Review of current billing practices for online services in Great Britain discusses determinants of successful numeric data display; invoice structure; display format; invoice content; display characteristics; and invoice regularity. Sample invoices from several services are included. (three references) (MES)

In a career full of twists and turns, Abbie Grotke picked up the skills to help her land her ideal job: Digital Projects Coordinator for the Library of Congress. Presently, she oversees Minerva (Mapping the INternet Hectronic Resources Virtual Archive, www.loc.gov/minerva), a project to collect and preserve those materials that were "born…

The Special Libraries' Association (SLA) has conducted salary surveys since 1967, triennially from 1967 to 1990, biennially from 1990 to 1996 and annually from 1997 forward. The objectives of the annual Salary Survey are to: (1) Collect and analyze systematic, accurate information about the salaries of special librarians and information…

If the resort city of Anaheim, California, home of Disneyland and its "imagineers," marked a departure from the urban reality of the typical American Library Association (ALA) annual conference, it was impossible, at this 2008 meeting, to avoid urgent library issues. How do libraries maintain their value and cultural presence as users…

Academic reference librarians continually observe that many students are embarrassed about not knowing how to use the library and are reluctant to approach the reference desk. The theory of library anxiety offers an explanation, proposing that a fear of being in and using libraries serves as a psychological barrier, hindering many university…

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.

An investigation was conducted into undergraduate students' use of the University of Lagos Main Library at Akoka. (Author)

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…

A listing is presented of 17 documents in the ERIC database concerning the Online Catalog (sometimes referred to as OPAC or Online Public Access Catalog), a computer-based and supported library catalog designed for patron use. The database usually represents recent acquisitions and often contains information about books on order and items in…

Reports on interviews with two librarians, Winston Tabb and Susan Finsen, of the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. (PF)

An explanation of the federal government's Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and how it relates to commercial business publications commonly used as tools by the reference librarian. (JAB)

This draft was prepared by the Reference and Adult Services Division of ALA, and covers the issues of accuracy of information, impartiality of presentation, confidentiality of interview, and financial gain in information service work. (JAB)

A brief rundown on the accomplishments of the copyright subcommittee, the Machine-Assisted Reference Section, the History Section, the publications committees, membership survey, and planning group. (JAB)

Fiscal austerity in libraries has forced some administrators to consider alternatives such as computerized reference services or non-professional staff at the reference desk for reducing the cost of professional reference service. (JAB)