Describes a study that focused on users' public library reference service experiences that was carried out by graduate students from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario. Topics addressed include body language; reference interviews; listening skills; familiarity with relevant sources; service…

Presents views of eight library jobs considered to be among the most desirable based on an informal poll of over 50 librarians. Directors of public libraries, the Librarian of Congress, state librarians, special librarians, and reference librarians are profiled, and a list of 22 additional desirable jobs is included. (LRW)

Discusses results of a survey of state library agencies that was conducted to determine current practices for the provision of consultants and workshops for the improvement of reference services in public libraries. The necessity of continuing education is considered, implications for library schools are examined, and future research is suggested.…

When secondary school librarians teach students digital life literacies, they help students perceive that librarians can provide support for real-life problems. The more librarians work with students, create inviting library environments, and have positive engagements with students, the more they change student perceptions of librarians in…

Describes the Internet Public Library, developed at the University of Michigan's School of Information and Library Studies. Site highlights include the reference center; the reading room, which includes materials in full text; youth and teen services; professional information for librarians; links to Web search engines; a Multiuser Object Oriented…

Lists and discusses six journal articles written by Charles Bunge that discuss influences on statewide public library planning; the history of the University of Wisconsin library school; a tribute to Herbert Goldhor's work in public library service and administration and in scientific research in librarianship; and reflections on reference…

Examines the effect of information technology on library school curriculum, the role of reference librarians in public libraries, reference services, and user access to information. Identifies four limitations that may affect the service given by reference librarians: subject knowledge, language, cultural literacy, and logical inference…

This paper discusses the results of a study that focused on the perceived preparedness of recent graduates. Fifty-five St. John's University MLS students surveyed 348 practitioners in public libraries (181) and school libraries (167) concerning perceived preparedness of recent MLS graduates for the realities of working in libraries. The overriding…

Each year the State Library sends annual report forms to California's public, academic, special, state agency, and county law libraries. Statistical data from those reports are tabulated in this publication, with directory listings published in the companion volume, "California Library Directory." For this fiscal year, 389 libraries of…

Describes some out-of-the-ordinary West Coast library and related services, both private and public, primarily in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle areas. (LS)

Eleven issues of "Fast Facts" from the Library Research Service cover information from libraries across Colorado. These issues focus on topics from the public, academic, and school sectors. These topics include patron use of AskColorado (a statewide virtual reference service) and the rising use of online services. The "Fast…

Discussion of videotex services for the general adult public and students covers investment by information provider (public libraries) and costs to user of a home system, problems of training for home use of telereference services, and six factors to be considered before introducing videotex services in the library. (EJS)

There's no shortage of library management books out there--but how many of them actually tackle the little details of day-to-day management, the hard-to-categorize things that slip through the cracks of a larger handbook? "Library Management Tips that Work" does exactly that, addressing dozens of such issues facing library managers, including: (1)…

Recommendations formulated by the New Jersey Library Association for its public library system are intended to help identify problems, provide a framework for further discussion and contribute to the continuing study of the New Jersey Library Network. Since the enactment of the State Library Aid Act of 1967, a network of 25 area reference…

From scholarly discourse to the latest issues in readers' advisory services, this guide provides up-to-date information on the many challenges of the practice, as well as on interdisciplinary directions, continuing education, and the gap in graduate professional education for readers' advisory. The book's 16 chapters are organized into three main…