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.…

Celebrates the achievements of African-American librarians and their contributions to librarianship. Identifies and reviews records of scholarship that can serve as starting points for students and scholars. Chronicles achievements of numerous individuals and provides additional resources for further investigation. Suggests areas of further…

Explores the possibility of using Web contact center software to offer reference assistance to remote users. Discusses a project by the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System/Santiago Library System consortium to test contact center software and to develop a virtual reference network. (Author/LRW)

Describes an experimental integrated service point that combines the desks and staff who perform reference and circulation at one of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's libraries. Considers whether this service model can consolidate public service points to improve response to customer needs; discusses performance measurement; and offers…

This article derives from a review of key challenges confronted by libraries that are actively investing in online collections and services. Conducted in the first instance to help refine programmatic goals of the Digital Library Federation (DLF), it took account of digital library developments, successes, needs, and challenges perceived by…

Discusses the Los Angeles Public Library's TeenS'cape, located in the middle of the city's Central Library. This technically sophisticated library space, opened after the 1992 L.A. riots, provides custom furnishings, postmodernist architecture, and equipment and materials specifically catered to the local teens, amid the culture of…

Describes the process of initiating an e-mail reference service in 1995 at the Ohio State University Health Sciences Library and the growth of the service through 2000. Includes data on types of patrons who use the service; types of questions and answers; and how results have led to re-evaluating all reference services. (LRW)