Electronic vs. Print Reference Sources in Public Library Collections

Summary

The evolution of electronic sources has had a significant impact on reference collections in libraries, and public library reference collections are no exception.

Evaluating, selecting, and organizing sources to meet the needs of public library users has always been a fundamental role of public librarians. However, now they have the added responsibility of evaluating electronic resources and deciding whether the electronic sources will supplement or replace traditional paper reference sources. Issues of authority, accessibility, cost, comfort, and user education must be carefully weighed during this evaluative process.     

The u.s. department of energy Information bridge: Technical reports for the desktop

The U.S. Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies have been involved in various depository programs for their technical reports for over 40 years. An online service on the World Wide Web, called the DOE Information Bridge, has recently replaced distribution of physical paper reports. The Information Bridge also serves as an archive for electronic copies of DOE-sponsored technical reports. This article explores the capabilities of the new site and examines its implications for users and librarians.     

An inquiry into the availability of Canadian fiction in U.S. libraries with special attention to the influence of reviews

In order to investigate the availability of Canadian fiction in U.S. libraries and the influence of reviews in U.S. sources on this availability, 182 “Novels” that had been reviewed in Canadian Book Review Annual were searched in the OCLC data base and in Book Review Index. Findings suggest that Canadian fiction is widely owned by U.S. libraries only when a work has been reviewed in U.S. sources—especially Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Furthermore, results suggest that Canadian fiction is normally reviewed in U.S. sources only when the work is available in a U.S. edition. Anomalies are noted and suggestions are made for further research.     

Use made of U.S. government supported technical reports by researchers in water resources

This study attempts to determine how and from whom authors of journal articles citing technical reports learned of those reports and how and from whom they obtained copies. There also was an attempt to find out how reports were used in the research reported and what kind and level of use was made of them. A questionnaire was sent to 100 authors of recent research articles appearing in four research journals in the area of water resources in the 10 months ending in April 1992. There was an 82 percent return rate of the research instrument. Colleagues were, as expected, the primary sources of reports and information about reports. Indexing services were used by only two reserachers to identify the cited reports, which consisted of U.S. Geological Survey open-file reports, technical research reports, and reports of water investigations. Libraries and librarians played only minor roles in researchers' awareness of technical reports or their availability. If librarians are to serve the needs of researchers, greater efforts need to be made to ensure the availability and use of this relatively obscure publication type.     

The quality of academic and public library reference service provided for NTIS products and services: Unobtrusive test results

This article reports on the use of unobtrusive testing to gather data on a performance measure—correct answer fill rate. Personnel from 12 academic and public libraries participating in the U.S. Government Printing Office's depository program were asked 5 pretested questions and the accuracy and efficiency of their search outcome were measured.Although the article reports a pilot project, the findings and discussion of study results should have broad interest. They document the inability of a number of staff members to negotiate successfully reference questions pertaining to NTIS and technical report literature. Clearly, the study merits replication on a broader scale and library staff should review their search skills with the test questions appended to this article.     

Beilstein and Gmelin: Keep or cancel

This article examines the decision-making process employed at an academic library to evaluate continuing commitments to two important reference sources in chemistry: Beilstein and Gmelin. A survey was used to ascertain regional subscribers for a potential resource-sharing agreement. A second survey was conducted to determine the status of the printed handbooks and usage of the online equivalents at institutions with similar chemistry departments. Results showed half of the surveyed libraries had standing orders for Beilstein and 35% had standing orders for Gmelin. The negotiation process between the Library and the Chemistry Department is outlined. The Chemistry Department elected to cancel both handbooks, use online databases in their place, and purchase new chemistry materials including periodicals.     

Bibliometric analysis to identify core reference sources of virtual reference transactions

As the use of electronic reference sources becomes commonplace, virtual reference services are expanding in scope, modes, and popularity. Simultaneously, reference practices are evolving as well. One concept that may be challenged by these trends is the notion of the core reference collection. What are the sources that form this core collection, and what are its characteristics? Are similar sources used to answer users' questions in virtual and traditional reference? How do core collections of public and academic libraries differ? An analysis of 1851 e-mail and chat reference transactions from public and academic libraries reveals that the notion of a core reference collection persists in the world of virtual reference services. In both types of libraries, responses to patrons showed a skewed bibliographic distribution; librarians used a small group of sources to answer most of the questions. Almost all sources used were electronic. Academic libraries tended to make greater use of fee-based sources, but public libraries more often used sources freely-available on the Web.     

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.     

Electronic Stacks

Summary

The awareness of Web sources in reference service has risen in recent years as many reference librarians have become more Internet-minded. During the reference process, we often ask ourselves: can this question be answered by using the Web?

The use of Web sources is expanding the amount of available reference information, enhancing individual libraries' collections, and, hence, providing better user service. There are many benefits in using the Web sources in reference service. There are also some drawbacks. Some useful Web sources are reviewed.

The Web, when used properly, provides reference librarians with a valuable resource option to help improve their services in an effective manner.     

Recent literature on government information

This column was prepared from a manual scan of library and information science journals, and manual or automated searches of sources including ERIC, PAIS International in Print, America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, R. R. Bowker's Books in Print, Library Literature, Current Contents: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Government Reports Announcements & Index, EPIC, and the electronic discussion group GOVDOC-L. Citations are to items published or indexed from November 1994 through April 1995, including articles, books, reports, government publications, and chapters or essays in collected works. Reviews and short news articles are omitted. Each publication is cited once under its primary topic, and annotated if the content cannot be adequately determined from the title.     

我国医学期刊提升学术影响力的有效途径——基于高影响力中华医学会系列杂志研究

以《中国科技期刊引证报告(核心板)》和《中华医学会系列杂志学术质量审读报告》为主要数据来源,筛选出中华医学会系列杂志中学术质量排名前10的期刊,对期刊的主办单位、办刊方针、栏目特色、学术共同体在办刊中发挥的作用和微信公众号运营等方面进行研究,总结他们的办刊经验,以供其他医学期刊学习和借鉴。     

Recent literature on government information

This column was prepared from a manual scan of library and information science journals, and manual or automated searches of sources including ERIC, PAIS International in Print, America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, R.R. Bowker's Books in Print, Library Literature, Current Contents: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Government Reports Announcements & Index, EPIC, and the electronic discussion group GOVDOC-L. Citations are to items published or indexed from November 1993 through April 1994, including articles, books, reports, government publications, and chapters or essays in collected works. Reviews and short news articles are omitted. Each publication is cited once under its primary topic, and annotated if the content cannot be adequately determined from the title.Contributions of citations to this column should be addressed to the column editor, Susan M. Ryan, Government Documents Librarian, Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32720; Internet: ryan@-suvaxl.stetson.edu.     

U.S. government (depository items)

The new frontier of electronic access was fully explored in the past year. Government agency “gophers” proliferated on the Internet, featuring a wide variety of government information previously only available in print. Likewise, many gophers at academic institutions posted significant new government reports in a timely manner. A good example is the National Performance Review's From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better & Costs Less, which was posted on the Internet well before many depositories received their print copies. The one constant is that GPO (Government Printing Office) continues to issue publications containing valuable information. In addition to the National Performance Review, many other important reports were published by GPO this year, including those of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters, the National Commission on AIDS, and the ATF Investigation of the David Koresh/Waco incident. This list does not even mention the Clinton Administration's Health Security Act and the full depository release of the Clarence Thomas Hearings. It has been a full year. The documents included in this Notable Documents issue were received by depository libraries from midyear 1993 to midyear 1994. They were selected for their general interest, lasting value, research significance, or timeliness. Most of the documents are available from the Superintendent or from one of the GPO bookstores around the country (see Monthly Catalog for a listing). Those documents that do not list a stock number or price may be available in limited quantities from the issuing agency.     

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.     

On the available sources of information on the libraries of A.P. Volynskii and his adherents: Information on the libraries and their entrance into the library of the academy of sciences

This paper describes information on the libraries of A.P. Volynskii and his adherents, which was gained from interactive sources and some printed publications. It reveals the disagreement in the data from the chronicle of the LAS and other information sources, as well as that between different printed and electronic sources. Web sites, electronic copies of books by S.A. Belokurov, D.A. Korsakov, and V.S. Ikonnikov, the fourth volume of Materials on the History of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, electronic documents, and indices of stocks for the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and the St. Petersburg Department of the Archive of the RAS were used as information sources from the Internet. A part of the cited data was obtained using the ??Search for Books. Browsing a Fragment?? Google DB subsystem.     

Material-Mind-Method: On the Teaching of Reference beyond the Lecture: In-Class Hands-On Contact with Reference Sources

ABSTRACT

Reference librarians need to know how to use a vast array of reference sources. How do they acquire this knowledge? How can students arrive at their entry level positions with an arsenal of known sources and strategies for advancing this knowledge? Various strategies can be employed to provide students with options on how to launch their understanding for how and when to use specific sources. This column provides examples of how to incorporate active learning activities devoted to providing students in a group setting with options on how to begin and share their learning about reference sources.     

Meeting Nontraditional Medical Information Needs for the Unique Populations and Geographically Remote Locations of Alaska

ABSTRACT

The types of information required by hospital and clinical staff can be greatly influenced by the geography and culture of the area in which they operate. In some situations, information must be acquired from sources that fall outside the traditional provisions of a medical or reference library. This article provides examples of the unique information needs of clinical staff serving a primarily Native Alaskan and Native American clientele in Alaska. It also presents sources and personnel utilized to meet those information needs outside of traditional reference sources.     

Religious Studies Encyclopedism: A Recent History

As academic reference librarians, we need to historically situate the reference sources we use within changing scholarly disciplines. Mircea Eliade’s Encyclopedia of Religion, for example, is an important text in religious studies, but it is not a neutral text. Rather, it clearly reflects certain intellectual commitments and discursive strategies that need to be situated within histories of scholarship. Failure on the part of librarians to contextualize the perspectives of a reference source is problematic because it leaves the assumptions of the text unchallenged. More constructively, librarians need to problematize the agendas of reference sources, and make salient their discursive positions.     

UPDATING THE DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE U. S. CIVIL WAR:: The Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies

The core of primary source material documenting the U.S. Civil War is undisputedly The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (1880–1901). Despite efforts to compile a comprehensive set of documents that would accurately chronicle more than four years of strife and military strategy, numerous extant battle reports and other important miscellaneous records were not included in the original 128-volume set. Six years into the venture of attempting to collect, authenticate, collate, and publish material omitted from the original publication, Broadfoot Publishing Company recounts the process of expanding the Official Records.