Academic libraries increasingly rely on Interlibrary Loan (ILL) departments to obtain research materials. This adds to the workload of ILL at a time when many libraries are experiencing budget cuts and dwindling staff. Collaboration between ILL and Reference can assist ILL by providing searching expertise. Collaboration is facilitated by the…

When a university acquires the library of a national institute and the institute's active and worldwide membership expects continued and uninterrupted access to services from the collection, shockwaves can reverberate throughout the university's main library and among its staff. This was especially true for the Reference Department of the…

Twenty-three scholarly papers and twelve abstracts comprise the content of the eleventh annual Brick and Click Libraries Symposium, held at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The peer-reviewed proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of…

Categorizes and compares sample of public and academic library reference questions. (KP)

Reports on a survey of 47 academic library online facilities. Data gathered on finances, number of searches conducted, patrons served, sytems accessed, equipment used, procedures, promotion, and other facets are summarized. (FM)

Shares some of the experiences of the University of Florida Libraries' Census Access Program, which has provided print and machine-readable census products to users since 1971. Article anticipates the demand for the new data products of the 1980 census. (Author/JD)

Examines the theory and application of zero base budgeting (ZBB) and presents an example of ZBB in an academic library reference department, illustrating the preparation of a budget proposal and demonstrating the different approaches to staffing for reference services and varying funding levels. (FM)

Describes an analysis of the search engine logs of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale's library to determine how patrons used the site search. Discusses results that showed patrons did not understand the function of the search and explains improvements that were made in the Web site and in online reference services. (Author/LRW)

Traces the development of reference service in American libraries during the second half of the nineteenth century and examines the evolution of reference service in the Providence Public Library. The article focuses on how the distinctive features of reference service were conceived and merged into the current concept of reference service. (43…

Examines issues of knowledge management within academic libraries and how reference librarians can become more effective as information intermediaries. Describes the common knowledge database (CKDB) developed at Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus to more fully integrate libraries on campus and to facilitate the use and management of…

Texas A&M University Libraries has been testing virtual reference services since February 2004, but during the fall semester 2005, the Libraries began implementing and actively promoting the services to various target groups. Distance education students were identified as a primary target group for virtual reference services, and as of the…

As academic libraries move toward the electronic frontier for their serial subscriptions, there are several issues to be considered. This paper intends to outline the advantages and disadvantages with respect to electronic and paper serials, address selection criteria, and describe our practice in coping with these issues at the Leddy Library of…

This workbook in library skills is designed to acquaint students with the facilities and resources of the North Dakota State University Library. Each chapter includes a brief discussion of the topic and a worksheet. The following topics are covered: (1) library tour; (2) the online catalog; (3) term and subject searches using the online catalog;…

This task force report on current and anticipated needs relating to the use of microcomputers in libraries on the University of California, Berkeley, campus is intended to serve as a fundamental document, the basis for future discussion, planning, and development. The task force divided into two groups to consider the issues of staff use of…

Describes the usability study that was designed at Hampshire College (Massachusetts) to see whether students were successfully using the library's Web site, particularly for reference services. Emphasizes the need for retesting and discusses results of the usability testing, including an increase in Web site hits and database searches. (LRW)