Reference Services Review: Volume 31 Issue 3

Information literacy, a worldwide priority for the twenty‐first century

Ilene F. Rockman

Concentrates on information literacy, by way of attendance at an international symposium, which was a common theme by the speakers. Records that information literacy is a…

Utilizing Blackboard to provide library instruction: uploading MS Word handouts with links to course specific resources

Rob Lenholt, Barbara Costello, Judson Stryker

Collaboration among three university departments resulted in a successful venture to integrate an innovative electronic element into an online course management system…

Back to basics: the role of reading in preparing young people for the information society

Gayner Eyre

Living in the information age, with its emphasis on information and communications technologies, poses special challenges. This paper raises discussion about the important role of…

Digital reference: training and assessment for service improvement

Alice Kawakami, Pauline Swartz

This article describes the first of a series of assessments examining discrete areas of the service, needed to evaluate a digital reference program. The University of California…

Information literacy across the wired university

Beth Bloom, Marta Deyrup

Librarians at a private Catholic university utilized a grant enabling them to team up with members of other campus constituencies to create an information literacy program aimed…

Electronic maps: sources and techniques

Kathleen Weessies

Maps can be challenging to reference librarians, especially to those without the specialized skills needed for working with the material. Such is the same with maps found on the…

Managing the reference desk online

Greg Sennema

Communication between reference librarians is vital for the provision of enhanced reference services. This article discusses the creation and application of three Web‐based tools…

Limited English proficient users and the need for improved reference services

Ajit Pyati

Public libraries have long neglected the needs of limited English proficiency (LEP) users. With the changing demographics of the USA, however, services to LEP users will become…

The focus group method in libraries: issues relating to process and data analysis

Marilyn Von Seggern, Nancy J. Young

Focus groups are becoming more widely used in libraries as a means of gathering data from the users’ point‐of‐view about how they find and use information. This article discusses…

Rich man, poor man: resources on globalization

Carol Hammond, Robert Grosse

Globalization is often described as one of the most significant trends of our time, with far‐reaching consequences for mankind. This is an introduction to the topic and includes…