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Since their inception, virtual reference services have evolved considerably and are now a significant component of library services in many types of library environments. The current paper reports on a study undertaken at a research-intensive academic library that analyzed and evaluated a decade-old virtual reference service. The main goal of the study was to obtain a broad and comprehensive picture of the current service, grounded in the actual day-to-day provision, usage, and organization of the service. The group of librarians involved in the study developed a feasible, efficient, and adaptable methodology for assessing and evaluating a virtual reference service. The developed methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative methods can be used and applied for a similar evaluation of the service in any type of library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon the subject librarian training practice of CALIS Phase III "Librarian Literacy Training and Qualification Certification" in the charge of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Library, this paper elaborates upon a design for a subject librarian training system concerning objectives, methods, courses, tests, organization and management mechanisms. From November 2010 to December 2011, the program has held four phases of liaison librarian training respectively and trained 322 liaisons for 197 universities in China. Additionally, it analyzes major characteristics of the training program and points out what we should note in the training process in order to achieve success in the implementation of subject librarian training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on emergence of libraries as most rapidly expanding educational institution in the U.S. It mentions that adult education researcher Gordon Darkenwald has defined nontraditional students by sociocultural responsibilities instead of age. It also discusses responsibilities that includes full-time employment, parenthood, and financial responsibilities.

The goal of this quantitative study is to explore the effect of consolidating circulation and reference functions at a single service point in a specialized setting, namely, a large academic music and performing arts library. It analyzes reference transactions before and after the merging of reference and circulation service points. Transaction trends are evaluated based on location within the library, type of question, and question complexity. The authors find that there are significant impacts on reference staff time due to consolidating desks, but the closer proximity led to an increase in activity and allows for referrals that are more successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the results of a survey administered to a consortium of academic libraries in the U.S. to find if recreational reading collections are enjoying some kind of renaissance. Recreational reading collections, or popular collections, were defined. The literature dealing with recreational reading collections was also examined. A connection between recreational reading and greater overall academic achievement for college students was found.

The article discusses an implementation of readers' advisory services Book Matchmaking in academic libraries with the aim of helping library staff in encouraging and learning about readers' leisure, their reading habits, and their interests. Topics include the leisure reading is important for students in improving academic skills including writing and critical thinking. According to the data, the concept of Book matchmaking encourages the use of the library.

The article provides information on status of marketing libraries in current situation of fake news on government information. Topics discussed include popularity of social media and news gathered through alternative sources; capitalization of trending fake news; and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Eighteen academic library users who are blind were interviewed about their experiences with academic libraries and the libraries' websites using an open-ended questionnaire and recorded telephone interviews. The study approaches these topics from a user-centered perspective, with the idea that blind users themselves can provide particularly reliable insights into the issues and potential solutions that are most critical to them. Most participants used reference librarians' assistance, and most had positive experiences. High-level screen reader users requested help with specific needs. A larger number of participants reported contacting a librarian because of feeling overwhelmed by the library website. In some cases, blind users and librarians worked verbally without the screen reader. Users were appreciative of librarians' help but outcomes were not entirely positive. Other times, librarians worked with users to navigate with a screen reader, which sometimes led to greater independence. Some users expressed satisfaction with working with librarians verbally, particularly if websites did not seem screen reader user friendly, but many users preferred independence. Participants agreed it would be helpful if librarians knew how to use screen readers, or at least if librarians were familiar enough with screen readers to provide relevant verbal cues. Many users liked and used chat reference and many preferred Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) to learn citation style, though learning citation style was challenging. Questions such as reference librarians' role when eresources are not equally accessible deserve wider discussion in the library literature and in practice. Given the challenges described by the research participants and legal requirements for equally effective electronic and information technologies, libraries and librarians should approach reference services for blind users more proactively. Recommendations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the LibGuides fee-based, licensed tool that enables libraries to create small websites called guides in the academic libraries. It mentions usefulness of LibGuides in formal instruction and the education system. It also mentions involvement of stakeholders that varies by time, resources and scope.

The article presents a case study of use of instructional design model Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate (ADDIE) to develop a training resource for deselection to help librarians at the Pollak Library of California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) complete their weeding tasks. A survey was conducted to determine the progress and attitudes of librarians in weeding. It shows that provision of evaluated and carefully designed training resource was useful to librarians.

The article presents a study which examines the U.S. and Canadian literature on archival user studies and uncover the issues and challenges facing the archival community in conducting user studies. Topics include the emergence of archival user studies in 1980s, archival institutions not having sufficient resources, including staff time, to conduct user studies, and the most important function of archival institutions being preservation of rare or unique materials, not user service.

At many academic libraries, spiral notebooks and three ring binders have given way to blogs and wikis as a means of facilitating communication at the reference desk. Western Kentucky University Libraries opted instead to create a custom internal website to log reference transactions, highlight current issues, and manage scheduling changes. This solution incorporated numerous platforms and technologies, including LibGuides, Facebook, and Google Calendar. It avoided some of the pitfalls described in the literature, such as relying too heavily on user-generated content, and has been successful largely because it is embedded in the reference workspace and contains features that librarians will use on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]