How can you enhance reference services without adding staff? Modern law librarians are under growing pressure to keep up with new technologies, deal instantly with the demands of patrons, keep the library safe and user-friendly, and generally offer the best possible service while keeping costs down. Emerging Solutions in Reference Services: Implications for Libraries in the New Millennium is a very practical guide for coping with rapidly changing technology and increasing demands for services. Its sane, well-researched advice and suggestions can help you deal with the hectic days and nights behind the reference desk. Emerging Solutions in Reference Services suggests up-to-date, innovative ways to deal with the traditional issues confronting librarians, including: handling problem patrons and ensuring security assigning reference responsibilities teaching patrons at the reference desk or on library tours drafting enforceable rules avoiding the unauthorized practice of law charging--or not charging--fees for services cross-training reference personnel Some of the traditional problems of law librarians are solved by computers; others are actually exacerbated by the new technologies available. In addition to finding ways that technology can help law librarians, Emerging Solutions in Reference Services offers solutions for the special problems posed by new technology, including questions of Web design, setting up online reference services, virtual library tours, Internet training for patrons, and ensuring technological competency of staff. In these days of decreasing budgets and increasing demands for services, Emerging Solutions in Reference Services is an invaluable resource for the librarian caught in the middle.

Deliver innovative, XML-based business solutions with a dynamic, easy-to-use front end-faster-with expert guidance, design patterns, and inside insights from two veterans of the Microsoft InfoPath development team.

1970- issued in 2 vols.: v. 1, General reference, social sciences, history, economics, business; v. 2, Fine arts, humanities, science and engineering.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.

The massive shift in how information is now published and collected has space, cost, and service policy implications for every library's reference collection. This detailed how-to has two purposes: first, to help reference librarians plan, select, and develop these new collections; second, to help them rework their services in light of changing collections. Cassell discusses selection criteria (with examples), examines the future of the format in the reference collection, and the types of material (e.g.: full text encyclopedia or index). Readers are guided through the necessary collection development decisions, including the advantages and disadvantages of print vs. electronic media for content, content appropriateness for the format, demand, cost (required software and hardware), space (required equipment), time (installation), and the learning curve needed to use -- and teach -- new electronic reference tools. Details on reference book publishers and trends, recommended print and electronic evaluation tools, user and staff education, suggestions, model policies, checklists, forms, and planning tools for the new reference department complete this practical and essential manual.

Looks at the issues facing libraries in light of the dilemmas posed as a result of the globalising information economy. In particular the book looks at the following issues: how to locate, acquire, present and manage information intimes of escalating serials subscriptions and limits on library budgets; how to manage print versus electronic formats; how to make available data sets and audio-visual data; how to attract users to the library itself in a physical or virtual sense; coping with information overkill and the ethical and legal dilemmas posed by the Internet; how to best apply digital technologies; how best to teach users to exploit and evaluate the "new library"; and how to maintain specialist subject skills in the face of trends towards the "generalist librarian". As well as looking at problems and changes, it proposes relevant and viable solutions.