Managing CD-ROM and Electronic Documents Sources for Holland Reference Services

Summary

The author details the evolution of the management of CD-ROM and electronic documents for reference services in the Holland/New Library (Holland), the main library at Washington State University, for the humanities and social sciences. From the arrival of the first major United States document CD-ROM disk, the National Trade Data Bank, the management of these CD-ROMs is presented in four phases: placing CD-ROMs on reserve in Holland circulation for use in a single drive government documents workstation; utilizing a Pioneer multi-disk changer that holds a cartridge with spaces for six CD-ROM disks, each running off a separate drive in a new-and-improved workstation; abandoning the cartridges but adding a cabinet for government CD-ROMs and a user-friendly, Auto Menu software system in yet another new-and-improved workstation; and, keeping the last configuration but sending CD-ROMs in need of special software to the Libraries' media collection and networking some government CD-ROMs over the Libraries' LAN. The Holland reference experience demonstrates that government CD-ROMs have exploded in number and grown complex in content, dictating new approaches in handling these items. Librarians must continue to be willing to develop the necessary skills to explore future technologies to access information in these new formats.     

Electronic Reference Services:

No abstract available for this article.     

Evaluating Electronic Reference Services

Summary

As electronic reference services become routine in many libraries, it is time to systematically examine how they are being implemented and used. Unfortunately, few libraries have rigorously examined their electronic reference services. We still know very little about who uses electronic reference services or why. We also do not know how satisfied our users are with the new services we are providing. This article provides an overview of the chief methodologies available for conducting assessments of electronic services (e.g., surveys, usability studies, observation, etc.). Existing criteria for evaluating reference services are discussed with suggestions for how they can be applied or adapted to the online service environment.     

Publishing Reference Works in the Electronic Age

No abstract available for this article.     

Humanities Reference Librarians in the Electronic Age

Abstract

Humanists build new ideas and arguments based upon studies done in the past. Although research requires these scholars to pick through the literature that has come before, much has been lost because of the lack of adequate comprehensive reference tools. In the age of technology, new projects are available which enhance and enlarge the body of work upon which future scholars can build. For reference librarians helping with research questions in the humanities, the marriage of traditional reference tools and new on-line resources means a richer cumulation of past scholarship. In this paper, I will discuss strategies for academic humanities reference librarians to integrate traditional and electronic reference resources, and the need to continue learning the skills to use both. Humanities reference librarians must continue the great humanist tradition of building new ideas upon older foundations by successfully acquiring and using both new and old reference resources.     

MIME and Electronic Reference Services

Interest in using electronic mail as a basis for reference service has grown considerably in recent years. This paper reviews some of the specific uses reported in the professional literature. In addition, it considers the more sophisticated capabilities of mail systems operating in compliance with the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) and how systems supporting the interchange of complex, socalled "multimedia" documents may be expected to affect the use of electronic mail for library and information services.     

新时期图书馆参考咨询工作的应变对策

新形势下,图书馆的参考咨询工作应该从加强基础工作,提高人员素质入手,优化组织形态,壮大咨询队伍,介入技术咨询、商务咨询,朝产业化、现代化的方向发展。     

Web2.0时代数字咨询服务的新进展

论文阐述Web2.0环境下数字参考咨询服务新的发展趋向,即互动咨询模式和个性化主动咨询模式,并探讨在新的用户需求和技术环境下多样化的咨询方式及对咨询馆员的要求。     

Managing the Reference Collection:

This essay presents the case for pruning an academic reference collection. Rather than a theoretical discourse on the virtues and vices of weeding, we present a practical discussion that focuses on the actual implementation of a reference pruning project. Thus we cover the planning stages, the logistics of organization, criteria for weeding, and the communication issues that seem always to arise during a weeding project. We also discuss various modes and modalities for dealing with conflict resolution as well as the vexing question of how to deal with reference serials in both their traditional and electronic formats. The emphasis throughout the paper is on the practical problems, issues, and concerns likely to confront librarians attempting to organize and carry out a reference collection review/pruning program.     

Tiered Reference Services

Summary

Customer feedback is essential for determining what elements constitute quality service in a reference department. At Texas A&M University, we use concise user surveys to elicit feedback on the different aspects of tiered services. This study identifies whether or not customers find the information they need and allows customers to evaluate the services. User surveys and return boxes are accessible at several discrete locations throughout the reference unit. The department modified services to better meet customers' expectations after analyzing the data gathered from nearly 200 surveys. A library display showed the results of the survey. Comments and suggestions made by the customers were included in the display.     

Marketing Reference Services

In this article, the marketing concept is related to reference services. Following a review of the literature, an overview of marketing is explored, including research, the marketing mix, the strategic plan, the marketing plan, and the marketing audit. The application of marketing to reference services is made through the marketing mix elements of product, price, place, and promotion.     

Reference Services:

Research on reference service is still in the beginning stage. Librarians must select appropriate methodologies and carefully analyze the data collected in order to evaluate and improve reference service. Good measures are valid, reliable, practical and useful; standards must also be carefully chosen because so much assessment of effectiveness depends upon subjective values. Data collection strategies include quantitative measures derived from the experimental sciences and qualitative measures derived from the social sciences, including familiar methods such as surveys, questionnaires, interviews and case studies. These measures are discussed in terms of their appropriateness for reference service evaluation with citations to published studies.     

Online Reference Services

No abstract available for this article.     

Virtual Reference Services

Summary

Traditional reference services are changing in response to the rapid growth of electronic resources available outside of the library. There are an increasing number of libraries that are providing digital reference services to meet the demands and expectations of remote users. This article provides an overview of virtual reference services at Louisiana State University (LSU) Libraries. It also examines the planning, implementation, marketing and user feedback of real time reference service after its first year.     

Virtual Reference Services

Abstract

Researchers performed a cost and benefit analysis of the University of South Florida's locally controlled chat service and compared the results to the advantages and expenses associated with a chat consortium. An evaluation of chat sessions revealed that a substantial portion of the inquiries received relate to university-specific interests. In addition to the local nature of chat questions, library staff used USF statistics to estimate the staffing, software, and training costs of the current chat reference service. The collaborative service under consideration involves both additional costs and benefits. A final decision, however, requires an in-depth assessment of several factors. Supplementary factors in this examination include a brief history of USF virtual reference service and the current trends in instant messaging that support the continuance of chat reference.     

数字化参考咨询服务

文章介绍了数字化参考咨询服务的主要形式,相关技术和典型项目,包括基于电子邮件,基于实时交互的和基于合作的数字化参考咨询,并简要分析相应的组织管理问题。     

Reference Costs and Reference Services:

No abstract available for this article.     

网络环境下的参考咨询工作

网络信息技术的发展使传统的图书馆工作发生了根本性的变化，网络环境下的参考咨询服务已经成为图书馆建设的一个重要组成部分。本阐述了传统图书馆的咨询工作转变为网络参考咨询工作的变化，并概要地介绍了网络环境下，参考咨询工作的服务方式和参考咨询服务的特点。     

Reference Services in Rural Libraries

Abstract

The information age has changed libraries of all types and sizes in ways that no one could have predicted. For a rural library, though, changes have been fast and furious and have made a dramatic impact on the very nature of the library and the services the library offers. Rural libraries went from a gathering place for community activities to fully wired information centers in a matter of a few years. The article addresses what these changes mean for reference services-one of the most basic functions of a public library. While people are consuming more information than ever, will the rural library be able to keep up with this demand even with the Internet? The article explores reference services in rural public libraries, using examples from libraries in central and northern Illinois, giving consideration to the nature of reference services, how they have changed over time, and how this compares to small libraries in a metropolitan setting.