Examines the growing decline in institutional support for libraries and discusses how libraries can generate revenue to replace it. Highlights include entrepreneurship; fee-based services; the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) model of fund raising; and running a library more like a bookstore, including expanded hours. (LRW)

Discusses the problem library patron from various fronts: historical, personality traits, importance of complaints, nature and types of problem patrons and their behavior, technology and the newly-bred problem patron, strategies for dealing with problem patrons, and ensuring that library administrators and other supervisors understand the need to…

Describes efforts by the Redmond Library (Washington) to reach out to the senior citizen population by planning an all-day Senior Fair. Transportation, refreshments, an overview of library materials and services including Internet access, tours of the library, craft programs, participation by community groups, and funding are discussed. Sidebar…

Describes how technology changes the nature of the school media specialist's job, and discusses staff and equipment sources of techno-stress. Notes the importance of anticipating problem areas and planning to deal with them in advance. Presents strategies for minimizing the amount of frustration/stress associated with technology. (AEF)

Describes a collaboration between planners of a student-centered, modular nursing curriculum and library and information services staff, which resulted in directed reading lists, study packages, and development of library and information skills. (SK)

MetroDocs, an organization of the metropolitan Oklahoma City depository libraries, formed a committee to establish service standards for the Oklahoma depository libraries. The libraries conducted a survey, the results of which revealed that customers were generally happy with the libraries' services, but that there was still room for improvement.…

Discusses a Canadian public library's outreach program, whose objective was to connect with those families who were unable to access the library. Highlights include: the value of partnerships; funding and sponsorships; the visiting library for children; recruitment and training of volunteers; gift books for children; story boxes; community book…

Discusses academic library liaison programs and describes the restructuring of a liaison program at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte to help strengthen the relationship between the library and the teaching faculty. Also reports results of a survey of selected departments that assessed the effectiveness of reference librarians as…

Forty-five electronic pathfinders were selected from nine Canadian university libraries to assess their degree of conformity to suggested guidelines in existing literature about pathfinders. Analysis revealed the guidelines were not uniformly followed, leaving some pathfinders more complex and less useful than others. Specific guidelines must be…

Includes three articles: (1) describes a collaboration that investigated integrity within the distributed nature of digital libraries through value-added surrogates; (2) describes the digitization of special collections at the University of Iowa libraries; and (3) explains the Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) being developed by the…

Discussion of information consulting in academic libraries focuses on consulting with faculty, administrators, and other related scholars. Topics include the need for more active information consulting, including the growth of interdisciplinary research, changes in information seeking behavior, and changes in scholarly communication; and elements…

Discusses issues relating to costs of library and information services in the academic library in transition, reviews the functional cost analysis method, and presents selected data gathered from a larger study on the costs and value of various library services. Applications to a digital information environment are also discussed. (Author/LRW)

Explains how reference, acquisitions, and serials staff at the University of New Mexico library collaborated to develop systematic procedures to improve the management of problematic serials and monographs in the reference department. Serials reference work is discussed and use of the INNOPAC integrated system is described. (Author/LRW)

Describes an experiment at the State University of New York at Albany with electronic reserve using a World Wide Web (WWW) client/server system. Highlights include user satisfaction; advantages over traditional reserve; ease of access, including home computers; communication between instructors and technical operators; copyright issues; and the…

Argues that the traditional philosophy of public service has remained relevant and vital to overall library reference service despite information technology and other societal changes. Topics include information and information technology; and economic, political, and social trends as they influence reference librarians and reference service.…