuyahoga County, Ohio) for the time period April-September, 1995. Five thousand and fifty-two questions were included in the study, of which 2,949 were of the type in which reference service was provided. The other 2,103…

This paper discusses the building of a hypermedia-based reference station at the Wright Laboratory Technical Library, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Following this, the paper focuses on an electronic user survey from which data is collected and analysis is made. The survey data is used in a rapid prototyping approach, which is defined as…

The Louis Bromfield Sustainable Agriculture Library is located in Lucas, Ohio, at Malabar Farm State Park. Established in 1992, the library is jointly maintained by the Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Program and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The library's namesake, Louis Bromfield, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and noted…

This study was designed to discover what the sources of stress are for a reference librarian working in a public library; other objectives included finding out how reference librarians manage stress and identifying their sources of job satisfaction. The study looked at many possible stress factors indicated in the literature review, such as the…

This paper reports on a study conducted to determine if staffing changes were necessary at the information desk at the main branch of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (Ohio). Questions addressed included: (1) What times are busiest in the library? (2) Should there be changes in staffing the reference desk that could lead to…