In this article, the authors discuss how the University of Rochester's two-year ethnographic study reveals what students do on campus and how the library fits in. Under Nancy Fried Foster's guidance, teams of librarians and staff conducted a two-year investigation. The goal: to improve the libraries' reference services, facilities, and web pages…

While the racial diversity of academic library users continues to grow, research on the effects of this diversity remains scarce. This study looks at similarities and differences between non-traditional Caucasian and African American library users through content analysis of ninety-four virtual reference transactions.

This reference procedures manual for the Northern Michigan University Library covers: (1) desk service, including handling inquiries, recording statistics, problems, responsibility of assistants, referrals, user assistance with the public access catalog, and reference collections; (2) photocopying; (3) database searching; (4) bibliographic…

Examines reference questions received at the archives of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to determine why archival reference service is more time-consuming than standard academic library reference service. Also discusses differences in kinds of information and resources provided, arrangement of materials, and description and access.…

In order to learn from experiences of academic libraries that combined their Circulation and Reference functions into one service point, an informal survey was conducted through relevant listservs. Some academic libraries have combined Circulation and Reference Departments at one desk and others are in the process of doing so. The results…

"ARL" is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). "ARL" reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and…

This study examines the use of chat in an academic library's user population and where virtual reference services might fit within the spectrum of public services offered by academic libraries. Using questionnaires, this research demonstrates that many within the academic community are open to the idea of chat-based reference or using chat for…

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)…

This essay arguing for retention of sophisticated reference-desk service as separate from library instruction notes brief history of relationship and two fundamental reasons for separation: a "one-shot" lecture could not cover every tool useful for research needs of each individual student; and not all patrons are experiencing library instruction.…

A selection of recent scholarly and general works of interest to reference librarians in academic libraries. (Author/AP)

Summarizes problems affecting reference accuracy and solutions recommended by librarians in four areas: the reference interview, inadequate knowledge of sources, library system failure, and the fallible nature of human beings. It is argued that the recommended actions, when viewed as a whole, indicate that collaboration among librarians is a key…

If librarians from all areas of reference and information service understood their own roles better, then they might feel more capable of fruitful interchange transcending common institutional boundaries. (Author)

Focuses on the methods used by three academic libraries in addressing the question of whether or not to charge users for online searches. (FM)

Describes the Interactive Reference Assistance project developed at the University of Michigan to provide remote reference service for students in campus residence halls through the use of specialized software, desktop computers, and desktop cameras that allowed video and audio links directly to library reference staff. (LRW)

Discusses the evaluation of academic library reference librarians' effectiveness in providing services to patrons using electronic sources based on experiences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Topics include core technical competencies for subject specialists and reference desk service; the Internet; and methods of evaluation.…