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The article presents the 2008 Guidelines for Library and Information Services to Older Adults. The guidelines were established by the American Library Association with the help of current and past members of the Committee on Library Service to an Aging Population and the Office of Literacy and Outreach Services Library Service to the Aging Subcommittee. The guidelines provides information on how to collect data about the older population and create programs aimed at their needs, how to incorporate the special needs and interests of older people into library services and how to make library facilities safe for this population segment.

The article presents the guidelines for library services to Spanish-speaking library users in the U.S. Factors such as nationality, regional differences and culture can increase the complexity of library services to Spanish-speaking users. Spanish-speaking communities in the country have different language skills and competencies in English and Spanish. Selection of Spanish language materials should follow the procedures for collection development. In order to understand the composition and needs of the target populations, create a profile of the Spanish-speaking communities the library intends to serve.

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 libraries, this point of first contact is a security or general information desk, not a full-service reference desk. This opens the question, are users being served effectively and their expectations being met? During the first several weeks of the fall 2003 semester, staff at the service desk closest to the front door of a large academic library recorded the specific questions asked by library patrons and their responses. This data was subjected to qualitative analysis techniques and revealed some trends in what current students are seeking when they initially come into the library. The results are useful for managers to consider in establishing appropriate staffing models (such as who should work at this desk), developing relevant training, and planning service desk and collection spatial configurations. This article presents the results from this study and explores possible factors that managers should take into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines library Web site photographs depicting reference professional-user interactions. The researchers retrieved 150 digital photographs from public, academic, and special library Web sites and analyzed them using visual content analysis and visual social semiotic theory to examine their power, knowledge, activity, social distance, and professional warmth messages. Chi-square analysis is used to determine whether any significant relationships exist between library types and visual messages (power, knowledge, activity, social distance, and professional warmth). Contingency tables are also used to examine the patterns of difference across library types. Findings suggest that the dominant visual message articulated across Web photographs is professional power, knowledge equality, activity equality, far personal distance, and medium levels of warmth. Analysis indicates significant relationships between power, knowledge, activity and library type, and contingency tables illuminated unique messages articulated by library type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article comments on the library anxiety in the electronic era. Decreasing statistics reported by reference librarians in academic libraries reflect the fact that fewer patrons are approaching the librarian at the reference or information desk in the library. Much blame is placed on the availability of online catalogs, databases, and full-text resources, but some explanations have their roots in problems long extant in the reference librarian's world. The idea of fearing the library and librarians was first labeled library anxiety in 1986. It was characterized by feeling that one's library skills are inadequate compared to those of one's peers, that this inadequacy is shameful and should be hidden, and that one's inadequacy is revealed by asking questions. Librarians often are also perceived as being too busy to help patrons. It is said that to continue the traditional library role as a storehouse for books and records is to become obsolete and that the key to future success will be to emphasize efforts to evaluate data and information for the purposes of fostering knowledge and wisdom. With the increasing use of electronics, the number and variety of mechanical barriers to comfort in the library have increased significantly. Students who use computer indexes and online facilities were found to have the highest levels of library anxiety with respect to all antecedents. It has also been found that name recognition increased library success, that if a patron knew the name of a librarian they were more likely to have a good library experience. The service that makes library patrons most happy is access to electronic books and journals. Patrons should know that librarians find information whether it is in a book, a journal article, a database, a Web site, or wherever in whatever format it might be. Librarians do electronic searches for patrons or with patrons. All patrons have to do is ask.

This article looks at Internet-based reading recommendation services. The past five years have seen a continued growth in the availability of reading resources on the Internet. While many of the pioneering resources, such as genre fiction Web sites and fan-built author sites, have been allowed to fade away by their creators, others have sprung up to take their place. Online booksellers and publishers are continuing to expand their resources to attract and support readers. This expansion of reading resources on the Internet has not been the sole responsibility of commercial entities or fan groups. Libraries have taken an active role in providing resources to their readers and to the broader reading community through the Internet from its inception, and they continue to expand their online reading resources in a variety of ways. Libraries are taking two approaches to providing readers' active advisory services online, either synchronous (chat based) or asynchronous (e-mail based). These approaches mirror the methods used by libraries that offer virtual reference services and each method has its advantages and potential concerns. In either case, starting an online reading suggestion service offers several opportunities for libraries, and may provide advantages to readers as well.

Chat reference also known as digital or virtual reference, is well established across academic libraries. Hundreds of articles have been written on the various aspects of providing and evaluating this type of service. Most software used for chat reference makes it very easy to track how the system is used. The very nature of chat reference makes it possible to evaluate the quality of reference service in ways never before possible. Several basic assumptions have been made when designing a chat interface. In 2000 Kelvin Smith Library began to consider the possibility of offering a real-time chat reference service. The service was rolled out in the fall of 2001. Due to limited library staff, the service was offered from Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. There have been no published data to date, but a scan of Web pages from libraries offering chat service indicates that most libraries place the chat button on the home page or have a special ask-a-librarian link on the home page that takes the patron to a page with a chat request button. By expanding the number of pages on which the chat request button is placed, the use of the service is increased.

Attempts to show the relationships between privacy and digital reference records, how privacy can be compromised in the digital reference environment, and what actions librarians can take to maintain the privacy of these records. Privacy issues for types of digital reference records; Intellectual systems that underlie examination of privacy and digital reference records; Privacy features of chat software products.

Deals with creating readers' advisories for audio books. Element of appeal for a recorded book; Factors that patrons may take into consideration when selecting an audio book; Resources for librarians doing a readers' advisory for audio books.

The article offers information on the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Code for the U.S. Topics discussed include the ILL's purpose in obtaining materials requested by library users which are not available in the local library, the scope of the code in encouraging libraries in the U.S. to engage in ILL with libraries from other countries, and the responsibility of the supplying library in ensuring the library user's confidentiality.