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Facilitating access to the Internet is an important part of the public library mission, and is crucial in ensuring that all citizens have the possibility of access to contemporary digital information and public services. Part of managing this access relies on the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), an agreement between the library and the user regarding the conditions of access. This article reports on a national UK study of public library AUPs and the development of a new national model policy for public libraries, and which can be considered as 'best practice'. The article reports analysis of AUPs across the UK, with specific focus on how they communicate the use of filtering, and surveillance. This research adds new insight by studying the content of AUPs and contributes to the limited research that exists on public library AUPs in the UK. The research analyzed AUPs from 205 authorities in the UK, a return rate of 99.5%. The resulting conclusions and synthesis of relevant guidance on AUPs led to the formation of the model policy presented in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New embedding and hyperlinking features of 360 tours have the potential to significantly impact how users access information and library services. This article examines current uses, benefits, and challenges of 360 tours for academic libraries. Librarians at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Edith Garland Dupré Library are creating tours that serve as a point of access for library services, information, and instruction. Based on their own experiences and rooted in practices from early virtual online library tour development, the authors identify best practices for 360 tour creation and areas of opportunity for future development and testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing electronic document delivery (EDD) services to off-campus students can be a challenge. Methods of delivery that work well for one group of users might not work at all for another group. Knowing and using the different EDD service options to accomplish the goal of providing quality service to students results in a win-win situation. Student expectations of timely delivery of material are met and the department develops a reputation of dependable quality service. Library users have raised expectations from the 24/7 services available through the World Wide Web. Providing EDD of information to the researcher's desktop helps the library meet these needs and expectations. However, the options for desktop delivery can also be overwhelming, so knowing how and why different software and delivery methods work enables the practitioner to control the outcome of the transaction. This control over the service also ensures that quality service expectations are met by the library since the practitioner has the ability to use a variety of delivery options to the user's desktop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries are bridges between information and the library user in the context of information retrieval. Library users want to access information resources according to their topic. Therefore, it is important to create subject entries in bibliographic records. If subject added entries and their redirects are done correctly, it will make it easier for users to access the information they are looking for. In this article the collaborative studies and projects made in Turkey are being discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries have been playing important roles in disaster preparedness and recovery according to related literature. With the increasing popularity of social media, one specific value libraries can offer during disasters centers on serving as hubs for delivering credible information via social media. The 2015 catastrophic flooding in South Carolina provided a means of investigating the way libraries could utilize social media to maintain connections with their patrons during a disaster. Based on the findings from a situation-specific pilot survey study, recommendations are made that could help libraries proactively create risk communication strategies using social media for effective information services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports on a study of how long library patrons at 28 college and university libraries kept books checked out before and after a policy change allowing for longer circulation periods and more renewals. The behavior of most patrons remained similar before and after the policy change, with only a slight (7–14 day) lengthening of the length of circulation for many patrons. A significant minority of patrons made more extensive use of the longer loan periods, demonstrating the usefulness of the policy change for many users. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article will describe how merging service points in an academic library is an opportunity to improve customer service and utilize staffing resources more efficiently. Combining service points provides libraries with the ability to create a more positive library experience for patrons by minimizing the ping-pong effect for assistance. The Access Services Department at the University of North Texas Libraries was charged with management of the circulation and reference services offered at the service desk. Streamlined planning and modernized management of the desk and its impact on customer service in a changing library environment will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the summer of 2010, to provide a “one-stop shop” service point to Woodruff Library patrons, the Circulation, Reference, and Learning Commons (LC) desks merged into the unified Library Service Desk (LSD) under Access Services. Last year, due to organizational changes in the library and IT, and anticipated support needs of the new LC spaces and technologies, Student Digital Life opened a separate LC Technical Support desk. The lessons of the year of the two desks, funding considerations, and the persistent goal to streamline the experience of our patrons resulted in transitioning the functions of the LC desk to LSD, thus evolving it to new organizational and operational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article articulates the numerous barriers that limit library use by trans* persons and explains practical ways these barriers can be eliminated so that trans* patrons can get the information and insights they want and need. The article also includes worksheets that library professionals can use to address trans* patrons' information issues and provide inclusive information services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is introduced with a brief account of the historical development of free public libraries in the United States. This is necessary to set the stage for sound reasoning for charging for products and services in today's vanishing public library systems. To be sure, these libraries are closing everywhere because of the lack of proper funding for survival, and charging a small fee has been debated continuously for the survival of these cultural, social, and informational centers. This is not only a problem throughout the United States but also globally. There are a few public libraries that are investigating this strategy to further serve library customers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using interactive and mobile technologies enhances literacy instruction and outreach services. In the classroom, polling applications and clickers provide real-time assessment, inform future instruction, and encourage students to participate. Outside the classroom, we are creating instructional videos and media on topics such as search techniques, navigating the library, and publishing Web sites. These materials can be accessed via the library Web site, streamed onto handheld devices, added to course sites, and embedded throughout the library's physical site using quick response codes. These innovative methodologies help us reach students in a multitude of ways and broaden students' means and methods of access. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How can libraries proactively demonstrate, quantitatively and qualitatively, return on investment in an academic environment that is increasingly concerned with tangible results? As speaker for Mississippi State University Libraries' 9th MidSouth eResource Symposium, Dr. Rachel Fleming-May, Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee's School of Information Sciences, articulated the need for libraries to communicate their true value and indispensability to campus communities, particularly through the measurement of electronic resource usage. The concept of 'use,' however, is complex and must be fully understood for meaningful incorporation into assessment measures. A brief summary of this session, also authored by Amanda Price, appeared in the 'E-Resource Roundup' column of the Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, Volume 23, Issue 1 (2011: March). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrons are comfortable accessing library information and resources online; however, hospital libraries often have difficulties creating and maintaining internal and external library Web sites that are easily accessible by library patrons. Librarians examined the use of a wiki to serve as an appropriate and effective means for providing the library patrons, employees of a large regional health system, access to library resources both on and off campus. This article will briefly discuss the methods the librarians used to choose a wiki client and create the site. Also included will be training tips used and handouts given to the other hospital system librarians to help familiarize themselves with the wiki site and empower them to assume responsibility for the maintenance of their library's page within the wiki. Finally, the article will discuss the overall utilization of the wiki site as well as the barriers encountered and possible reasons why the wiki was not as successful as hoped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the Internet and access to such limitless information has challenged the way that patrons search for information. Efforts to close the gap between library science and computer science are ongoing. An important component of that is to make the necessary changes in the organization of how information is communicated to the community that the library serves. It is necessary to look at how patrons search for information, and how the library facilitates that quest and educates patrons in the use of resources that they didn't know existed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first two sections of this three-part article contrast the myopic five-year strategic plan that the American Library Association introduced just before the Boston ALA Midwinter convention in 2010 (Section 1) with a Danish view of a future for librarians that includes significant and irreplaceable work (Section 2). Section 3 of the article provides several on-line examples that illustrate how other user and professional communities are using modern electronic techniques to collect and provide timely information. These provide exemplary models which librarians can use to move ahead to develop and fulfill a significant information agenda for the nation, their institutions, and the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Web generations are influencing the minds and changing the habits of software developers and end users. Users, librarians, and information services professionals can interact more efficiently, creating additional information and content and generating knowledge. This new scenario is also changing the behavior of information providers and users in health sciences libraries. This article reviews the new Web environments and tools that give librarians opportunities to tailor their services better, and gives some examples of the advantages and disadvantages for them and their users. Librarians need to adapt to the new mindset of users, linking new technologies, information, and people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our adoption of cutting edge reference services sometimes outpaces our creation of management models capable of supporting them. Sci-tech libraries have been at the forefront of enhancing traditional services with a wide range of virtual reference services to help us meet our patrons' increasing demands for mobility. However, a unique set of practical management considerations are required in order to successfully move from quick setup to full service support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet is the research tool of first choice among today's library users. Libraries are responding by introducing a number of Internet-based reference services to meet the needs of these techno-literate users. Focusing on an academic library in the Caribbean, this article discusses the issues that privilege traditional over virtual reference and examines issues such as student information research skills, the physical format of the collection, levels of staffing, and the role of culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users are increasingly expecting services to be available outside traditional venues and time frames. Clearly, not all library functions and services can be performed all the time, but a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) tool is one function that can be. Librarians at Notre Dame decided to create a searchable FAQ database as a method to efficiently reach users at their time and point of need and as a way to provide instant, virtual feedback to common questions. The content for the FAQ database was derived from the analysis of over 3000 chat and email questions collected over the course of three years' use of Docutek, an email and chat reference software. The process of coding the questions as well as the technological solutions employed to create a searchable database of frequently asked questions is described. A link to the FAQ appears on the ND Libraries Ask-A-Librarian page and has already seen much use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reference service has become ubiquitous in academic libraries. The increased adoption of chat technology brings to light some of the challenges of providing high-quality reference service. The lack of a personal connection, increased transaction time, and technical problems are often cited. Techniques, such as conducting a reference interview or using online communication conventions, can make virtual reference as effective as face-to-face reference. Additionally, inclusion of video or Web annotation in the virtual reference session can add an element of personalization that might otherwise be missing. Virtual reference can be an emotionally rich, engaging, and effective form of reference service if these techniques and technologies are adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service to pro se patrons continues to be one of the core issues facing law librarians. The current downturn in the economy makes this issue more critical than ever. This article provides one way to better meet the needs of this growing class of law library patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patron use of the Internet may appear to overwhelm the public library's traditional role. This is often the case at the Colonial Heights Branch of the Sacramento Public Library. Fortunately the services which are required to support Internet use complement those required to assist patrons with the print and media collections. This essay recounts the important, primarily personal ways in which a branch library in a low socio-economic neighborhood reinforces its traditional informational and instructional role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate students are increasingly being asked to con- duct higher-level research in their areas of study. In order to address under-graduate needs, many academic librarians, especially those charged with crafting instruction, take critical thinking as a given in the teaching of information literacy skills. However, this review of the literature has revealed that, though there was some discussion of critical thinking in a library context in the mid 1980s, the concept did not really take hold until the 1990s, when higher education reform began to appear on many campuses. Additionally, the literature regarding critical thinking skills during this period exhibits four themes: (I) a lack of agreement among librarians and others on what critical thinking is and how it can be defined, (2) the importance of subject and course integration in the teaching of critical thinking skills in libraries, (3) the necessity of reaching undergraduate students, and (4) the special challenges of teaching critical thinking skills in an age when technology is changing so rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a review of several articles that stress what is best for the library user. In "Conduciveness to Scholarship: The Essence of Academic Library as Place," the authors survey and research the faculty on the University of Oklahoma in Norman to decipher their use of the library's physical space. The article "Finding Information in a New Landscape: Developing New Service and Staffing Models for Mediated Information Services," the authors include the survey they used to improve services, data supporting the changes they made and the cost data spreadsheet. The study "User Preferences in References Services: Virtual Reference and Academic Libraries" addresses user preferences for potentially competing methods or technologies for obtaining reference assistance.

It is no secret that the nature of reference is changing. Users no longer have to go to the library to find the resources needed for their research. The library is becoming a place to study more than a place to do research. Business students at the University of Mississippi are no different. With nice computer labs, a big building, and atriums for relaxing, there was little need for them to leave the School of Business Administration. How do you reach users who won't come to the library? You take the library to them. In 2004, the business librarian at J.D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi began offering satellite or on-site reference to the School of Business Administration. Three years later the program is still running and considered a success-not only as a way to provide reference to a user group but also as a form of marketing and outreach for the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the success of Internet access via search technology, such ease of access is still not available in Web archives, as a greater amount of relevant contextual information is essential in accessing Web archives. The degree of relevance of the contextual information has to be customized to suit research on culture and heritage study over time. Information scientists have long been struggling to find a system that can help them organize Web archives so that users can have access to complete and coherent collections. Lessons can be learned from archivists who have an established tradition of linking materials to its origin and ownership or what is termed provenance. In this paper, we demonstrate how Web Annotation for Web Intelligence, more than just an intuitive way of expressing one's thoughts on the materials under study, is in fact an appropriate tool for cataloguing Web archives in order to ensure a high quality of access for users. Informed by the theory of Records Continuum, a demonstration of access to archived Web materials will be presented. We then recommend an effective way of allowing the continual organization of Web archives based on several design principles for a Web annotation system. This system would preserve the evidence and context of the cataloguing process. Such a tool would also help facilitate collaboration among information professionals in organizing complex Web archives. Implementing the recommended Web annotation system will help ensure better-quality archives with more evidence and contextual information preserved within the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User involvement in information services is a contentious issue. This article explores the participation of patrons in libraries, archives and records centres. It reviews the causes of this change, and discusses the consequences for the information profession. The article notes the constants in information environments, and concludes by suggesting that the opposing sides reach a compromise in order for industry survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The privacy and confidentiality of library use are often at odds with efficiency in and customization of library public services. When librarians make decisions about services and privacy, they should consider strategic approaches to defining and discussing privacy and become familiar with the law of library privacy and their ethical commitment to privacy in library use. A wide range of library services and efficiencies threaten privacy and introduce the potential for secondary uses of personally identifying information collected by the library. Market failure for privacy weakens the value of consumer surveys and consent as substitutes for librarians' choices between privacy and services. Compromises such as those outlined by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee offer reasonable approaches to libraries and librarians struggling with the uncertainties that characterize the challenge of meeting both service and privacy interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines technologies used to provide library patrons with the same kind of success in finding information as achieved with Google searching. It is recommended to simulate Google, and then move beyond Google. One technology that allows libraries to emulate the "do not make me think" environment provided by Google is federated searching. With this kind of searching, users can access article's indexes, the library's online catalog and locally developed or Web databases all at the same time. Another technology, faceted browsing or search clustering, allows the user to narrow down their search results contextually.

This article provides an analysis of transcripts of chat reference transactions. The data analyzed for this study were from 631 chat reference transcripts from the University of Minnesota Libraries-Twin Cities Campus collected from January to May for both 2003 and 2004. Specifically, the patrons' statuses, the length of sessions, the type of chat transactions, and the types of questions asked were examined. The findings determined that though a majority of patrons seeking assistance from the chat reference service were undergraduates (41%), graduate students used the service a surprising amount (28%). Overwhelmingly, most students needed assistance finding specific items or wanted to know how to find a resource. However, 17% of the undergraduates using this service were seeking in-depth reference assistance. The analysis has allowed for the transformation of chat reference services (including staffing and training) and also informs decisions about library services, Web sites, and collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author argues that trends in library literature mask the inherently patriarchal aspects of reference services. Through the critical educational theories of Paulo Freire and others, it is suggested here that there is a need to transform reference services in order to better serve the needs of today's users and that innovative technologies provide an opportunity to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marshall Keys' entertaining presentation serves as an inspiring and thought-provoking stroll down today's technological trends and how they will impact libraries down the road. His examination of chaotic transitions within users, information technology and information seeking provides tremendous insights into the changes libraries will need to undertake in order to successfully serve the next generation of library users. Only by transforming ourselves to handle the needs of emerging users will we be successful in the future. These emerging users value community over privacy; want to be able to personalize the technology they use; and carry more technology in their pockets than libraries provided users just a few years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-mail reference has been utilized as a reference tool in academic libraries since the early 1980s. Today it is one of the most common media for providing digital reference service. An important aspect of providing any service is evaluating users' satisfaction levels with that service. Users of the Ask-A-Librarian e-mail reference service at a large academic library over a ten-month period voluntarily completed a seven item web-based questionnaire. The results indicated that the majority of respondents were satisfied with Ask-A-Librarian overall. This paper discusses how the library used the survey results to improve the existing service, and to implement a new one-chat reference. Reference service providers should not only ask users for feedback on existing services, but also should include them in the planning and design phase of new services. In doing so, they demonstrate their commitment to providing adequate and appropriate services to their patron community, and ultimately can save their institutions time and expense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate of change in music reference represents a challenge to librarians. The three issues in the library literature that probably have the greatest impact on music reference service and are the subject of this paper are changes in users, sources, and modes of access to sources. These three issues are certainly related, as users need to use sources, and they need to know how to access them in order to use them. Reference librarians are called upon to mediate this process. Music library collections have their own peculiarities, however. Because they contain a wider variety of materials than many other kinds of library collections, reference librarians for music collections must be aware of the format, content, and intended uses of these materials, as well as the research patterns of their patrons. In the recent past, as cultural norms have changed with the paradigm of Western culture, users have wanted to use music libraries in new ways, and librarians are challenged to accommodate them. The musical genres used and requested by today's library patrons are different than they once were, both for listening and for academic study. Musical reference sources are being issued in electronic formats, and this represents a challenge for some users. The expanded use of interlibrary loan and electronic access to materials represents new opportunities and challenges. Music librarians are being called upon to provide services to patrons they may never see. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the International Evidence-Based Librarianship conference held in Brisbane between October 16-19, 2005. Nearly 200 participants attended the conference, from many countries around the world. The Great Britain, Canada, U.S., Australia and New Zealand were all represented, with a very stimulating mix of practitioners and researchers/academics. The focus was on developments in evidence: linking research with practice. A range of workshops and presentations throughout the event elicited much greater interaction and questioning than generally occurs in U.S. conferences. At the conference a \vide range of research projects in library and information science were reported and discussed. During the conference the emphasis was led on the point that libraries have a very active interest in understanding what their users needs are, what services they should be delivering and how they should be developing their services to better meet these needs. Workshops included case studies of generalised library activities and services to develop research questions which were not limited to the health sectors.

A university library implemented a three-pronged marketing action plan to increase library visibility on campus. The plan included a publicity campaign, a formalized liaison program, and a user satisfaction survey. The year-long effort did return library instruction statistics to earlier levels but did not increase reference usage. Several factors are identified as potential causes for its limited success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing ideas and techniques can be found from observing and surveying patrons in your library. The marketing techniques discussed in this article were utilized over a seven-year period at the F. Franklin Moon Library, a small specialized academic library. These affordable, effective, and realistic marketing techniques include a variety of adaptable ideas including surveys, pencils, screen savers, signage, college newspaper columns, and e-mail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Lucy Scribner Library at Skidmore College, we have produced 11 different postcards to promote services and collections. We have discovered the advantages as well as the limitations of using postcards as marketing/instructional/informational tools. There have also been some practical lessons to be learned along the way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relais international Inc. would like to take this opportunity to introduce our latest product, Relais ILL. Instructional technology stands out amongst the array of Products we have to offer as this product has been designed with the smaller library and interlibrary loan department in mind. Relais interlibrary loan combines the sophistication and automation of Relais Enterprise with ease of installation and implementation. Relais interlibrary loan is ideal for a wide range of libraries that are looking to streamline and automate their interlibrary loan operations. For a cost-effective and integrated solution to your request management needs, use Relais ILL. Use Relais ILL: to automatically search a range of catalogs via Z39.50 and use the results to automatically build a routing list, requests are sent out automatically, as ISO interlibrary loan transactions to libraries in the order you specify, stay in touch with patrons using predefined messages or create your own message on the fly. The task of delivering documents between sites has always been a staff intensive undertaking for libraries clue to physical distance, searching for locations for the requested document. availability of the requested document, as well as many other potential obstacles. Relais International Inc. is striving to overcome these barriers by offering swift and efficient Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan. Relais ILL's features include high levels of automation, tracking of requests, patron communication, and a plethora of possibilities to help simplify the interlibrary loan process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses seven measurable criteria that he accepts as defining a "great library": Great libraries provide measurably superior service; have great funding; train and retrain their staffs; integrate their virtual, place and outreach services marketing; serve both the weakest and the strongest among their constituents; provide constituents with education and entertainment; and use virtual tools to offer a full range of timely information and services. These measurable characteristics define a modern library, the library that users want. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries are seeking the best possible solution for integrating online journals into their collections. While exploring the different methods and technology available, many libraries still strive to fulfill the original "library mission" proposed by Charles Cutter in his Rules for a Dictionary Catalog. Providing comprehensive access to scholarly journals and individual journal articles becomes increasingly difficult with the advent of journal subscription vendors, general and subject-specific databases, and even journal management software and services aimed at helping libraries manage journal changes and the representation of their holdings to patrons in their public catalogs. Although libraries have found it necessary and desirable to acquire a wide range of journal databases and services, many anticipate that advancements in technology and cooperative efforts among the many institutions and interests involved will eventually allow easier and widespread cross-data- base searching for resource discovery and the type of patron access to journal literature that is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiarism by students in academic institutions is an old but continuing problem facing teachers and librarians. Although studies disagree on the Internet's effect on student plagiarism, the easy availability of electronic information creates a challenge for librarians, who must be ready not only to detect and deter plagiarism, but also to educate their patrons about it. The purpose of this contribution is to summarize briefly the nature, extent, and causes of plagiarism in its academic aspect, especially as it has been influenced by electronic information sources, and to review measures of its detection and deterrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the endless volume of information available today, searchers are forced to satisfice when searching. The first satisfactory alternative is chosen over the best. Digital library search services, however, do not support satisficing users. There is no single, simple, comprehensive search service available to end-users to meet their need to gather information on alternatives from all information repositories accessible through a digital library. Federated search services bridge the gap between satisficing searchers and today's digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, the MIT Libraries has been focused on how to turn declining reference statistics, new modes of technology, users' increasing needs and expectations, and constrained staff resources into a robust and valued reference service. A two-year experiment based on chat technology raised questions about future reference service. This article describes how library staff worked together to envision a future of reference at MIT that would incorporate the values of reference, needs of the users, and infrastructure of the Libraries. The final product was the Reference Vision, which now guides all of our new reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a personal case study of the provision of a library's services where the librarian is based in an academic school rather than in the library itself. This provides an opportunity to develop insights into the needs of postgraduate students and to draw conclusions about the ways in which libraries can most effectively support these users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer technology has become an integral part of library services. One of the most exciting and rapidly growing techniques is desktop conferencing. Real-time conference tools can be used as a cost-effective way to expand reference services via the Internet and to benefit patrons who are not able to come to the library. Desktop conferencing technology is currently the most convenient and efficient tool used to create a remote reference desk environment. This technology has been improving and the potential for these Internet conference applications are encouraging. A current guide to desktop real-time conference tools both for PC and Mac OS is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) of the United States of America and its national and international partners have developed a number of innovative services and collaborative programs in the last ten years. NAL's collaborative efforts have focused on providing access to agricultural information through preservation of publications, Internet access, electronic networks, and development of discipline-specific Web sites. This article describes four case studies demonstrating collaborative innovations in agricultural information services, developed through different partnership models: Invasivespecies.gov Science.gov, AgNIC (Agriculture Network Information Center); and the National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Census Bureau Library, acting on a study commissioned in 2002, has undertaken to improve electronic access for their patrons. The library provides e-journal and database access. The staff relies on usage statistics from these resources to sharpen the focus of the collection. Through an aggressive outreach program Census Bureau employees learn about these new products and services. Future plans include adding more e-journals, an open OPAC, and a new library building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]