Reference & User Services Quarterly articles from December 2007

Reference & User Services Quarterly archives from December 2007

A Reference Renaissance
December 22, 2007... Two events this past August prompted me to think more about reference services than I have for some time. The first was being interviewed by the editor-in-chief of Arugus, a journal published by the Corporation of Professional Librarians of...

That Thing You Do
December 22, 2007... Let's do a little experiment. Before you read the rest of this article, go to your reference desk (or information desk, or help desk, or whatever term you use for your primary, in-person service point). Look around. What do you see? Are there...

Looking to Connect: Technical Challenges That Impede the Growth of Virtual Reference
December 22, 2007... Sam Stormont's well-considered column made me think about current virtual reference issues in a different way. He brings together and unifies several threads: instant messaging, the goal of convenience, technological barriers, and collaboration....

Core Collections in Genre Studies: Romance Fiction 101
December 22, 2007... Building genre collections is a central concern of public library collection development efforts. Even for college and university libraries, where it is not a major focus, a solid core collection makes a welcome addition for students needing a...

Back to the Future? A Response to Dilevko and Magowan
December 22, 2007... Readers' advisory (RA) services have a long history in United States public libraries. Since the late nineteenth century, there always has been a component of public library services that has focused on connecting readers with books. As RA...

Outstanding business reference sources: the 2007 selection of recent titles.(FROM COMMITTEES OF RUSA)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... A BRASS Business Reference Sources Committee working group, after year-long discussions, voted for three titles to be included in the outstanding category. Four additional titles were selected as noteworthy. In order to qualify for inclusion...

The Effects of Librarians' Behavioral Performance on User Satisfaction in Chat Reference Services
December 22, 2007... The purpose of this study was to determine the effective behaviors of reference librarians during the chat reference interview, with particular emphasis given to whether the service users would feel more satisfied when librarians adopt the...

Sociocultural Learning Theories and Information Literacy Teaching Activities in Higher Education
December 22, 2007... This article introduces collaborative learning models based on sociocultural learning theories and discusses their potential for developing more effective learning opportunities in information literacy teaching. As described in the research of...

Assessing User Interactions at the Desk Nearest the Front Door
December 22, 2007... Some library users come in the door knowing exactly where to go, with clearly defined and communicated needs. However, many more enter the library on an exploratory mission and often stop at the first service desk that catches their eye. In many...

Determining Use of an Academic Library Reference Collection: Report of a Study
December 22, 2007... Studies indicate that a lean reference collection is the ideal, but how does a librarian determine what to pare? A small academic library did a five-year reshelving study to guide in collection management. Dots were applied to books as they were...

Biotechnology: Changing Life through Science.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Biotechnology: Changing Life through Science. Ed. by K. Lerner and Brenda W. Lerner. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007.3 vols. alkaline $181 (ISBN 978-1-4144-0151-5). This work is an introductory overview of current issues in biotechnology for...

Civil Wars of the World: Major Conflicts since World War II.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Civil Wars of the World: Major Conflicts Since World War II. By Karl Jr. DeRouen and Uk Heo. Denver: ABC-Clio, 2007. 2 vols. alkaline $195 (ISBN 978-1-85109-919-1). Written for the academic specialist and the general reader alike, Civil...

Drugs and Sports.(Reference Books)(Brief article)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Drugs and Sports. By Fred C Pampel. Library in a Book Set. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 288p. alkaline $45 (ISBN 978-0-8160-6575-2). Drugs and other performance enhancers have been used for hundreds of years by athletes, contributing to...

Encyclopedia of American Folklore.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of American Folklore. By Linda S. Watts. Facts On File Library of American Literature Set. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 480p. alkaline $65 (ISBN 0-8160-5699-4). Encyclopedia of American Folklore is part of the Facts On File...

Encyclopedia of Beat Literature.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of Beat Literature. Ed. by Kurt Hemmer. Literary Movements Set. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 416p. alkaline $75 (ISBN 0-8160-4297-7). Part of the Facts On File Literary Movements series, Encyclopedia of Beat Literature...

Encyclopedia of Catholicism.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Ed. by Frank K. Flinn. Encyclopedia of World Religions. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 704p. acid free $75 (ISBN 978-0-8160-5455-8). In the larger Encyclopedia of World Religions series, Christianity is the...

Encyclopedia of Globalization.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of Globalization. Ed. by Roland Robertson and Jan Aart Scholte. New York: Routledge, 2007. 4 vols. $750 (ISBN 0-415-97314-7). Encyclopedia of Globalization is one of several recent reference works that focus on international...

Encyclopedia of Health and Aging.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of Health and Aging. Ed. by Kyriakos S. Markides. Los Angeles: Sage, 2007. 675p. alkaline $150 (ISBN 978-1-4129--0949-5). Over the past several years, a number of encyclopedias on aging have been published. Works such as...

Encyclopedia of World Constitutions.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Encyclopedia of World Constitutions. Ed. by Gerhard Robbers. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 3 vols. acid free $255 (ISBN 0-8160-6078-9). Almost all countries have some form of written constitution that defines the rules that govern that...

The Fourth of July Encyclopedia.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... The Fourth of July Encyclopedia. By James R. Heintze. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2007. 360p. alkaline $55 (ISBN 0-7864-2777-9). James Heintze, librarian emeritus at the American University Library in Washington, D.C., has written...

Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events, 1846-2006.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events, 1846-2006. Ed. by Lillian Faderman et al. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem, 2007. 2 vols. acid free $160 (ISBN 1-58765-263-3). Edited by well-known specialists in gay, lesbian,...

Homelessness Handbook.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Homelessness Handbook. Ed. by David Levinson and Marcy Ross. Great Barrington, Mass.: Berkshire, 2007. 465p. alkaline $135 (ISBN 1-933782-03-X). Homelessness Handbook is a comprehensive source focusing on the psychological, social,...

Latinos in the Arts.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Latinos in the Arts. By Steven Otfinoski. A to Z of Latino Americans. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 288p. alkaline $44 (ISBN 978-0-8160-6394-9). Latinos in the Arts by Steven Otfinoski, author of other Facts On File publications,...

The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopedia of Myth, Legend, and Romance.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopedia of Myth, Legend, and Romance. By Daithi O hogain. Rochester, N.Y.: Boydell, 2007. 552p. $47.95 (ISBN 1-84383-215-1). There are reference books that can lead even a casual browser to a lifelong...

Milestones in Archaeology: A Chronological Encyclopedia.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Milestones in Archaeology: A Chronological Encyclopedia. By Tim Murray. Denver: ABC-Clio, 2007. 639p. alkaline $95 (ISBN 978-1-57607-186-1). Milestones in Archaeology by Tim Murray, a professor of archaeology at La Trobe University in...

The Oxford Companion to Black British History.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... The Oxford Companion to Black British History. Ed. by David Dabydeen, John Gilmore, and Cecily Jones. New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2007. 592p. $60 (ISBN 978-0-19-280439-6). This guide was developed in response to a 2005 British government...

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History. Ed. by John B. Hattendorf. New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2007. 4 vols. alkaline $550 (ISBN 978-0-19-513075-1). A reader might think that after thousands of years of human beings sailing the...

Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy. By Scott A. Merriman. Denver: ABC-Clio, 2007. 2 vols. alkaline $195 (ISBN 978-1-85109-863-7). Religion and its role in the public arena has been one of...

Religion in America.(Reference Books)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Religion in America. By Timothy L. Hall. American Experience. New York: Facts On File, 2007. 496p. alkaline $80 (ISBN 978-0-8160-6198-3). Spanning the period from before Columbus's arrival to the early twenty-first century, this entry in...

Correction.(Reference Books)(Correction notice)
December 22, 2007... The citation for Revolutionary War Almanac in the review in volume 46, number 3 included an incorrect ISBN. The full citation, with correct ISBN, is: Revolutionary War Almanac. By John C. Fredriksen. Almanacs of American Wars. New York: Facts...

Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6. 8th ed. Catherine Barr and John T. Gillespie. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. 1783p. $80 (ISBN 1-59158-085-4). This eighth edition of Best Books for Children: Preschool...

Beyond Survival: Managing Academic Libraries in Transition.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Beyond Survival: Managing Academic Libraries in Transition. Elizabeth J. Wood, Rush Miller, and Amy Knapp. Westport, Corm: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 220p. $45 (ISBN 1-59158-337-3). In recent years, libraries have heard that they are...

Crash Course in Storytelling.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Crash Course in Storytelling. Kendall Haven and MaryGay Ducey Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 120p. $30 (ISBN 1-59158-399-3). Storytelling can strike fear in the heart of even the most seasoned librarian. Crash Course in...

Crash Course in Web Design for Libraries.(Professional Materials)(Brief article)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Crash Course in Web Design for Libraries. Charles P. Rubenstein. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 220p. $30 (ISBN 1-59158-366-7). If you work in a public library with no technical support, do not have a WYSIWYG ("what you see...

Gotcha for Guys! Nonfiction Books to Get Boys Excited about Reading.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Gotcha for Guys! Nonfiction Books to Get Boys Excited about Reading. Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia Agness Kochel. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 288p. $35 (ISBN 1-59158-311-X). How do you get boys of middle school age excited...

Law Librarianship in the Twenty-First Century.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Law Librarianship in the Twenty-First Century. Ed. by Roy Balleste, Sonia Luna-Lamas, and Lisa Smith-Butler. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2007. 229p. $55 (ISBN 0-8108-5881-9). The title of this edited collection implies an examination of the...

Libraries Beyond their Institutions: Partnerships That Work.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Libraries Beyond their Institutions: Partnerships That Work. Ed. by William Miller and Rita M. Pellen. New York: Haworth, 2006. 230p. $39.95 (ISBN 0-7890-2909-6). Libraries do not exist in a vacuum. Libraries Beyond their Institutions...

The Library As Place: History, Community, and Culture.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... The Library As Place: History, Community, and Culture. Ed. by John g. Buschman and Gloria J. Leckie. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. 260p. $50 (ISBN 1-59158-382-9). In an exploration of how libraries are more than the...

Library Juice Concentrate.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Library Juice Concentrate. Rory Litwin. Duluth, Minn.: Library Juice Pr., 2006. 238p. $25 (ISBN 0-977816-3-6). Selectors who are unfamiliar with this title and take only a cursory glance might dismiss it as a vanity publication (as the...

Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders. Compiled by Judith A. Siess and Jonathan Lorig. Chicago: ALA, 2007. 204p. $40 (ISBN 0-8389-0932-4). Information professionals deal with constant change and a variety of...

Reading Raps: A Book Club Guide for Librarians, Kids, and Families.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Reading Raps: A Book Club Guide for Librarians, Kids, and Families. Rita Solan. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. 354p. $35 (ISBN 1-59158-234-2). Starting a book club as a library program can be daunting. Rita Solan's Reading...

Serving Young Teens and 'Tweens.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Serving Young Teens and 'Tweens. Ed. by Sheila B. Anderson. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 158p. $40 (ISBN 1-59158-259-8). Displays. Programs. Outreach. Book talks. Anyone who has served as a children's librarian knows that...

Something to Talk about: Creative Booktalking for Adults.(Professional Materials)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... Something to Talk about: Creative Booktalking for Adults. Ann-Marie Cyr and Kellie M. Gillespie. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2006. 123p. $35 (ISBN 0-8108-5436-9). Veteran booktalkers and adult services librarians Cyr and Gillesepie, whose...

Guidelines for Library Services to Spanish-Speaking Library Users
December 22, 2007... Library services to Spanish-speaking users can be complex: nationality, regional differences, and culture provide myriad combinations within that community. As an example, there are significant linguistic and cultural differences reflected in...

Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Multilingual Collections and Services
December 22, 2007... 1.0 INTRODUCTION Traditionally, the United States has been a country that attracts large numbers of immigrants from all over the globe. While some libraries have established collections and programs to serve the needs of library-users whose...