Ranking the Reference Books:

Limitations on both time and human memory make it impossible for the reference librarian or staff member to become aware of even a fraction of all the reference sources that have been published. There is, however, a small number of basic, fundamental or "key" sources that are widely used or widely recommended. In all likelihood these sources will answer a high proportion of all the questions that may appropriately be answered by published reference materials. This paper explores a number of the ways that these "key" reference sources may be identified. The author concludes that a knowledge of the types or categories of reference materials that exist and what each type will do best, along with a knowledge of a corpus of basic, fundamental or "key" reference titles, will contribute to a firm foundation for effective and efficient reference service.     

One step at a time: A framework for introducing business students to basic sources of company and industry data

Over the post five to ten years, company and industry information has been packaged and repackaged into a vast number of sources and formats. Undergraduate students consulting business sources in their library frequently become lost or confused because they are not familiar with the sources, nor do they understand how the sources interrelate and complement each other. How does a student develop a context for using business sources? Reference and instruction librarians can help students develop a framework by incorporating three key concepts into their encounters with students. This article presents an approach that reference and instruction librarians who work in environments where they answer questions related to all disciplines and who possess limited knowledge of business sources can use to help students develop a framework for classifying and using business information sources.     

An Expert System at the Reference Desk:

A prototype expert system is being tested by technical writing classes at Texas A&M University. In this course students learn to conduct library research by completing a two-part assignment, the first of which is to locate basic reference materials in their fields of study. The expert system assists in this search. Loaded into the database are records for standard reference sources in selected disciplines. When a student types a natural language request, such as "I need bibliographies on geology," the system analyzes the request and provides a list of titles, call numbers, locations, types of sources, and broad subject headings. The students can then use this list in the second part, a research project. Students were given two questionnaires. The first evaluated their familiarity with reference sources and prior library research experience; the second surveyed their opinion of the expert system. Patron reactions, problems encountered, and future changes will be discussed.     

Pleasures and Pitfalls That Can Make or Break a Reference Encounter

Summary

I feel that I have had a successful reference encounter if I have: (a) used effectively my knowledge of reference sources, (b) properly negotiated the sometimes intricate psychological thicket of the reference interview, and (c) made the user feel positive about the reference department even if no answer was found to a particular question. Conversely, if I neglect one of these factors, I may have failed to help a user. If I am too tired, inattentive, or preoccupied to pay full attention to a reference question I am likely to forget a resource or a reference technique that would answer the user's question. Failure can be intellectual, psychological, or ethical, or some combination of these. I can forgive myself for simply forgetting a reference source. But it is more troubling to neglect to pay full attention to a question because something about the user irritates or threatens me. If I let a personal response to a user interfere with my professional obligation to listen nonjudgmentally to a question then I am not employing my intellectual powers to their full capacity and consequently not living up to my ethical obligation as a professional librarian to give service to all members of the public. This essay will discuss examples of encounters which demonstrate the pleasure of reference work when I live up to these principles and the pitfalls of reference work, when I do not live up to them.     

知识地图的构建方法论研究

认为知识地图作为一种知识管理工具正在得到越来越广泛的应用,其中最为关键的一点即如何构建出面向用户需求的知识地图,以方便用户对知识的检索、获取。深入分析各类知识地图的基础上,提炼出构建知识地图的基本方法论,即要素识别、关联分析和结构化展示,其支撑着知识的分类、链接和多结构化显示的要求,贯穿于知识地图构建、评价和优化的动态化全程。     

The National Library of Medicine's services: initial observations on indexing, interlibrary loan, and reference

How have the three services-indexing, reference (including history of medicine), and interlibrary loan-been provided throughout the years by NLM, and how have they been used? At the present time of great growth and development, the use of the computer has influenced these services and will continue to figure prominently in plans for the future. NLM's services often have not been well or correctly used by its public, even by librarians. Some of its services, however, need to be provided in more depth and on a higher scale, and they should be publicized more widely. History shows that NLM has been faithful to its basic charge and has gone far beyond it in its service to the medical, educational, and library communities. Medical librarians are most fortunate that such a great national resource exists to provide materials and services to fulfill the needs of their libraries.     

The Reference Librarian's Critical Skill:

What is the most critical ability that a new librarian should cultivate in preparation for a reference career? Some would claim communication skills are vital; some would advise concentration on extensive knowledge of reference sources; others might state a case for computer literacy skills. This article argues that the single most important skill for a reference librarian to possess is the ability to think critically about the use of reference materials. illustrations are given to demonstrate the primacy of this proficiency in all areas of reference responsibility and suggestions are made concerning the need for increased focus on critical thinking in education and training programs.     

Complex Reference Services:

Reference services for data files used in quantitative social research are complicated by several facts. Providing assistance requires specialized knowledge of how the data were collected, how they are organized and how they will be used. Data files cannot be used at all without the requisite computing support. This article presents an overview of the literature on reference services for social research, differentiates between data for information and data for research, suggests a general approach to providing services for these materials based on traditional archives and government documents reference, and gives a practical framework for handling queries.     

Searching for Information on Tests:

Research methodologies in several of the social sciences require the use of tests. When assisting social science researchers who seek information on tests, reference librarians do no, themselves, always have direct access to the instruments. Librarians should not only have the knowledge that various print and electronic database resources are available to gain needed information, but they should also have a strategy by which these sources can be searched in an expedient and thorough manner. This paper offers such a search strategy which can be used with the materials commonly found in a large research or a specialized test library.     

Media Reference Sources for an Academic Library

Summary

On the surface many media reference questions seem simple to answer. However, the lack of reference tools often hinders the reference librarian's ability to answer even the most straightforward query. In some cases, the library simply has an inadequate collection, lacking necessary sources. In other cases, the reference tools simply do not exist. Experienced academic media librarians develop toolkits, consisting of published sources and Internet sources that allow us to provide quality reference service, despite the challenges. The appended annotated bibliography represents one librarian's media reference toolkit. Although some of the sources will vary from library to library, many of these sources are essential to effective media reference work regardless of the Specific institution.     

The Well-Furnished Business Law Library

Most business law faculty agree that their students should be exposed to outside reading in order to broaden their understanding of course materials, better relate the law to practical business situations, and become aware of future trends in the legal environment. For these reasons, many business law teachers send their students to the library to research and write reports using various source materials, including cases outside the textbook, historical background material on the various areas of the law and current journals and newspaper articles. For those teaching at large universities with well-stocked libraries, the choices of research sources are many and varied. However, for those teaching at small universities or community colleges, the choices may be quite limited indeed. Often, at the smaller schools, business law teachers may be given a very limited budget and allowed to order only a few books a year. The question arises, then, for the business law teachers at smaller schools: "What are the most important research sources to have in their libraries?" If a priority list could be drawn up, those business law faculties would be able to use the little library money they do have in a more beneficial way. This article will discuss the library materials which business law teachers feel are necessary as resource tools, and the order of priority in which they should be acquired. The information supporting this article will be acquired by a survey of randomly selected teachers of business law in AACSB-accredited schools.     

Plagiarism and copyright: Best practices for classroom education

Plagiarism and copyright infringement are terms that most students are familiar with, and when asked, most students will readily express the sentiment that plagiarizing the work of others or committing copyright infringement is wrong. Despite students' basic understanding of these concepts, many struggle to put them into practice. Often this is a result of students not having enough knowledge about how to cite sources or how copyrighted works can legally be reused for scholarly purposes. This article identifies a way in which copyright and plagiarism can be taught as well as a process students can work through when addressing these issues.     

Government Periodicals and the Reference Librarian:

Government publications in serial form provide timely, authoritative information on a range of subjects but reference librarians are not always aware of what is available in these sources. In libraries with separate documents departments, reference staffs may abrogate all responsibility for government publications, relying upon commercial sources to fill information needs more appropriately met with government periodicals. Documents librarians and reference librarians can facilitate the incorporation of govemment information in serial form into the general reference process. Benefits will include improved service to library patrons and an expanded user base to support the continued publication and distribution of government periodicals.     

Music Reference Sources: Analog in a Digital World

ABSTRACT

Do we need print reference collections at all? In the case of music reference materials, the answer is definitely “yes.” At the University of Memphis, reference titles in the music library are used at about three times the rate of reference materials in the main library. This paper leverages local reference and reserve book usage to investigate how print reference sources support music research of various kinds, how music faculty integrate reference sources into their courses, and how librarians can make finding and using these resources easier for users accustomed to accessing materials online without an intermediary.     

Chat It Up! Extending Reference Services to Assist Off-Campus Students

Abstract

A virtual reference service is likely to attract both on-campus and off-campus students and providing one service for all users can extend the hours of availability to all students. The needs of these two student populations may differ and off-campus users may present some specific challenges to the reference staff. While some libraries do have a specified distance education librarian, it is unlikely at many institutions that there will be reference staff dedicated only to answering questions from off-campus students. Reference services for off-campus students do present special issues about which general reference staff may not be aware. With awareness of these challenges and proper training, an existing virtual reference service can be extended (or improved) to help off-campus students, or a new chat service can be developed with the objective to assist all user groups with equal success.     

The Well-Furnished Business Law Library

"Publish or Perish!" While this time-worn phrase rings equally loud and clear for most business law faculty, the opportunity to successfully publish is many times limited for some faculty members by their lack of access to adequate research material. For those teaching at large universities with well-stocked libraries, the choices of research sources are many and varied. However, for those teaching at small universities or community colleges, the choices may be quite limited indeed. Additionally, the smaller schools may be located at too great a distance from law schools or large universities to make travel to and from those libraries a practical solution. Often, at the smaller schools, business law teachers may be given a very limited budget and allowed to order only a few books a year. The question arises, then, for the business law faculty at smaller schools: "What are the most important research sources to have in the university or college libraries?" If a priority list could be drawn up, those business law faculties at smaller schools would be able to use the little library money they do have in a more beneficial way. This article will analyze which library materials business law teachers have selected as necessary resource tools, and the priority in which they should be acquired. The information supporting this article will be acquired by a survey of randomly selected teachers of business law in AACSB-accredited schools.     

关于知识、信息、图书馆基本职能的再思考

从宏观上论述了知识与信息的概念,重申图书馆的基本职能是知识服务(或服务于人类的文化素质),指出了图书馆界目前存在对"信息服务"与"知识服务"的两种模糊认识.     

Identifying the effective evidence sources to use in developing Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management: lived experiences of the search specialist and project manager

Background: The Australian National Stroke Foundation appointed a search specialist to find the best available evidence for the second edition of its Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management. Objective: To identify the relative effectiveness of differing evidence sources for the guideline update. Methods: We searched and reviewed references from five valid evidence sources for clinical and economic questions: (i) electronic databases; (ii) reference lists of relevant systematic reviews, guidelines, and/or primary studies; (iii) table of contents of a number of key journals for the last 6 months; (iv) internet/grey literature; and (v) experts. Reference sources were recorded, quantified, and analysed. Results: In the clinical portion of the guidelines document, there was a greater use of previous knowledge and sources other than electronic databases for evidence, while there was a greater use of electronic databases for the economic section. Conclusions: The results confirmed that searchers need to be aware of the context and range of sources for evidence searches. For best available evidence, searchers cannot rely solely on electronic databases and need to encompass many different media and sources.