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47, no. 1

Good for What? Non-appeal, Discussibility, and Book Groups (Part 2)

Jan 6th, 2008
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Barry Trott, Editor
Joan Bessman Taylor, Guest Columnist

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Since the publication of Joyce Saricks’s Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library (ALA, 1989, 1997, 2005), readers’ advisors have used the concept of appeal as a way to connect readers with books. Looking at the elements of a piece of writing–character, language, mood, setting, and story–and what the reader preferred in each area helps the readers’ advisor to make connections between works that the reader may not have considered and thus expands the possible choices for that reader. (more…)

Fostering Self-Regulated Learning at the Reference Desk

Jan 6th, 2008
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Lori Arp and Beth S. Woodard, Editors
Edward J. Eckel, Guest Columnist

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Those who assist undergraduates at the reference desk know how tempting it can be, especially under time pressure, to find sources or perform online database searches for them. At the same time, reference librarians are likely to spend a significant number of classroom hours each week teaching undergraduates how to find, evaluate, and use information. (more…)

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Jan 6th, 2008
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David A. Tyckoson, President

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Of course you are. If you are reading this column, you are most likely a college-educated, twenty-first-century information professional who is engaged in assisting members of your community navigate through, find, and understand complex information resources. This takes skills far beyond those of a fifth-grade education. So why am I asking? (more…)

The LibQUAL+ Phenomenon: Who Judges Quality?

Jan 6th, 2008
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Judith M. Nixon, Editor
E. Stewart Saunders, Guest Columnist

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For my second column as the editor of the new Management column, I decided to focus on library service assessment. It is certainly one of the most important activities we need to do; however, often we, as librarians, have little training on or knowledge of how to evaluate and assess our service. We are better at collection evaluation than service evaluation. (more…)

Letter to the Editor

Jan 6th, 2008
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May 1, 2007

To the Editor:

In a column analyzing his own inaccurate quotation of a definition of the ideal college, David Isaacson reveals himself a serial offender. (more…)

Comparison of Retrieval Performance of Eleven Online Indexes Containing Information Related to Quaternary Research, an Interdisciplinary Science

Jan 6th, 2008
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Lura E. Joseph

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Interdisciplinary research offers increasing information challenges for researchers and scholars as well as for librarians. Quaternary research is an example of a highly interdisciplinary area incorporating research ranging from geochemistry and microbiology to planetary science. This study compares retrieval performance of eleven online indexes that can be used for Quaternary research, and discusses three others. (more…)

“If My Mother Was Alive I’d Probably Have Called Her”: Women’s Search for Health Information in Rural Canada

Jan 6th, 2008
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Roma Harris and Nadine Wathen

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Women living in a rural Canadian county were interviewed about how they locate health information. The experiences they described raise interesting questions about the efficacy of government sponsored e-health initiatives, particularly when such programs are intended to compensate individuals who live in remote communities for lack of access to health care services. (more…)

“Nice Shoes.”

Jan 6th, 2008
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Lisa O’Connor, Guest Columnist

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What could be more appropriate for the fall issue than an editorial on library education? I was delighted when Lisa O’Connor accepted my invitation to contribute a guest editorial on this topic. Lisa O’Connor earned her MLIS from the University of South Carolina in 1995. She served as a reference and business librarian at Youngstown State University and as business librarian and instructional services coordinator at Kent State University. (more…)

Best Free Reference Web Sites: Ninth Annual List

Jan 6th, 2008
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RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section

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Welcome to the ninth annual Best Free Reference Web Sites List. In 1998, the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) appointed an ad hoc task force to develop a method of recognizing outstanding reference Web sites. (more…)

Best Bibliographies in History

Jan 6th, 2008
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RUSA History Section Bibliography and Indexes Committee

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Each year, the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) History Section’s Bibliography and Indexes Committee continues its project to honor outstanding book-length English-language bibliographies in the field of history. It is our goal to encourage both the work of scholars in the bibliography of history and the publishers who support this important activity. (more…)

Collection-Related Courses in ALA-Accredited Master’s Programs: A Description

Jan 6th, 2008
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CODES Collection Development Education Committee

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Education for librarianship has been receiving quite a lot of attention recently. Forums have been held, teleconferences organized, papers written. The population of the concerned include members of ALA’s Reference and Adult Services Association (RUSA). (more…)

Afro-Latinos: An Annotated Guide for Collection Building

Jan 6th, 2008
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Neal Wyatt, Editor
Shana M. Higgins, Guest Columnist

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Collections that explore the wealth of a culture are vital to the essence of every library, as they provide opportunities to build connections between students, faculty, librarians, and the community. As witness to the possibilities stands the amazing Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York Public Library provides a service to the world with this rich collection and beautifully arranged, accessible Web site. (more…)

Whatever Happened to “Always Cite the Source?”: A Study of Source Citing and Other Issues Related to Telephone Reference

Jan 6th, 2008
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Denise E. Agosto and Holly Anderton

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This article presents a study of source citing in telephone reference service at the twenty-five largest public library systems in the United States and Canada. The results showed that in eighty-six out of the 125 total reference transactions analyzed (68.8 percent of the cases), respondents gave no sources for their answers. (more…)