Visitors to the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University may have noticed the recent appearance of the color red as student employees promote the value of reference desks with the slogan ...

“Can athlete’s foot catch on fire?” “Do you guys need any tutors for football?” “Do you have anything to eat?” These and other urgent academic library reference questions are answered in this final ...

Welcome back to another semester at UMass Lowell! Whether you’re a freshman writing an essay, a grad student beginning a research project, or a faculty member setting up course reserves, the UML ...

For years, we’ve been hearing that traditional library reference service is dead. In reality, reference just disappeared, like Jimmy Hoffa. But unlike in the case of Hoffa, no one in the library field ...

The Reference Desk at Memorial Library has relocated to be closer to the Technology Training Center in the Learning Commons. A purple curve on the carpet leads visitors to the reference and research ...

Last year, I asked a number of graduating seniors why they thought some students were reluctant to use our library’s reference desk, and what we could do to make the service more appealing. The most ...

One year ago, columnist Brian Kenney wrote a piece for PW titled “Where Reference Fits in the Modern Library.” The column addressed his frustration with the gulf between reference work as he ...

This is a time of transition in academic libraries. Core functions -- like reference services, collection development, and preservation -- are being rethought and redefined as libraries move from ...

A new question has been popping up for the Rochester Public Library’s reference desk. Could the water leak that damaged much of the second floor point to a way to engage more library users? "Having ...

When I was a child, for as long as I could remember, my family’s Encyclopedia Britannica set was missing two volumes — the two volumes that always seemed to pertain to my homework assignments. And so ...

“How do you undo nerve gas?” “How do you make rope out of human hair?” “Would you mind checking out this rash?” These are other burning reference questions are answered in this homage to the 7.2 ...