Library tutorials offer on demand and as-needed instruction, a necessity as higher education continues to extend the reach of online learning. Our institution has increased its online course offerings alongside a university-wide shift in pedagogical and student-centered philosophy. To align our library tutorials webpage with these advances, we…

This paper will examine the learning needs of millennial students, a generation different from any previous generation, so librarians should adjust their teaching methods to accommodate their needs. Should we, as librarians, consider changing our reference services--the way we present instruction and the materials that we order for the library?…

Among librarians, government information has a reputation for being a valuable but underused resource. A literature review of undergraduate citation studies, however, reveals that the use of government information has apparently increased so much for some subject areas that, after books and journals, it has become one of the most frequently used…

Presents five papers from the American Library Association's June 27, 1992, conference session, "The Right to Know: Will Changing Our Instruction Methods Empower the Public," in which panelists debate the design and impact of bibliographic instruction and the provision of reference services in academic and high school libraries. (EA)

When helping undergraduates assess materials, academic librarians balance the reference interview with instruction in electronic databases. This article describes a method connecting these tasks with a search strategy dependent on the user's information needs. The connection is made by labeling the user's need with a diagnostic tool based on…

One of the aims of the Women's Studies Program at Michigan State University (East Lansing) is to augment undergraduate major programs by introducing the experiences of women into the various disciplines and involving students in inter-disciplinary studies. The College of Arts and Letters (ATL) offers a special topic course called "Women in…

Discusses the librarian's intermediary role in the dissemination of information. The user's information-seeking process, reference negotiation, and bibliographic instruction are also considered, and an overview of this theme issue is provided. (LRW)

Reviews the increased importance of bibliographic instruction in libraries of all types and addresses the question of whether librarians are adequately trained to teach library patrons. The responsibility of library schools to provide training for bibliographic instruction is discussed. (CLB)

This paper discusses the potential role of librarians in user education and training in the context of knowledge management (KM) initiatives. The paper first summarizes the results of a recent study of KM systems that found a high failure and disappointment rate, with more than half of the failures attributable to inadequate user training and…

Discusses trends in library reference services, focusing on the needs of the individual user. Highlights include the effects of CD-ROM; the growth of online systems; tiered reference service structures; roving reference librarians; going out to users; user studies; and bibliographic instruction. (LRW)

Defines "values" and lists the eight values (stewardship, service, intellectual freedom, rationalism, literacy and learning, equity of access, privacy, democracy) derived by the author in an earlier work. Gives a brief history of the evolution of human-to-human reference service and discusses its future. Relates each of the author's eight values…

Describes a Web-based reference tool developed at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to meet the information needs of researchers. Offers practical advice to other librarians interested in providing a similar service. (Author/AEF)

Describes part of a project designed to develop a user-based approach to measuring the extent to which services provided by librarians meet or exceed user expectations on a consistent basis. Results show that academics and librarians have similar expectations, but there are differences in the emphasis each group places on aspects of service.…

Describes the library instruction program at the University of California Santa Barbara, which uses a team-teaching method to cope with reduced staff and increased enrollment, collection, and teaching responsibilities. The benefits include a sense of departmental teamwork, improved student library literacy, and faculty and student goodwill. (EAM)

Asserts that nontraditional students are often hurried, because they juggle the many demands of life in addition to those of a student. Suggests that library staff can help students by developing individualized orientation programs and guides for using equipment and material. Cites New Hampshire Community Technical College as an example of a…