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North Carolina LibrariesFall 1998Reference librarians must be flexible...those who are not able to bend will surely break."Joline R. Ezzellpace 98.Advise ANd Consult ==

Sometimesbiggeragebetter&Since 1973Call 1-800-232-SIRS, or visit www.sirs.comYou shouldnTt have to do battlewith a giant database full ofarticles that are of littleuse to you. At SIRS,Sn. itTs the quality, notthe quantity, that counts. All thearticles in SIRS Researcher®,SIRS Discoverer®, SIRSGovernment Reporter® andSIRS Renaissance® pass arigorous selection process thateliminates redundancy. Ourexperienced research team ofeducators and library profession-als selects only relevant, useful,compelling articles " those thatcomprehensively describe allaspects of an issue.We work hard to bring you thebest collection of full-text articles,so that your patrons donTt haveto fight to find them. That makesSIRS a leading provider of qualityinformation services.SIRSInformation that works�

Advertisers: Broadfoot's, 99;Brodart, 126;Checkpoint, 113;Current Editions, 109;Ebsco, 133;Mumford Books, 128;Quality Books, 104;SIRS, front cover;UNC Press, back cover.8 OPS = aaa ARS TW RRR OE ERA MS Ra oS DET PR9610010511011494.99117118119127129Cover:Volume 76, Number 3wn ISSN 0029-2540Fall 1998ADVISE AND CONSULTArtemis C. Kares, Guest EditorIt was the Most Uncertain of Times: Academic Reference Librarianship atthe End of the Twentieth Century, Joline R. EzzellThe Electronic Revolution and the Evolving Role of the Academic ReferenceLibrarian, Deborah Stanley and Natasha LyandresFrom Reference Class to Reference Desk: One Year Later, Betty J. MooreReference Interview: Strategies for Children, Melvin K. BurtonReadersT Advisory Services: New Attention to a Core Business of thePublic Library, Kenneth ShearerFEATURES {SES EP ON a TLFrom the PresidentAbout the AuthorsWired to the World: Managing Lists, Ralph Lee ScottBetween Us: Serving the Silent: We Are Still a Nation of Immigrants,Plummer Alston Jones, Jr.North Carolina BooksLagniappe: Reel North Carolina II: More Movies and Videos from theOld North StateNCLA MinutesoFind the Bird,� photo by Pat Weathersbee.North Carolina Libraries is the official publication of the North Carolina Library Association.Art direction and design by Pat Weathersbee of TeamMedia, Greenville, NC.

From the PresidentBeverley-Gass,.President94 " Fall 1998he muse of the presidentTs column seems to be on vacation or maybejust not home. And what a good time to be vacationing. I myselfhave had the good fortune of spending several days in a wonderfulshabbily elegant summer home sitting right on the Atlantic Ocean.Could be that the muse decided to stay there. Could be that the muse, whomore often than not seems like a buzzing insect, was one of those roacheswe smashed last Friday evening. Roaches or muses apparently have goodtaste and the good sense to prolong vacations any way possible. If that is thecase (that the muse is dead) then we are surely in trouble. But perhaps wecan hack out a few words here that are no more or less interesting than pastcolumns. Try as I might not to have negative thoughts about my abilities, itis clear that I am a better librarian than I am a writer. At least, we pray thatis the case. Then again, I suppose it goes without saying that if the presidentof NCLA were winning prizes with a demonstrated ability to write, then thepresident might not be president, but editor of North Carolina Libraries.But of what then should I write? Maybe a bit of news of NCLA and thestate of librarianship in North Carolina would be fitting. Maybe mine is notto inspire but inform. After all, providing information is what librarians dobest.Back in May, when the Interlibrary Cooperation Committee of the StateLibrary Commission held its first meeting, it occurred to me that we mightbe in the midst of one of the most exciting times for North Carolina librariesand librarianship ever. Maybe all presidents of NCLA feel that their time isthe best or most exciting, but it does seem that there is more change andmore creative energy swirling than I can recall in my 25 years in NorthCarolina.When you consider such projects as NC LIVE and the project underwaythrough the work of the Interlibrary Cooperation Committee, we are makinggreat leaps into a future that does appear to be very different from our past.Apparently, the Information Age really is here forcing us to reconsider howwe do business in libraries. How can we take the resources of NC LIVE intothe schools and homes of North Carolinians? Are we able to redefine interli-brary cooperation for the state in such a way that our entrance into 2001 isnot a space odyssey but a well-planned cruise? Are not computers andtelecommunications technologies forcing us to be better human beings?Seems ironic to me that we may have to work together in whole new ways sothat we can harness the power of these very inanimate objects lest theyconsume us. It certainly is a joy for me to work with all that are involvedwith NC LIVE and also the Interlibrary Cooperation Committee. My hat isoff to our State Librarian who may be the catalyst for these changes thatNorth Carolina librarianship needed.My hat is also tipped to congratulate three who are entering the field atthis propitious time. Lynda Stewart of Wingate, North Carolina has just beennamed the 1998 recipient of the Query-Long Scholarship from NCLA. TheQuery-Long scholarship is given to a library school student who intends towork with children or young adults. Carrie McLean of Knightdale has beenawarded the NCLA Memorial Scholarship for her continued studies. Con-gratulations are also in order to Charles Wiggins of Asheville as the recipientNorth Carolina Libraries

of the 1998 McClendon Student Loan from NCLA. Thanks to Carol Truett,Professor of Library Science and Chair of the NCLA Scholarship Committee,and her committee for their work in making these awards-happen again thisyear. Seems to me that supporting the education of members and potentialmembers maybe one of the more important things we do in NCLA.Another bit of exciting news is that the Public Library Association willhold its Ninth Annual Conference in Charlotte, March 28 - April 1, 2000. Wehave the opportunity as the state association where this national conferenceis being held to hold a preconference and take advantage of some specialoffers. The Association of College and Research Libraries appears to beconsidering North Carolina as the site for its 2001 conference. Keep watchfor more news on these conferences. Having two such events in this statewill make it possible for many of us to attend national conferences moreeasily and affordably than ever.But before these conferences take place, be sure that you donTt miss theupcoming NCASL conference scheduled for Winston-Salem September 16 -18 at the AdamTs Mark Hotel and the Benton Convention Center. Thoughyou may think that this conference is only for school media folks, thinkagain. Karen Gavigan, the conference chair and her committee have planneda program that nicely balances the virtues of technology and print andtouches on such universally relevant issues as filtering, information literacy,storytelling, intellectual freedom, and keeping up-to-date with technology.Bet you think about these things no matter what type of library you work in.And surely you are aware of the 2nd NCLA Leadership Institute that willtake place very soon at Brown Summit, October 28 - November 1. Kem Ellis,Director of the High Point Public Library, is chairing the committee that hasbeen planning this event scheduled for this popular retreat site here inGuilford County. Shreiber and Shannon of Snowbird fame (and the 1stLeadership Institute) will lead this widely acclaimed throughout NorthCarolina event for emerging library leaders.Equally exciting for those of us in Guilford County is that the new andlong-awaited main library of the Greensboro Public Library will be openingthe same week of the Leadership Institute. It is fun to be a librarian in thiscounty at this time and enjoy the warmth of the media rays that come theway of GPL. We may not be sitting on the Atlantic Ocean as the library staffof GPL is, but our tans arenTt bad. Speaking of Greensboro, sounds like theNMRT Big Adventure tour of Greensboro libraries on July 16 was a success.Other professional development opportunities coming our way includethe TNT event set for December 3 at Guilford Technical Community College.Eleanor Cooke is putting this workshop together. Watch ncla-l for more newsof this event and others. And do you know how to join ncla-l?Speaking of listservs and electronic communication " I am particularlyexcited at the work of the Publications and Marketing Committee chaired byCarol Freeman of Forsyth Technical Community College. Carol and hercommittee held a workshop on August 14 at East Carolina University aboutthe upcoming electronic NCLA newsletter (with a print version for thosewho need it). At the workshop, Carol established the groundrules for thenewsletter.So see, it is an exciting time and maybe the muse of the presidentTscolumn did not stay at the beach.North Carolina Libraries Fall 1998 " 95

It Was the Most Uncertain of Times:Academic Reference Librarianship at the Endof the Twentieth Centuryncertainty pervades todayTsworld. For too many questionsthere is no clear answer or ob-vious best alternative. Will So-cial Security be bankrupt in 20years? 30 years? Which course oftreatment is most likely to cure a dis-ease in a particular individual? Whatimpact will El Nino have on theweather? Citing another example, Vir-ginia Abernethy, editor of Populationand Environment, notes that othe green-house effect is the late twentiethcenturyTs poster child for uncertainty.�!Most of this uncertainty stems fromthe plethora of choices available andthe rapid pace of change in nearly ev-ery aspect of life, including referencelibrarianship.Thirty years ago a typical referencetransaction consisted of determiningwhat information a patron wanted,identifying the appropriate printedsource to meet this need, and instruct-ing the patron in its use, if necessary.Most journal and newspaper indexescould be searched by subject, author, ortitle. The subject headings usually weredetermined by the publisher of thework and thus could differ from pub-lisher to publisher. Other referenceworks, such as directories, dictionaries,and encyclopedias, were arranged al-phabetically. A few publications hadtheir own unique arrangements, gener-ally explained in the worksT prefaces.Keyword searching was unheard of andBoolean searching was an unknownconcept. In this respect, technologyhas facilitated the research processgreatly. Moreover, although serial refer-ence works occasionaily were cumu-96 " Fall 1998by Joline R. Ezzelllated into five- or ten-year volumes,researchers more often were forced tocomb through dozens of individualvolumes.Gradually other formats came intouse " most notably microfilm and mi-crofiche. Some extensive referenceworks, such as the British BiographicalArchive, were issued this way. Asidefrom learning how to load microformsfor viewing, however, reference librar-ians faced few new challenges in usingthem.Requirements for reterence posi-tions at this time were minimal and jobpostings in the ALA Bulletin brief:Reference librarian. Professionaldegree required, some experiencedesirable. Salary open, dependingon background. Faculty rank andprivileges. State teachers retire-ment, social security group insur-ance. Month vacation. New build-ing, rapidly growing collection re-classifying to LC. In heart of recre-ational areas. Position opennow ... State University Bozeman,MT 59715.2A report on a pre-conference insti-tute held in Dallas in June 1971 statedthat computer-based reference servicewas then a decade-and-a-half old.? Suchservice must have been extremely lim-ited, or at least not widely publicized;Library Literature for 1967-1969 includesonly five entries for oAutomation of Li-brary Processes " Reference Services.�An article written three years later pro-claimed computer reference service atMIT, where Lockheed and Medline da-tabases were launched in December1973, a success.* With the creation ofthese and similar automated databases,reference librarianship began a continu-ing transformation that has acceleratedeach year. This change is reflected in thejob advertisements in Americarn Librar-ies. A typical 1975 ad for a reference li-brarian for an academic library includesjust a few basic requirements.Michigan ... General reference li-brarian. Responsibilities includeassisting with interlibrary loan, de-veloping bibliographic guides, serv-ing at reference desk, and provid-ing research assistance and libraryinstruction in a centralized refer-ence department ... MLS from anaccredited library school is re-quired; a subject masterTs in busi-ness or social sciences ispreferred ... Excellent working con-ditions in modern building. In ad-dition to 9-month year some op-portunity for summer employment.Full faculty privileges, rank depend-ing on academic qualifications. Ex-cellent fringe benefits includingTIAA-CREF ... Central MichiganUniversity Library®By 1985, a typical ad for an aca-demic reference librarian had grownconsiderably in size, with a correspond-ing increase in the number of skills andcapabilities expected. In addition tothe MLS, experience in online databasesearching and familiarity with micro-computer applications often were re-quested. Moreover, specific individualqualities and personal characteristicsoften were sought; flexibility, humanrelations skills. and the ability to workNorth Carolina Libraries

as part of a team frequently were listedas required qualifications. The Ameri-can Libraries classifieds of 1998, in ad-dition to the requirements listed in the1975 ads, include knowledge of HTML;experience using the Internet,CD-ROMS, computer hardware, andsoftware; experience working in a net-worked environment; demonstratedteaching ability; and experience withlibrary instruction. A stated desire forflexibility as one of the applicantsTqualities, often seen in ads during the1980s, is less prevalent in 1998 "astrange omission in view of the greaterneed for flexibility and tolerance forambiguity occasioned by rapid changein the field.Though the number of electronicreference services grows exponentiallyeach year, printed reference sourceshave not stopped being published.Hundreds of new printed referenceworks appear yearly. Nor have micro-film and microfiche disappeared. Jour-nals and newspapers continue to bedistributed in microform as well aselectronically.Added to these more traditionalformats are the many electronic data-bases now available, often throughmultiple vendors. The majority ofavailable databases are indexes/ab-stracts of journal literature, with mostdevoted to a specific discipline. Ex-amples are MLA, an index to articlesabout language, literature, and folklore;ERIC, a database that provides citationsand abstracts of journal and report lit-erature in all aspects of educational re-search and resources; and Sociofile, anindex with abstracts to journals, books,and dissertations about sociology, so-cial welfare, planning and policy, anddevelopment. ERIC, in fact, exemplifiesthe many vendor choices reference li-brarians have. It is available throughSilverPlatter, FirstSearch, Dialog, Ovid,and EbscoHost.Unfortunately, standardization insearch software does not exist; eachvendor has its own method for desig-nating truncation, proximity, and da-tabase fields, as well as its own tags forsearchable fields. If the library pur-chases databases from more than onevendor, reference librarians must be-come proficient with several kinds ofsearch software in order to assist pa-trons successfully.Several databases now provide thefull text of journal and newspaper ar-ticles. Major services of this type areLexis-Nexis, which contains the full textof hundreds of newspapers worldwide,as well as company information andNorth Carolina Libraries'newsletters; IACTs Expanded AcademicIndex, a general database covering thesciences, social sciences, and humani-ties which contains the text of manyjournal articles, as well as abstracts andcitations of those unavailable in fulltext; and UMITs ProQuest Direct, a data-base similar to Expanded Academic In-dex, but with page images of many ofthe articles that are available in fulltext. Each year the amount of elec-tronic full text grows, as vendors ob-tain permission from more publishersto provide this service.Some databases contain statisticalinformation or other numerical data.Examples are the National Trade DataBank; the 1990 Census; and numerousother documents in electronic form is-sued by the federal government. Thesereference sources provide additionalchallenges to librarians, who mustlearn their unique structures andsearch software.Traditional reference works arenow increasingly offered in electronicas well as printed form. Examples areBiography Index, Monarch Notes, Books inPrint, Britannica Online, WalkerTs Mam-mals of the World, and ContemporaryAuthors. Though the information con-tained within each of these works isnearly always identical to that of thepaper edition, the electronic versionfrequently contains additional accesspoints and electronic links. Not to beforgotten as an electronic product, ofcourse, is the libraryTs online catalog,with its own searching protocols andperiodic upgrades. Most recently, NCLIVE has brought many new databasesto libraries across the state.Just as reference librarians weretrying to keep up with all of these prod-ucts and their recurrent new versions,the Internet and the World Wide Webburst onto the scene. Suddenly theyfaced sources emanating from outsidethe library and totally out of their con-trol. Although reference librarians mayat first have been reluctant to use theWeb for answering questions, they areadopting it into their repertoire of ref-erence tools quickly. Though the Webcontains many pages of dubious value,it can, nonetheless, provide valuableinformation for which there is often noother source. Yet the sheer size of theInternet can be daunting, and evaluat-ing the quality of the informationfound there can be difficult andtime-consuming.Unfortunately, those brave indi-viduals who ventured to create Websearch engines made the same mistakesthat database vendors had made "without the same excuse. Whereas ven-dors, hoping to capture the market,tried to make their search softwareunique and better than their competi-torsT products, search engine develop-ers could easily have used a single pro-tocol. Each search engine, however,differs in both the sources it indexes(Web pages, listservs, news groups) andthe amount of content it searches. Italso differs from others in the way ithandles (or does not handle, in somecases) proximity, truncation, andphrase searching. So in addition tolearning to search numerous databases,reference librarians must also learn theidiosyncrasies of the various Websearch engines.Exacerbating this confusion arethe frequent changes in search soft-ware, search engines, and Web sites,which sometimes come without warn-ing. One may show a patron how touse AltaVista during a morning deskshift, only to be faced with a differentversion during the afternoon shift. It isquite a different scenario than the or-ganized process of reviewing apublisherTs announcement of a newedition of a reference publication, or-dering it, and perhaps reviewing itonce it is received. A recent article con-cluded, oOften librarians hesitate toanswer questions using the Web be-cause they are frustrated by its unex-pected nature. A helpful site we so con-fidently directed a patron to yesterdaymay not be there today.�T Even in1994, when there were nowhere nearthe present 350 million Web pages,Don Lanier and Walter Wilkins real-ized, oHaving access to virtually limit-less but highly volatile resourcesthrough the Internet is likely to strainthe human resources of many referencedepartments.TIn this complex milieu, determin-ing which reference source may bestThe pace of change is not likely to decelerate in theforeseeable future, and thus the complexity anduncertainty of reference librarianship will increase.Fall 1998 " 97

meet a patronTs needs can be perplex-ing. Librarians must know the content,coverage, and currency of print andelectronic sources, the ease or difficultyof using them, and the estimated timerequired to retrieve the informationthe patron wants. Another factor thatmay determine which electronic sourceis recommended to a patron is the timeof day (Internet access is notably slowerin the afternoons) and whether a par-ticular database or Web site is opera-tional at the time.Not only is the task of masteringthis vast array of print and electronicresources intimidating, but the speedof technological change is alarming.Articles describing gopher sites, Archieand Veronica, written in 1995, nowseem strangely outdated just threeyears later. Web browsers, search en-gines, and HTML are updated severaltimes a year, leaving reference librar-ians constantly in a training mode andalways feeling slightly behind thecurve. Leslie Kong notes that the oIit-eral explosion of the variety of elec-tronic formats and avenues by whichinformation comes to the library canbe daunting to the beginning referencelibrarian.� Experienced librarians canbe just as overwhelmed.Is it any wonder, then, that refer-ence librarians feel uncertain when as-sisting patrons? As they mentally dealwith this uncertainty and try to deter-mine which source is best for a patron,their hesitation may be interpreted asa lack of knowledge. Uri Merry at-tributes part of the increased complex-ity of todayTs world and the intensifica-tion of uncertainty to the explosion inthe rate of development of informa-tion. oSocial systems such as organiza-tions and other institutions are reelingunder the impact of the rate of change.Their knowledge bases and skills losetheir relevance a short time after theyare acquired.�!° How many referencelibrarians still search BRS, composedocuments in WordStar, or design go-pher sites? In two years will they stillfind useful the skills they have learnedthis year? Moreover, with so many ref-erence sources, both Web andnon-Web, available to patrons re-motely, there is a nagging worry thatreference librarians themselves maysoon become obsolete.The pace of change is not likely todecelerate in the foreseeable future,and thus the complexity and uncer-tainty of reference librarianship willincrease. What, then, is the antidotefor this uncertainty? First, reference li-brarians must be flexible. In todayTs98 " Fall 1998world, those who are not able to bendwill surely break. They must be able toadapt to constant and quick changes inreference sources. Virginia Abernethyprovides some advice for strategists andpolicy-makers that is equally useful forreference librarians: they omight beststop demanding certainty. They woulddo better to address themselves tomanaging ambiguity.�"!One strategy for managing ambi-guity is to perfect the reference inter-view. The Maryland model of referenceprescribes an interview in which thereference librarian listens, clarifies,probes, paraphrases, and verifies in or-der to determine as precisely as possiblethe patronTs question. Completion ofthe reference transaction includes fol-lowing up to ensure that the questionhas been answered completely. In addi-tion to taking these steps, reference li-brarians should begin asking some ad-ditional information. How much infor-mation is needed? Must this be an ex-haustive search for a dissertation, ordoes the patron need a few articles fora brief paper? How much effort is thepatron willing to make? What is thepatronTs time frame; is the paper due atthe end of the semester or two dayshence or yesterday? Must a specifictype of source be used? Is informationobtained from Web sites acceptable, ormust scholarly journals be consulted?The reference librarian should judgehow experienced or comfortable withtechnology the patron is. The referenceinterview must become more sophisti-cated and lengthy.Another way to help reduce uncer-tainty in the reference transaction is toset aside time for learning and practic-ing with new databases that the libraryacquires. Familiarity with the contentof each database and its search proto-cols will enable reference librarians toguide patrons effectively in its use. Al-lotting time for surfing the Web is alsoessential. By locating and bookmarking(or cataloging) information-rich sitesand learning how to use search direc-tories and engines effectively, referencelibrarians will become confident in di-recting patrons to the Web for answers.As Katie Clark and Sally Kalin notein their paper on methods of copingwith technostress,Staff also have to make a commit-ment to learn new skills. Trainingmust become an integral part oftheir work life, not an adjunct ac-tivity. An increasing number of li-braries are finding it unrealistic andimpractical to provide formal train-ing for every occasion. Rather, theyare encouraging and embracing in-formal, collaborative modes oftraining.Some reference departments have de-veloped training sessions for theirstaffs and/or set aside time to traineach other. Library staff at Dartmouthcreated a Web site http://www.dartmouth. edu/~biomed/workshops/kcks/to accompany a workshop on keepingcurrent with biomedical information,rather than supplying handouts. TheWeb site, which is updated regularly,allows staff to proceed with self-train-ing at their own rate.!° ~Kim Buch sug-gests that libraries should provide ap-propriate rewards for librarians whodisplay a willingness to change andwho gain new skiils and cross-trainothers. !4Finally, to combat the effects of tech-nostress, about which much has beenwritten lately, reference librarians musttry to maintain a positive attitude; re-mind themselves that technology isonly a tool, and certainly not more im-portant than people; set realistic goalsfor themselves; and celebrate thecompletion of projects and goals.!®Good communication among colleaguesis also essential to providing excellentreference service; no one reference li-brarian can have all the answers.Margaret Goggin, the dean of theGraduate School of Librarianship atDenver in the 1970s, described herown era as ocomplex� and suggestedthat librarians would need oto find,learn, and use new means and newtechniques�!° in order to respond ad-equately. Her advice stands the test oftime. Although our reference toolbox ismuch fuller than was hers, our missionas reference librarians remains un-changed: to provide the informationsought by our patrons, in an effectiveand timely manner.References1 Virginia Abernethy, oManagingUncertainty,� Population and Environ-ment 18 (July 1997): 513.2 ALA Bulletin 62 (July-August 1968):897.3 Library of Congress Information Bul-letin 30 July 8, 1971): A111-14.4 "Computer Reference Service RatedSuccess at MIT,� Library Journal 99 (De-cember 15, 1974): 3168.5 American Libraries 6 (September1975): 510.6 American Libraries 16 (June 1985):410-11.7 Ruth Dickstein, Louise Greenfield,North Carolina Libraries

and Jeff Rosen, oUsing the World WideWeb at the Reference Desk,� Computersin Libraries 17 (September 1997): 61.8 Don Lanier and Walter Wilkins,oReady Reference via the Internet,� RQ33 (Spring 1994): 366.9 Leslie M. Kong, oAcademic Refer-ence Librarians: Under the Micro-scope,� Reference Librarian 54 (1996): 23.10 Uri Merry, Coping with Uncertainty;Insights from the New Sciences of Chaos,Self-Organization, and Complexity(Westport, CT: Praeger, 1995), 89.0 Abernethy, 513.12 Katie Clark and Sally Kalin,oTechnostressed Out? How to Cope inthe Digital Age,� Library Journal 121(August 1996): 32.13 oConstance Rinaldo and KarenOdato, oKeeping Current, KeepingSane,� C & RL News 59 (April 1998):248-49.14 Kimberly Buch, oManaging the Hu-man Side of Change,� Library Adminis-tration and Management 11 (Summer1997): 147-51.1S Virginia Bartlett, oTechnostress andLibrarians,� Library. Administration andManagement 9 (Fall 1995):299. ~16 Library of Congress Information Bul-letin 30 July 8, 1971): A111.ABOUT THE AUTHORS ...Melvin K. BurtonEducation: B.A., Central Methodist College; M.A., University of Missouri-ColumbiaPosition: ChildrenTs Information Specialist, North County RegionalLibrary, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg CountyJoline R. EzzellEducation: B.A., University of Maine; M.A., M.S.L.S., UNC-Chapel HillPosition: Reference Librarian and Resource Specialist for Psychology andClassical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies, Duke University LibrariesPlummer Alston Jones, Jr.Education: B.Mus., East Carolina University; M.S., Drexel University;Ph.D., UNC-Chapel HillPosition: Director of Library Services and Professor, Catawba CollegeNatasha LyandresEducation: B.A., Moscow State University; M.L.L.S., San Jose State UniversityPosition: Reference Librarian, Joyner Library, East Carolina UniversityBetty J. MooreEducation: B.A., Mississippi College; M.L.I.S., UNC-GreensboroPosition: Information Services Librarian, Rowan Public LibraryKenneth ShearerEducation: A.B., Amherst College; M.L.S., Ph.D., Rutgers UniversityPosition: Professor, School of Library and Information Sciences, NorthCarolina Central UniversityDeborah StanleyEducation: B.A., University of Birmingham; M.A.L, University of SheffieldPosition: Reference Librarian, Joyner Library, East Carolina UniversityBroadfoot's has TWO Locations Serving Different NeedsBroadfoot'sof Wendell6624 Robertson Pond Road ~ Wendell, NC 27591Phone: (800) 444-6963 ~ Fax: (919) 365-6008SOFTWARE|Broadfoot- PublishingCompany1907 Buena Vista Circle ~ Wilmington, NC 28405Phone: (800) 537-5243 ~ Fax: (910) 686-4379MULTICULTURAL nena aSELECTIONS Recent Publications:VISUALSSpring & Fall CatalogsAre you on our mailing list?Tar Heel Treasuresfornatives & newcomersyoung & oldNorth Carolina LibrariesThe Colonial & State Records of NC (30 vols.)North Carolina Regiments (5 vois.)Roster of Confederate Troops (16 vols.)Supplement to the Official Records (100 vols.)Full Color Catalog (free upon request)Fall 1998 " 99

The Electronic Revolution and theEvolving Role of the AcademicReference Librarianby Deborah Stanley and Natasha Lyandresssisting and advising have al-ways been central to the roleof the reference librarian. Thenature of reference work,however, has evolved over re-cent years as a result of theproliferation of electronic resourcesand their impact on access to informa-tion. More than ever before, referencelibrarians spend their time at the refer-ence desk guiding students throughmyriad electronic resources and thetechnical skills needed to access them.At this point, most students begin theircollege careers with some degree ofcomputer literacy, but lack informationliteracy " the ability to find the bestinformation and to evaluate it effec-tively. Access to the Internet and otherelectronic information sources affordsthese computer-literate students a val-ued sense of independence and privacyin information seeking, with the resultthat they often do not see the need toapproach librarians for assistance.An increasingly important issue foracademic libraries in general and forreference departments in particular,therefore, is how to provide academicusers with both reference assistance andthe necessary skills to find, use, andevaluate information on their own. Thepurpose of this article is to identify anddiscuss effective ways to empower ourincreasingly independent users throughcreative instruction methods and inno-vative reference services.Reference Is InstructionIn the latest edition of his Introductionto Reference Work, Bill Katz discusses the100 " Fall 1998increasing complexity of the referencelibrarianTs role and defines the contin-ued growth in demand for instructionin the use of resources as one of thedominant trends that affects referenceservices.! Most reference work has aconsiderable teaching component, as itinvolves not only answering questionsbut also providing advice in determin-ing the most effective search strategyfor a particular individual. Indeed,studies of the quality of reference ser-vice emphasize othe importance of theteaching/learning component of refer-ence work and identify facilitating userindependence as a primary function ofreference service.�� Such impromptuinstruction is, therefore, a vital aspectof reference service in an academic li-brary and contributes to the student'slearning experience and educationaldevelopment.Moreover, reference assistance be-comes even more critical as technologychanges information-seeking behavior.As library collections become more ac-cessible via the Internet, the number ofvirtual users, or users who wish to ac-cess information independently, willundoubtedly continue to grow. AnnJensen and Julie Sih, in an article onusing electronic mail to deliver instruc-tion,? argue that in-depth training pro-grams to prepare patrons for timeswhen they are left to their own devicesare the most logical alternative to 24-hour reference services.In 1989, the American Library As-sociation defined the information liter-ate as opeople prepared for lifelonglearning, because they can always findthe information needed for any task ordecision at hand.�* We believe that ref-erence librarians must reevaluate theirinstructional and teaching methods inorder to empower students with basicinformation knowledge and skills.Creative InstructionCooperative TeachingIt is our experience that traditionalone-hour ocanned� presentations onhow to conduct library research dolittle to help reduce the gap betweenstudents and the library. The literaturereveals that such sessions often tend tobe perceived by teaching faculty andstudents as opassive learning experi-ences.� Although most traditional pre-sentations do provide a general over-view of library information resourcesand services, they do not teach stu-... most students begin their college careers with somedegree of computer literacy, but lack informationliteracy " the ability to find the best information andto evaluate it effectively.North Carolina Libraries

dents how to use and evaluate informa-tion for a particular project. It has beenpointed out by teaching faculty thatactively incorporating information andcritical thinking skills into specific as-signments, rather than offering sepa-rate information literacy courses, is themost effective way to help studentsdevelop these abilities.°Should the teaching of these criti-cal information skills, therefore, be aresponsibility of teaching faculty or oflibrarians? In his article, oBridging theGap Between the Student and the Li-brary,� Philip J. Egan indicates thatohelp should come from someone whois sympathetic, who knows the re-search task assigned, and who will as-sist the student in the use of complexbibliographic tools. Most important,this person should help students linkup their research with the require-ments of the assignment. This personis the teacher.��Through our personal experienceand from professional discussions,however, it seems that many teachingfaculty find it increasingly difficult tokeep up with new library resources andmay also lack the sophisticated search-ing skills necessary to assist students. Ina recent focus group session withteaching faculty at East Carolina Uni-versity, many instructors expressedconcern that they did not possess theknowledge or skills to utilize new li-brary resources and therefore felt thatboth they and their students neededassistance from librarians in usingthese resources. We believe librariansshould be more proactive in develop-ing contacts with teaching faculty andencouraging cooperation in order tohelp students achieve the required in-formation literacy level. If teaching fac-ulty value our knowledge and exper-tise, we can become effective partners.Although cooperative teaching projectsare relatively rare, those that have beenimplemented show very positive re-sults. For example, Dennis Isbell andDorothy Broaddus® describe the teach-ing partnership experiment between alibrarian and a professor of English atArizona State University West in whichthey taught research strategy, evalua-tion of information, and composition.The authors indicate that the coopera-tive approach offers an opportunity forstudents to view research and writingas a continuum, allows time for in-depth evaluation of reference and re-search sources, and provides an inter-active forum for teaching critical think-ing skills.Working in partnership withteaching faculty is an effective way notonly to offer training but also to con-vince patrons of the need for it. Patronswho are tenacious in seeking informa-tion or have a specialized subjectknowledge are often highly motivatedto seek the training that will allowthem to be as sophisticated as possiblein searching electronic databases. Oth-ers, notably undergraduate students,may not be as interested. They are of-ten just as enthusiastic when it comesto operating in the electronic environ-ment, but less cognizant of the needfor information skills; they often as-sume that if they know how to enterkeywords into a Web search engine,they know all they need to know aboutfinding information. By working withfaculty and incorporating informationskills into the curriculum, librarianscan show students that, by developingthese skills and an awareness of re-sources, they can find more useful in-formation more quickly. This enhancesthe image of the librarian as someonewho has relevant and interestingknowledge to share, increasing the like-lihood that students will seek advicefrom reference librarians in the future.In fact, librarians should establishcooperative alliances not only withteaching faculty, but also with otherson campus, specifically computing spe-cialists. The explosion of electronic in-formation has blurred the lines be-tween computing and library skills,with the result that sometimes librar-ians teach students the technical as-pects of using computers to find infor-mation, while computing specialistsmay find themselves called upon toteach the evaluation of informationcontent.... reference librarians must reevaluate their instructionaland teaching methods in order to empower our studentswith basic information knowledge and skills.North Carolina LibrariesElectronic TeachingWith large class sizes, lack of studententhusiasm for a one-time presentationon library skills, and the opportunitiesoffered by the Internet, increasingnumbers of reference librarians are tak-ing advantage of the interactive, adapt-able nature of the Internet and its pos-sibilities for offering instructionthrough self-directed, self-paced onlinetutorials. oThe advantages of offeringinstruction over the Web include itslearner-centered environment, globalaccess, easy update procedures, andcross-platform use.�?In response to the fact that provid-ing orientation to at least 6,000 newstudents at their West Lafayette cam-pus each year was a practical impossi-bility, librarians at Purdue Universitycreated an interactive World Wide Webinformation literacy module namedPLUTO (Purdue Libraries Undergradu-ate Tutorial Online).!° They took careto design the module to fulfill thelearning objectives determined byclassroom instructors, student govern-ment organizations, and Purdue librar-ians. Those objectives " teaching stu-dents to define and formulate keywordsearches; retrieving information on atopic from THOR, the online system;and locating information from THORwithin the Purdue Libraries System "provided the structure for the module.One of the main factors in the successof the project was the involvement ofstudents and teaching faculty in its de-sign from the earliest stages.Librarians from ten Utah collegesand universities offered Internet Navi-gator, a oone credit-hour introductorycourse intended to emphasize informa-tion literacy rather than Internet me-chanics.�!! Students and instructorscommunicated via e-mail and also useda mailing list as a distributed teachingmethod. Students enjoyed the deliverymethod and appreciated the self-pacednature and hands-on aspects of thecourse. They also found it useful tohave all course materials available at alltimes for review. There are, of course,negative aspects to teaching informa-tion skills virtually, most notably thelack of personal contact with students,especially as there will always be a dis-parity among students in terms of theirmotivation and ability to work inde-pendently. The ability to offer creditcourses or Web-based guides to re-search and resources as online tutorials,however, is surely a positive develop-ment and a useful addition to the in-struction librarianTs repertoire. ThisFall 1998 " 101

type of instruction provides a uniqueopportunity for students to learn aboutinformation resources regardless of thetime of day or their physical location.There is also a need for resource-based instruction for students and fac-ulty who wish to learn about advancedsearch techniques. Librarians can meetthese needs through informal drop-insessions. Sometimes, however, facultyand graduate students lack the time toattend classes in the library or may notwish to acknowledge in front of othersthat they need training. For this rea-son, engineering librarians at two cam-puses of the University of California,UC-San Diego and UC-Berkeley, devel-oped an instruction program deliveredvia electronic mail. They devised sixshort, self-paced tutorials on INSPEC, amajor research database in the fields ofphysics, computing, and electronics.The use of e-mail to deliver traininggave users privacy and convenience.The course was offered on an enroll-ment basis to avoid bombarding fac-ulty with unwanted e-mail. Those whoenrolled received one lesson per weekfor six weeks. Users overwhelminglyfound this a convenient way to receivetraining and were pleased that theyalso could keep the e-mail tutorials torefer to later. This project had addi-tional benefits: it could be imple-mented each semester with little addi-tional work for the librarians and itopened lines of communication withfaculty. The librarians involved in theproject felt that it was a success: oByproviding these tutorials in addition tomore traditional instructional meth-ods, we are making a powerful state-ment to our patrons about the libraryTsattentiveness to their needs.� 2Innovative Reference ServicesAs those seeking information increas-ingly are able to access it remotely, theyare faced with an often bewildering ar-ray of options, technical problems, andsearch strategy decisions. It is impera-tive for libraries and for their constitu-encies that reference service be aswidely available as possible. Technol-ogy will allow increased access in vari-ous ways: users will be able to contactlibrarians by telephone, electronicmail, or by filling out reference re-quests on the Web; librarians will beable to provide services such as catalogsof Internet resources and guides tosearching, which can be accessed bypatrons around the clock. Face-to-facereference service will move out of thelibrary to some extent, and closer topatrons.102 " Fall 1998Reference Services Outside the LibraryNetworked information increasinglyaffords librarians the capability to pro-vide reference services from remote lo-cations. In an article on the changingroles of reference librarians, Julie Kellyand Kathryn Robbins argue that oasmore of the commonly-used referencetools become available in electronicforms, the reference desk could migrateto any location where users have accessto the librarian and he or she has accessto a terminal.�!? A librarian could havean office or a desk in one or more aca-demic departments, scheduling certainhours of the week for reference ques-tions and one-on-one instruction ondatabase searching. Where a subject-specific library is housed in the samebuilding as the academic departmentsit serves, this will not be necessary.Where there is one central library oncampus, however, this type of servicecould encourage students and facultyto consult a librarian and show that thelibrary is taking the needs of its patronsseriously. There is also the opportunityfor co-operation with our colleagues incampus computing services as librar-ians go out to computing laboratoriesacross campus and offer informationcontent to complement the techno-logical support already provided.E-Mail Reference ServicesAlong with experimenting with thephysical location of reference services,libraries also should continue to takeadvantage of information technologyin order to provide assistance to remoteusers. In addition to providing referenceservices by telephone, librarians arenow utilizing electronic mail, the Web,and videoconferencing technology.With widespread access, electronicmail has potential as an important de-livery method for reference service. Itis an issue that is debated frequentlywithin the profession. Libraries of dif-ferent types often have similar experi-ences with e-mail reference. There isthe initial worry that it will generatemore questions than the staff canhandle, but in practice this does nothappen. Usually demand is fairly lightand messages are checked once ortwice a day by designated staff. E-mailreference questions can be forwardedto the person with the most knowledgeof the subject, even if that person is notin the reference department or is awayfrom the library at the time the requestis received. Because it is not a real-timeexchange between the patron and thelibrarian, however, it can become time-consuming if the patron does not pro-vide sufficient information about whathe or she actually wants. The librarianthen has to follow up with additionalquestions. As with traditional referencethere is a teaching element, with librar-ians explaining to patrons how to usethe resources to which they directthem.The experience of the InternetPublic Library (IPL) electronic mail ref-erence service can provide useful guid-ance.!4 The IPL found that it was ableto elicit more useful information in theinitial inquiry by asking the patron tocomplete a specially-designed Web-based form. It also found that the num-ber of questions received related to theamount of publicity recently given tothe IPL. Publicity seems to be a key is-sue in terms of use of e-mail reference.The difficulty in promoting it widely,however, is that libraries may not beable to cope with the ensuing demand.Such resource issues will come increas-ingly to the fore as libraries developadditional electronic services.Exploring Network TechnologiesAlongside the ubiquitous telephonereference and the fairly widespread e-mail reference, there are also other,more unusual, attempts to provide ref-erence service to remote users. One in-teresting experiment took place at theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1992.Software mounted on designated pub-lic computers in remote campus loca-tions enabled librarians, at the userTsrequest, to connect into databasesearch sessions and intervene.' Thispilot project used a networked CD-ROM of U.S. government information.The software allowed the userTs screento be visible on the librarianTs com-puter. Both the patron and the librar-Publicity seems to be a key issue in terms of use ofe-mail reference. The difficulty in promoting it widely,however, is that libraries may not be able to copewith the ensuing demand.North Carolina Libraries

ian could use his or her own mouseand keyboard to navigate the searchscreen, although the actual operationson the database were performed by thepatronTs workstation. The librariancould see what the patron was doingand offer advice and instruction bytelephone. Although searches werecompleted successfully with interven-tion there were practical limitations,such as the need for the patron to usea computer with the appropriate soft-ware and to have access to a telephone.Use of the service was relatively light,and depended on studentsT motivationand their level of comfort with the in-terpersonal aspects of the technology.The outcome of this project demon-strates that, although the fundamentaltechnologies are in place to providethis type of service, it is another issuealtogether as to whether patrons arepsychologically ready to use it.At North Carolina State University,librarians initiated a project called oSeeYou See a Librarian� in 1996, using CU-SeeMe, free desktop videoconferencingsoftware.!® With this software anddigital cameras, individuals fromaround the world conducted real-timeconversations. Although initial interestand involvement were high, responsedwindled by the third stage, which wasthe discussion using this technology tofield reference questions. The Univer-sity of Michigan has used this sametechnology since 1995. Reference li-brarians establish a link with librariesin studentsT residence halls and use thevideo technology to check for walk-inpatrons, listen for the phone, andcheck the computer monitor. The li-brary sees this program as a chance toexpand reference service without in-creasing staff rather than as a way toalter reference service significantly. !�Although many of these attemptsto provide service to remote patronshave not experienced high use, they donevertheless offer patrons other op-tions in accessing reference service. Itis possible, as people become morecomfortable with videoconferencingand other technologies, that suchprojects will expand. It would seemthat what is important at this stage isto encourage the use of remote refer-ence service. This can be done by in-struction and enhanced publicity, bykeeping abreast of technological devel-opments and experimenting withimaginative pilot projects, and byshowing patrons that the library is re-sponsive to their needs.North Carolina LibrariesOrganizing Electronic InformationBuilding on their traditional skills,many librarians are selecting, orga-nizing, and making accessible the mostappropriate Internet sources for theirusers. Kelly and Robbins advocate, asdo many others, that librarians shouldouse their skills in both organization ofinformation and sensitivity to userneeds to work on the development ofmore powerful navigation tools such asintelligent browsers, gateways, catalogsof resources or other tools yet to bedeveloped.�!8 Although commercialservices such as Yahoo provide catalogsof resources, and Internet service pro-viders such as America Online createmarketable virtual environments fortheir customers, libraries have a vitalrole in selecting and organizing re-sources of particular interest to differ-ent sectors of their communities. Thisallows us to fulfill our traditional roleof providing patrons with the most ap-propriate and useful resources, a rolethat is more important than ever giventhe overwhelming amount of elec-tronic information now available. Oneof the most successful and well-devel-oped examples is Infomine (http://lib-www.ucr.edu), based at the University ofCalifornia, Riverside. Infomine providesa series of subject-related catalogs ofInternet sites, guides, and finding tools.A librarian selects each resource andprovides a detailed record with descrip-tors, which enables patrons to searchthe database by keyword. It is just oneexample among a number of popularand successful gateways, including theArgus Clearinghouse subject indexof Internet guides (http://www.clearinghouse.net) initiated at the Uni-versity of Michigan, and Iowa StateTsCyberStacks catalog of Internet re-sources classified according to the Li-brary of Congress classificationscheme. In addition, many librariesnow have home pages with links toready reference and subject-specific re-sources, Internet guides, and resourcesavailable on the libraryTs own network.Increasingly, the virtual environ-ment, in the form of the libraryTs homepage, provides the gateway to both vir-tual and traditional library resources.Libraries must continue to work to-wards providing simplicity and consis-tency in terms of interfaces to theseresources. Z39.50, the ISO standard forinformation retrieval using client/server architecture, allows users to con-nect to remote databases and to searchthem using the same search and navi-gation methods and with very similarscreen layout. As confusion over thedifferent search interfaces provided bydifferent database vendors is one of themajor sources of reference questions atpresent, libraries, vendors, and othersinvolved in information provisionmust work towards increased standard-ization using Z39.50. This would beone of the most significant and benefi-cial developments in improving thesuccess rate of searching by indepen-dent information seekers.In an article on the role of the ovir-tual librarian,� Cherrie Noble alsohighlights the metadata movement, animportant and growing trend. She de-scribes metadata as oessentially dataabout data� and metatagging as otheuse of a descriptive field or tag.�!°Metatags are used to create a descrip-tive record for Internet resources. Theyare a less detailed alternative to tradi-tional bibliographic records. Users can-not see metadata, but search enginesuse it to rank sites in relevancy lists.Standards are currently being devel-oped for metadata. Noble cites AmandaXu, a serials cataloger at MIT, who be-lieves that, as Internet resources will in-creasingly have metadata already at-tached, the libraryTs Web site will be-come the logical gateway for accessingthese resources.Organizational EthosJennifer Mendelsohn identifies themajor factors that contribute to qualityreference service as willingness, knowl-edge, morale, and time.�° Certainly,knowledge contributes to morale andto willingness in helping patrons; li-brarians need to dedicate time to keep-ing up-to-date with new technologiesand electronic resources if they are todo their jobs effectively. oThe conceptof knowledge renewal and growth is animportant one. The links betweenknowledge, morale and willingnessmust be recognized.��! It is notenough for librarians to receive train-ing; they must take an active role intheir own development of skills andknowledge in the virtual environment,adopting a life-long learning approach.The library as a whole also needs toadopt such an attitude. Libraries mustdevelop as learning organizations, en-couraging the professional develop-ment of their staffs, both in new skillsand new perspectives.ConclusionThrough creative instruction and in-novative reference services, referencelibrarians can contribute to studentsTdevelopment of information skills thatFall 1998 " 103

will remain relevant even as technol-ogy continues to evolve. To achievethis goal, it is vital that librarians takea proactive role in forming cooperativepartnerships with campus colleagues,particularly with teaching faculty andsystems specialists.Sweeping technological changeshave had a dramatic impact both onthe way reference librarians work andon the information-seeking behaviorand expectations of academic libraryusers. Although this may be perceivedas a threat to the status of the academiclibrary as the central access point to in-formation, we believe that those sametechnological developments also afforda greater opportunity than ever beforeto make academic libraries exciting,friendly, and relevant.References:! William A. Katz, Introduction to Ref-erence Work, 7th ed. vol.1 (New York:McGraw-Hill, 1997), xvi.2 Jennifer Mendelsohn, oPerspectiveson Quality Reference Service in an Aca-demic Library: a Qualitative Study,� RQ36 (Summer 1997): 545.3 Ann Jensen and Julie Sih, oUsing E-Mail and the Internet to Teach Users atTheir Desktops,� Online 19 (Sept./Oct.1995): 82-86.4 American Library Association. Presi-dential Committee on Information Literacy.Final Report. (Chicago: American LibraryAssociation, 1989), 1.5 Vivian Parker Makosky, oTeachingPsychology in the Information Age,�Teaching Psychology 12 (February 1985):23-26® Philip J. Egan, oBridging the Gap Be-tween the Student and the Library,� Col-lege Teaching 40, 2 (Spring 1992): 67-70.7 Ibid.8 Dennis Isbell and DorothyBroaddus, oTeaching Writing and Re-search as Inseparable: A Faculty-Librar-ian Teaching Team,� Reference ServicesReview 23 (Winter 1995): 51-62.? Ann Margaret Scholz, Richard CaryKerr, and Samuel Keith Brown, oPLUTO:Interactive Instruction on the Web,�College and Research Libraries News 57, 6(June 1996): 346.10 Tbid., 346-349.11 Carol Hansen and NancyLombardo, oToward the Virtual Univer-sity: Collaborative Development of aWeb-based Course,� Research Strategies15 (Spring 1997): 68-79.12 Jensen, 84-86.13 Julia Kelly and Kathryn Robbins,oChanging Roles for Reference Librar-ians,� in Managing Change in AcademicLibraries, ed. Joseph J. Branin (New York:Haworth Press, 1996): 115.M4 Nettie Lagace and MichaelMcClennen, oQuestions and Quirks:Managing an Internet-based DistributedReference Service,� Computers in Librar-ies 18 (February 1998): 24-27.1S Harold Billings, et al., oRemote Ref-erence Assistance for Electronic Infor-mation Resources Over NetworkedWorkstations,� Library Hi Tech 12, 1(1994): 77-86.16 oVirtual Service� American Libraries28, 1 January 1997): 44-45.17 Tbid.18 Kelly, 114.19 Cherrie Noble, oReflecting on OurFuture,� Computers in Libraries 18 (Feb-ruary 1998): 53.20 Mendelsohn.21; Thidl.,°555:"Thank You to NCLAContributing Members:David S. Ferriero,Duke UniversityDr. Benjamin F. Speller,. Jr.,North Carolina Central UniversitySOLINETTom Broadfoot,BroadfootTs Publishing Company=vJohn Higgins, Sales RepresentativewwOXFORD104 " Fall 1998P.O. Box 21011Columbia SC 292211-800-222-9086Fax: 803-731-0320OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Lea QUALITY BOOKS INC.North Carolina Libraries

From Reference Class to Reference Desk:i! How may I help you?� Iwould ask library users as Iworked as a student Informa-tion Assistant in the Univer-sity of North Carolina atGreensboroTs Jackson Libraryreference department during the 1996-97 academic year. I was enrolled inUNC-G's Master of Library and Infor-mation Studies Program; my MLIS pro-gram also included observation and ex-perience at a high school media centerand a community college. I helped stu-dents in their searches for books andarticles, then generally left them towork on their own or saw them headfor the stacks with lists of materials tolook up. I would ask them to comeback to the desk if they had difficultyfinding what they were looking for.Transition to the Real WorldNow picture my first days on the job atthe information desk of a public libraryin the summer of 1997 as a newlygraduated librarian with a fresh MLISdegree.oHi! How may I help you?�oI'd like the CEOs of these fivecompanies, along with the companyaddresses and phone numbers,� saysone caller. oCall me back and leave theanswers on my answering machine.�oWe've just found out my wife hasliver cancer and I want to know moreabout it,� says a man at the referencedesk, obviously stunned by the recentdiagnosis. He later asks which of vari-ous treatments mentioned in medicalsources would be best to try.oWhat percentage of all U.S. prisoninmates are African American?� asksanother caller who then goes on to askNorth Carolina LibrariesOne Year Laterby Betty J. Mooreseven or eight other statistical ques-tions. oCan you make copies of these?ITll pick them up on my way homefrom work.�oThe courthouse said youTd knowwhat forms I need to file for my owndivorce,� says the woman at the desk,a friend at her side for moral support.oITm a nurse and have to give aforty-five-minute presentation on oPa-tient Recovery� in two days. Can youresearch this for me?� asks one caller. oIdonTt have time to research the topic.�Middle school students arrive,some of them essentially asking librarystaff to do their homework for them.(Some would also like us to provide allsupplies for their projects and proof-read, or type, their final papers.)Drive-through, Pick-up WindowNow let me get this straight, I mused.As a public librarian, ITm here to meetall their information needs, yet ITm nota doctor, lawyer, social worker, or ac-countant. And I really donTt think theteacher expects the librarian to do thewhole assignment he gives his stu-dents. While I had learned in libraryschool that public librarians often didmore of the work for library users thanacademic ones did (the termsohandholding� and ospoon-feeding�were mentioned), I am surprised to dis-cover how many public library custom-ers expect odrive-through, pick-up win-dow� reference service. In my referenceclass, I had learned of some of the dif-ferences between types of libraries. Forexample, formal bibliographic instruc-tion is considered to be less common inpublic libraries than in academic orschool libraries.! William Katz says thatpublic libraries may have a high per-centage of adult users, compared toother types of libraries, and may alsofind that fifty to sixty percent of itsquestions are ready-reference ratherthan research questions.�Was I expected to go all the way tothe final answer for each patron, orshow the source, explain how to use it,and leave the patron to complete herresearch alone? Should I help some pa-trons, such as older adults or countycommissioners extensively, but just getschool children started and encouragethem to continue the process on theirown? Should I package some libraryuse instruction with each answer, aseach Cracker Jacks box comes with atreat? How far should I go to chaseWhile | had learned in library school that public librariansoften did more of the work for library users thanacademic ones did ... | am surprised to discover howmany public library customers expectodrive-through, pick-up window� reference service.Fall 1998 " 105

down answers? Should I call Washing-ton, DC, then fax several pages to call-ers living out of the area ? Would I beguided through these decisions by writ-ten library policy, unwritten guide-lines, or my own discretion?My Continuing EducationFortunately, I have an information ser-vices supervisor, as well as experiencedco-workers and library guidelines tohelp me learn how to deal with thesequestions. At Rowan Public Library(RPL) I read the Information ServicesPolicy Statement section that reads, oAllrequests for information are legitimateand important to the library user. Withthis understanding, every effort will bemade to provide information servicesto library users of all ages and circum-stances in a manner that is courteous,equitable, and prompt.� oOur overallphilosophy,� according to InformationServices supervisor Suzanne White, oisthat we provide good customer ser-vice.�? RPL Information Services hasfurther guidelines and procedures thatinclude answering each customerTsquestions as thoroughly as possible.They also suggest that staff memberstake customers to the shelves wheneverpossible and that all questions receiveequal treatment regardless of theirsource. Staff are expected to use judg-ment to determine which questions toanswer completely and which to guidethe patron in source selection.Homework questions are treated inthe same manner as other referencequestions. When students and othercustomers in the library are guided tocontinue research on their own, staffare encouraged to tell them to return tothe information desk if they need fur-ther assistance. When callers requesthelp on complex assignments, staffmay suggest that callers come into thelibrary for assistance. A student whocalls asking for five articles to be cop-ied and ready for pickup may be told tocome into the library so we can omakesure this is what you need.�Staff who are involved in ques-tions that may take more than five orten minutes to answer are expected tokeep an eye out for the desk and an earout for the phone so that the desk part-ner is not left to handle all other re-quests alone. Customers may be left towork alone while the librarian helpsothers, then returns later to see howthe patron is doing. Staff also mustMaintain a balance between helpingpeople in the library and those on thephone. Phones are answered quickly,but if a staff member is helping another106 " Fall 1998user, the phone request is written downand a return call is promised.Staff receive many specializedmedical, legal, financial, and tax ques-tions; they assist customers in findinginformation but do not give advice inthese matters. Values of collectiblesmay be quoted from library sources.Library guidelines say it is often appro-priate to refer patrons to professionalsin these fields. Staff members will makelong distance calls for ready referencequestions, but will provide the phonenumber to the user where more exten-sive questioning is needed. RPL staffwill make some copies, with paymentexpected at pickup, and will fax mate-rials for a fee. Library instruction takesseveral forms, including orientationtours for students. Classes were heldshowing use of the OPAC when it wasnew. Currently, classes are offered inInternet and e-mail basics.oIt Depends.�As I approach the end of my first yearas a professional librarian working atthe information desk, I am reflectingon what I have learned this year. SinceI have wondered where other NorthCarolina public librarians draw the linebetween providing the final answer foreach patron and guiding them to findthe answers for themselves, I con-ducted an informal telephone survey ofseveral public libraries selected fromthe current Statistics & Directory of NorthCarolina Public Libraries.* 1 polled sev-eral reference department supervisors,other staff members, and library direc-tors from county, regional, and munici-pal systems across the state.®I asked four basic questions, butwelcomed discussion and other com-ments. (1) Where do you draw the linebetween finding the answer for patronsand teaching them to find the answeron their own? (2) Do you have differ-ent levels of service for different pa-trons, including students, the elderly,business people, and local officials? (3)Does your library offer instruction topatrons? If so, which of these types"formal classes, handouts, commentsduring the reference interview, or oth-ers? (4) Finally, does your library havea written policy about this, are thereunwritten guidelines staff follow, or isthe level of service variable and left upto the discretion of individual staffmembers?The most common comment Iheard was, oIt depends.� While not avery scientific, quantifiable response, itspeaks to the variety of situations li-brary staff face, as well as the discretionthey often must use to deal with situa-tions on the spot. Most respondents,many of whom referred to the Mary-land Model of reference interviewing,said they try to have a thorough refer-ence interview, using that to determineand clarify the question. At the sametime, they work to determine thepatronTs needs and ability to completethe research alone, with some assis-tance, or with the staff serving themthe completed answer. oWe feel peopleout during the reference interview,�said Stephanie Stout of Nantahala Re-gional Library, headquartered inMurphy. oIf somebody is motivatedand can handle questions on theirown, they usually indicate that and weback off.� Several said they also usedthe reference interview for instruction.Shearin Antonowicz, Head of ReferenceServices at Greensboro Public Librarysaid, oWe try not to just pre-packageinformation for people.� Staff there tryto be guides rather than give the finalanswer.Dave Fergusson, Head of ForsythCounty Public LibraryTs HeadquartersBranch in Winston-Salem said thatthey either answer the question all theway or refer the patron to someonewho can provide the answer. oTo behonest, it depends on the librarian. Ithink, probably more than many li-braries, we give the answer.� Librariansthere have unlimited phone access toanswer questions. He said that withtechnology becoming more advanced,oSf youTre showing how to find the an-swer when others show the answer,you're in trouble.�Levels of ServiceSeveral respondents gave examples ofgiving different service to certain pa-trons. For example, Anna Yount, Direc-tor of the Transylvania County Libraryin Brevard, said their area has a largeretirement community with many se-nior citizens. oSome are just not able touse the ORAG. They can tsee it. lrghard for them. We often suggest theymay sit at the table and someone willget their stuff for them.� Another com-mented that while older patrons mayneed more help with online catalogs,the Internet, and CD-ROMs, they areoften better at finding books on theshelves than young patrons. Othersmentioned going the extra distance toprovide what their local officials re-quested.Many librarians said they encour-age school students to do more of thework on their own. Several librarianssaid they believe that the intendedNorth Carolina Libraries

purpose of student assignments is oftento learn the research process ratherthan have librarians present them astack of books with marked answers.More than one said, however, that theyallow as much time and effort for astudentTs question as for any other.Where students are assisted in gettingstarted and left to work on their own,staff suggest they come back for moreassistance if they have difficulty intheir searches. Fergusson said ofForsyth, oMost of the time we try to befairly consistent. We donTt discriminateagainst kids.� Julia Hicks, Director ofBrown Library in Washington, said dif-ferent types of patrons probably aretreated differently. She prefers that ev-eryone be treated the same and tries tomodel that to her staff. Fourth gradersshould get as much attention as busi-nessmen looking for stock quotes.Instruction PracticesThe most common instruction men-tioned was that given during the refer-ence interview. No one mentioned for-mal classes on basic research processesand techniques. Most told of classesnow given on Internet use, with NCLIVE classes to begin soon, after staffhave received training. An-other mentioned classes givenin genealogy search techniquesand resources. At GreensboroPublic Library patrons canmake appointments to learn touse CD-ROM products. One li-brarian said they try to noticewhen people are asking thesame thing over and over andmake a sign or handout to answerthose common questions. Signs, hand-outs, library tours and orientation areprovided as means of instruction inmany of the libraries surveyed.Fergusson said, oWeTd love to teachthem. But if they donTt want us to, wedonTt force it.� He added, oOur job is togive them what they want. Library edu-cation is not our goal.�Written PoliciesWritten policies, procedures manuals,and guidelines are somewhat morecommon in the larger libraries. Ratherthan mention how much assistance togive patrons, some policies just refer tostaff using discretion, being aware ofleaving desk or phone unattended forlong periods, and trying to maintain abalance of time spent helping each pa-tron, in-house and by phone. Severalsmaller libraries have no written poli-cies covering these situations. They relyNorth Carolina Librarieson job descriptions, modeling otherstaff, and staff development training topromote the expected practices fortheir library. Greensboro has a writtenprocedures manual, including phonetime limit. Staff at Forsyth are guidedby staff training and expectations oflibrary staff, as well as by the demandsof patrons after years of such service.How Far Will We Go?Several respondents volunteered mot-toes such as oCustomer service is ourtop priority,� oWe go the distance,� oroOur basic philosophy is to try to dothe best we can for everybody.� Yet, asone director said, oI think everybodypractices triage.� With limited staff,resources and time, librarians sort outand classify whichquestions and whichlibrary users they areable to answer mostcompletely. The num-ber of patrons waitingat the desk or on thephone, time of day,and how much help a patron actuallyasks for are other factors that affect theamount of assistance given.Perhaps the biggest factor is howoOur job is to give them whatthey want. Library education isnot our goal.�much time the librarian has. The 10A.M. patron may get much more ex-tensive help than the 4 P.M. one. PeterBileckyj, reference head at WilsonCounty Public Library in Wilson saidthat, while they try to be fair to all, thereality is that on a slow day librarianswill spend more time with a patronwho is slower at catching on. Howmany phones are ringing and howmany patrons are waiting at the deskare also limiting factors. Several re-ferred to a phone reference time limit,one to say they do not include otheinfamous time limit� in their proce-dures. Another said they do try to limitphone calls to five minutes and answerwhat they can during that time.While having the availability ofmany new technologies and NC LIVEgives librarians access to some answersmore quickly, thereby saving time, italso increases the number of places tolook, which may take more time. Sinceo| think everybodypractices triage.�there is a greater chance now of find-ing the requested answer through thelibraryTs resources, librarians may referelsewhere less frequently.Another factor is how much helpthe patron wants. Some are familiarwith the library layout and the DeweyDecimal System and prefer to look ontheir own, once the librarian hashelped them narrow their searches to aparticular subject, area, or book. Oth-ers seem frightened of the whole li-brary experience and would like some-one to o hold their hand� as they go tothe book shelves or use the copier, on-line catalog, or computer. The termospoon-feeding� carries the negativeconnotation of helping someone dosomething that he really ought to dohimself. Yet several li-braries enthusiasti-cally, or at least will-ingly, give the patronwhatever is requested.A staff member at onesmaller library said en-thusiastically, oWe gothe distance!� Transylvania CountyTsYount said, oWe carry books to the car.We've even taken someone to the doc-tor! Service is a priority for us.�Most people, whether at larger orsmaller libraries, mentioned limitedstaff. Bileckyj said that with a referencestaff of three, their goal is to show theperson the material and show themhow to use it. Greensboro offers ap-pointments with subject specialistssince staff are able to give more per-sonal service when they are not work-ing on the desk. Their business special-ist has the most requests; others re-quest appointments with their gene-alogist for family research assistanceand their documents specialist for sta-tistics and demographic information.Distinctions also are made be-tween ready reference and extensiveresearch questions. Stout said theywere not able to fax somebody oall theJohnsons in Cherokee County.� KathyKahn, Director of Mooresville PublicLibrary said that they referred peoplewith more extensive questions, espe-cially ones requiring technical or busi-ness expertise, to larger libraries such asIredell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg.They provide the other libraryTs phonenumber, then suggest the patron makethe call on his own. Forsyth provides adistinct telephone reference depart-ment each afternoon, where staff an-swer questions quickly or refer to re-search departments if needed.In addition, library staff withinFall 1998 " 107

one library may differ in how much as-sistance they offer. For example, thedirector of one library commented thatthere is no consistency among thatstaff about whether to completely findthe answer for the patron or give in-structions and leave the search to thepatron. Therefore, some staff tellphone patrons they must come in tothe library and others find the answerand give it on the phone. ~Finally, public libraries remainaware of their role as tax-supportedcommunity agencies as they decidehow much assistance to offer. Severalrespondents spoke of trying to use taxmoney responsibly, whether by limit-ing long-distance calls and faxes or bygiving taxpayers the full service theyhave paid for and come to expect.Survey SummaryThis informal phone survey was a goodstarting place for discussion and pos-sible future research. With its smallsample and possibility of multiple var-ied answers, it did not attempt to bescientific. The amount of help given,and the place the line wasdrawn, varied not only fromlibrary to library, but alsofrom librarian to librarian. Inaddition, the same librarianoperated differently depend-ing on the patronTs need andability, the level of activity atthe desk, and other factors.About half of the respondentssaid they gave different levelsof service to different groupsof users, generally studentsand the elderly. Most offeredsome instruction, mainly one-on-oneduring the reference interview, but in-creasingly, through Internet and NCLIVE classes. Most said their libraryTswritten policies did not address thesequestions. Library staff generally areguided by unwritten guidelines, oftentaught in staff training upon employ-ment. Then much is left up to their dis-cretion based on factors mentionedpreviously.Literature ReviewA review of library literature reveals sev-eral studies concerning how much andwhat kind of assistance libraries giveusers and what attitudes librarians andlibrary users have about instruction. |learned that the term ospoonfeeding�does not appear in the Library Literaturedatabase, even though it was men-tioned by several of the librarians inter-viewed.Roma Harris explored the valueconflicts underlying the information108 " Fall 1998versus instruction debate.® She foundthat the majority of those surveyedagreed othat user instruction is desir-able in public libraries and that itshould be a regular part of referencetransactions (not only when users re-quest it.)� Her study found no consen-sus, however, regarding the teachingroles of librarians, patron self-suffi-ciency, and the ospoonfeeding� of pub-lic library users. She measured attitudesof librarians about bibliographic in-struction and showed the wide polarityin the debate. While over 90% of thosesurveyed agreed with the statementobibliographic instruction in public li-braries is appropriate for students,�only 50% agreed that othe primary goalof reference librarians in public librar-ies should be to help people becomeindependent users of the library.� Fur-thermore, only 40% agreed that orefer-ence librarians should avoid spoon-feeding information to public libraryusers.�7Harris quoted comments of severalof those she surveyed.® One said, oPart~a public libraries remain awareof their role as tax-supportedcommunity agencies as theydecide how much assistanceto offer.of the process of question negotiation isdetermining if bibliographic instructionis needed, desired, and within the userTscapacity.� Others commented that theywere glad to assist any library users whowanted to find out how the libraryworks and become self-sufficient users.Otherwise, one librarian said, oinforma-tion should be given without instruc-tion.� Another agreed, saying othe pub-lic comes to the library for an answer totheir question, not for a quick lessonhow they should go about finding itthemselves ... Librarians must realizethat increasingly we are a service indus-try (not education) and that the publicexpects the same of us as they do a clerkat a department store.� Or a bookstore.Susan J. Diehl and Terry L. Weechfocused on another aspect of this dis-cussion in their article oLibrary UseInstruction in the Public Library: A Sur-vey of User Preferences.�? They sur-veyed library users rather than librar-ians. Their research addressed the ques-tions of whether public library usersthink public libraries should offer in-struction in library use and alsowhether these users opersonally wantto receive instruction in the use of thelibrary.� Library users were askedwhether they would prefer to receivean answer only, receive an explanationonly, receive both, or be given a choiceof which they would like to receive.Over 50% said they would prefer to re-ceive both an answer and an explana-tion of how to find that answer.Twenty percent preferred a choice.Library users also were askedwhich method (a class, a booklet, whilethey were asking the question, or ahandout near the item) they preferredto receive instruction. Forty-six percentpreferred othe one-on-one experienceof the reference interview� as the wayto receive instruction. Only 18% pre-ferred a focused setting, such as a class.Shelly Adatto described the usereducation program at the Seattle Pub-lic Library, stating that oteaching thepublic to become successful, indepen-dent library users is a key goal of usereducation at the Seattle Public Li-brary.� Adatto gives brief summaries ofseveral courses Seattle offers, includingoTake Charge of Your InformationNeeds!� oThe World of Book Reviews,�oMagazine Research Techniques,� andoComputer Search Techniques.� Thecourses focus on olearning the processof using and locating materials,� ratherthan reviewing bibliographies. !°Increasingly, library users ask li-brarians to help them evaluate thequality of online information. Shouldlibrarians advertise Internet availabilityat the library, then refuse to help evalu-ate sites because of librariansT tradi-tional neutrality toward materials? In apertinent recent Library Journal edito-rial, John Berry III exhorts librarians totake on a role they have avoided in thepast. oWhen I went to library school,we were told that librarians did notinterpret or analyze information butmerely helped people find it....We werewarned not to ~spoon-feedT students orother information seekers.� He statesthat people today are flooded with in-formation and need advice on inter-preting and evaluating as they chooseInternet sites relevant to their needs.He urges librarians to take on what hecalls othis crucially needed but high-risk role of information advisor. If wedonTt offer that kind of professionalinformation service, who needs us?� heconcludes.!!North Carolina Libraries

oUsed Car Salesman� ApproachThe ultimate in customer assistance canbe found in an U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*DLibrarian reprint of an article submit-ted by Trisha Gillis, when she was a stu-dent intern at Orange (CA) Public Li-brary in 1972. Her supervisor assignedher the task of testing the validity ofhis pet theory:that large numbers of persons in-vading his library needed help but,because of shyness, fear of seemingignorant, language barriers, or re-luctance to ~disturbT the librarians,neither asked for it nor, because of(librariansT) traditional attitudes,were offered it. His trial method ofserving the unserved was to pro-vide a stand-up, look-for-questions,lead-the-patron-by-the-hand Infor-mation Desk, personified by me.I am the used-car salesman of theOrange Public Library. !?Gillis patrolled the library 24 hoursa week, looking for patrons showingosigns of struggle,� then approachedthem with her most sincere smile andan offer of assistance. She decided thatpeople like being approached andhelped in this way and recommendedthat all librarians at least adopt the at-titude of the library ofloorwalker� andget the person together with theneeded source of information asquickly as possible.What | Learned Last Summer "And BeyondOver the past year I have questionedand modeled more experienced co-workers, discussed library policy withmy supervisor, and looked at how newinformation technologies are affectinglibrary reference work, as I work toclarify my own philosophy of the in-formation versus instruction question.I assist as much as I can, given the timeand resources available to me. I amlearning that with current electronicresources available, I am able to answermany more questions more fully thanlibrarians of days past. I am learningthat on a slow Tuesday morning I mayfollow all answers to their conclusionsand spend as much time with a patronas he wishes, including the 88-year-oldman eager to see what the Internet islike. On a busy late afternoon duringscience project and tax season withboth phones ringing, my desk partnerdeep in the stacks, and patrons linedup at the desk, I reluctantly may haveto resort to pointing and asking peopleto wait or to do more on their own.I often do throw in instruction dur-ing the reference interview, whether itTsasked for or not. If they seem interested,I'll give more; if not, I proceed quicklytoward the answer. When my time isvery limited, or I need to refer someoneto other professionals, I try to explainthat with my most sincere smile andprofessional manner. I always suggestpatrons check back with me if theyneed more assistance.I knew from the start of my librarytraining that I wanted a job where Iwould interact daily with the public.My goal has definitely been fulfilled.Most days there are surprising ques-tions, thank goodness, such as the callfrom a woman asking what she shouldfeed an injured wasp she had rescuedfrom ants. And when a customer ap-pears at the information desk saying,oOh, I hate to bother you,� I respond,oThatTs what ITm here for. ThatTs myjob! How may I help you?�References' Roma Harris, oBibliographic In-struction in Public Libraries: A Questionof Philosophy,� RQ 29 (Fall 1989): 93.William A. Katz, Introduction to Ref-erence Work, Volume I 6th ed. (NewYork: McGraw-Hill, 1992), 13.858 Manor StreetLancaster, PA 176033 Interview, Rowan County PublicLibrary, May 4-8, 1998.* Statistics & Directory of North Caro-lina Public Libraries July 1, 1996 - June1997 (Raleigh: State Library of NorthCarolina, 1997).° Phone interviews took place betweenMay 15 and June 3, 1998. I would like toackowledge the assistance of ArtemisKares in making several of the calls.® Roma Harris, oBibliographic Instruc-tion in Public Libraries: A Question ofPhilosophy,� RQ 29 (Fall 1989): 92-98.7 Tbid., 94.8 Tbid., 94-97.° Susan J. Diehl and Terry L. Weech,oLibrary Use Instruction in the PublicLibrary: A Survey of User Preferences,�Research Strategies 9 (Winter 1991): 25-40.10 Shelly Adatto, oHelping Users HelpThemselves,� PNLA Quarterly 56 (Win-ter 1992): 9-10.11 John N. Berry Ill, oRisking RelevantReference Work,� Library Journal 123(May 15, 1998): 6.12 Trisha Gillis, oLibrarian as Floor-walker, or DonTt Point, Walk,� TheU*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian 101(1996): 19-20.BOOK WEEK NOVEMBER 16-22, 1998CURRENT EDITIONS, INC.W/HOLESALERSTO LIBRARIES1-800-487-2278 (FAX)"Support North Carolina Libraries"North Carolina Libraries1-800-959-1672Fall 1998 " 109

Reference Interview:sixth grader and parent hadentered the public library andasked for a book on the ocar-nivorous forest.� Both nod-ded when asked if what theywanted was a place whereplants like the Venus Fly-trap grow.When the boy indicated, oMaybe, butI think itTs in Canada,� the real ques-tion became apparent. What theyneeded was information on cone-bear-ing trees or oconiferous forests.� Abest-seller of several years ago, Men arefrom Mars, Women Are From Venus byJohn Gray, discussed the communica-tion between genders as happeningfrom two different viewpoints.� Like-wise, we could very well ask whatplanet we are on and what planet thechild is on as we experience referenceinterviews with children.Children are in the midst of devel-oping intellectually, emotionally, andsocially. This difference in develop-ment between children and adultsleads to a difficulty in understandingwhen communication is attempted.Much has been written and studiedabout the reference interview, but notuntil the last several years has therebeen more focus on reference inter-views with children and the strategiesthat can be used to help in the successof those reference interviews.The PubYac listserv has had manypostings about reference requests thatmight have led the answer quest to goawry. A four-year-old boy requested abook called Rock Stew, which had dis-torted the real title, Stone Soup.? Amother, going by what her son hadwritten down, wanted information onthe Soup Indians (Sioux Indians).*Other misguided requests for materials110 " Fall 1998Strategies for Childrenby Melvin K. Burtoninclude: Afghans " the blankets, dogs,or people; books about doctors whenthe child really wanted Dr. Seuss books;an adolescent boy asking for oPoisonSex� " actually wanting Boys and Sex;craft books when the original need wasfor books on Kraft cheese; My FriendScuba Diver instead of Brinton TurkleTsMy Friend Obadiah; and the geographyof Tuna, that is Tunisia. Thesepostings, though, are more about thedistorted request than a very broad ini-tial request that takes some time tonarrow down the real one. Both typesof queries probably occur more withchildren than with adults.Writings and studies about the ref-erence interview date as far back as1954 when David Maxfield stated thefour techniques " acceptance, under-standing, communication, and col-laboration " that should be used.Maxfield also alluded to specific skillssuch as listening carefully, observingthe patron, and clarifying and amplify-ing what the patron is saying.° RobertS. TaylorTs study in 1965, which waswritten about in the May 1968 Collegeand Research Libraries, listed four needs:visceral, conscious, formalized, andcompromised. Later an article byGeraldine King, Winter 1972 RQ, em-phasized the use of open questions.William KatzT reference service text-books gave the interview a separatechapter and, as a change from previoustexts, did not fail to highlight theinterviewTs importance.T Elaine andEdward Jennerich, who wrote The Ref-erence Interview as a Creative Art, listedtwelve skills that can be learned: eyecontact, gestures, relaxed posture, fa-cial expression and tone of voice, re-membering, avoiding premature diag-noses, reflecting feeling verbally, restat-ing or paraphrasing content, using en-couragers, closure, giving opinions andsuggestions, and open questions.®Possibly the most famous study ofthe reference interview was unveiled inan article in the November 1, 1985 Li-brary Journal that described the devel-opment of the Maryland Model of Ref-erence Behavior. A study conducted bythe Public Library Branch of the Divi-sion of Library Development and Ser-vices (DLDS), Maryland State Depart-ment of Education, in the summer andfall of 1983 revealed that a patron mayget a correct answer to a referencequery only 55% of the time, and led toa more defined format for conductingthe reference interview. Employees ofthe Survey Research Center at the Uni-versity of Maryland asked 40 questionsat 60 locations in the 22 public librarysystems in Maryland that chose to par-ticipate.?The positive result of the study isthat an increase in the percentage ofcorrect answers is very possible sincemany of the variables that would helpin this regard are within the librarianTscontrol. The inquiry skills needed werecompiled into a Model Reference Be-haviors Checklist. These skills in-cluded: asking open questions, para-phrasing, clarifying, and using a fol-low-up question.!° There was a NorthCarolina connection to the Marylandstudy. The stages of the interview "set-ting the tone, getting the facts, givinginformation, and follow-up " wereadapted from a document prepared bythe Office of Public Health Social Work,North Carolina Department of Health,1974." The authors of the Library Jour-nal article cited that the single mostNorth Carolina Libraries

important behavior is asking the fol-low-up question, oDoes this completelyanswer your question?� !? Referring tothe Maryland Model of Reference Be-haviors, Gers and Seward stated, o Ifthese behaviors are constantly andconsistently exhibited, oneTs referenceservice performance should improvedramatically.�!% In order to find out ifthe three days of training that wereheld after the 1983 study made a differ-ence in service performance, anotherstudy was done in 1986 in the same 60libraries that were originally surveyed.It was found that the training made asubstantial difference. Patrons helpedby a control group that had not beentrained received a correct answer 60%of the time, while patrons going to anyof the 17 libraries where employeeshad been trained got a correct answer77% of the time.!4In the September/October 1994 is-sue of Public Libraries, two facultymembers of the Graduate School of Li-brary and Information Science at theUniversity of Western Ontario reportedon their latest annual assignment inwhich library school students were toask reference questions and report ontheir experiences. Of the 77 partici-pants, 52 asked their questions in apublic library. The usersT experiencesconfirmed previous studies that indi-cated about a 55% success rate. Only 28users said they would return to thesame librarian again.!The narration of the usersT experi-ences helped to identify helpful andunhelpful behaviors. Some of the help-ful behaviors noted were using wel-coming body language, asking open-ended questions, volunteering help,monitoring the referral, and using a fol-low-up question.!° Many unwelcomingbehaviors were noted. These behaviorsincluded pursed lips, curt tone, notlooking up from the desk, never smil-ing, rolling eyes, and looking at theceiling. Other unhelpful behaviorswere not listening, not informing theuser of what was happening, not givingthe question any importance, not con-ducting a reference interview, and notdoing any follow-up. It probably wasdisconcerting for the library user whostated, o He made me feel as if he werehappy that ITd be leaving the desk.�!�All of these aforementioned writ-ings and studies helped in the under-standing of the reference interview, butnone addressed the peculiar nature ofthe reference interview with a child.This decade, however, has seen morefocus on techniques that are helpfulwhen interviewing a child. WorkshopsNorth Carolina Librarieson the reference interview presented inthe Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library inthe fall of 1991 included a segmenton the child patron, and workshopsbeing presented at locations within thePublic Library of Charlotte andMecklenburg County throughout 1998also have a part devoted to dealingwith children. Elaine and EdwardJennerich revised their written work,The Reference Interview As a Creative Art,so that the 1997 edition has a sectionon the young patron.!® Cal Shepard,former Youth Services Consultant withthe State Library of North Carolina inthe early 1990s, noted on the NCKidslistserv, September 4, 1992, that thereare ospecial problems that can arise inreference services to children andyouth.� Those problems were stated tobe (1) being more inarticulate in voic-ing information needs, (2) either caringa lot or not caring at all because of therequest being a school assignment, (3)being more unfamiliar with the classi-fication system, and (4) needing to getthe same information as the rest of theclass. Shepard cautioned that the childpatron should be treated as seriously asthe adult patron since children havethe same right to information as every-one else.!?Kathleen Horning wrote a columnfor Wilson Library Bulletin (May 1994)that reiterated her plea from her Febru-ary 1994 column for librarians to re-flect on how reference work with chil-dren differs from reference work withadults. She encouraged including thechild in the interview when both a par-ent and child are present and delin-eated the twists and turns that an inter-view with a child can take in a recre-ation of a real-life reference interview.Horning also asked questions: oDo weprovide the same level of service thatwe would for an adult? Have we beentrained to conduct interviews withchildren who have difficulty articulat-ing their needs? Are we allowed thenecessary time to help children statetheir questions and help them find theanswers?� 20There have been responses toHorningTs second question. In additionto the workshops already mentioned, aworkshop was presented at this yearTsPublic Library Association Conferenceon the results of a pilot study fromMaryland on the oQuality of ReferenceService to Children.� In 1997, as a fol-low-up to the previous study, the Mary-land State Department of Education,Division of Library Development andServices arranged to survey librariansand children (defined as persons be-tween eight and fourteen) to investi-gate the premise that ochildren shouldexpect a public library to provide openand free access to information, pro-vided by a staff who recognizes andwelcomes their unique needs.��! Thesetypes of efforts should help prepare li-brarians to conduct a reference inter-view with a child effectively.In order to have a more successfulreference interview, we need to beaware of specific differences betweeninterviews with adults and children.These factors include being approach-able, working more with the child thanwith the parent, using basic, under-standable vocabulary, paraphrasing tocatch pronunciation errors, dealingwith other-generated questions orschool assignments, being skilled atnarrowing the question, and treatingadults and children equally.In The Reference Interview As a Cre-ative Art, traits are listed that enablesomeone to be a good reference librar-ian. Those traits listed include the abil-ity to jump quickly from one subject toanother, patience and persistence,imagination and creativity, a genuineliking for people, dedication or com-mitment, and a sense of humor. Notonly do Elaine and Edward Jennerichlist a sense of humor among the desir-able traits for a reference librarian tohave, they also say it is the first traitneeded. Humor should not be used toridicule the patron, but should be di-rected at the situation. Humor can re-lieve stress and relax everyone. It wasstated that ochildren love humor andthe use of it with them makes the li-brarian seem a bit more ~humanT andapproachable.�The 1997 Maryland study recom-mended not asking if the question wasfor a homework assignment and at-In order to have a more successful reference interview,we need to be aware of specific differences betweeninterviews with adults and children.Fall 1998 " 111

tempting to negotiate with the childrather than the adult.T Both strategiesseem to be an attempt to give childrenequal status since normally one wouldnot ask the adult why the informationis needed and talking to the child di-rectly gives the child status as a patronin the childTs own right. In Edward andElaine JennerichTs revised work, theyaffirm that children and teens shouldbe treated respectfully and that the li-brarian should not imply that somequestions may be out of bounds. In afurther defense of the status of thechild, the authors comment in regardto the accompanied child, oIn the si-lent child and know-it-all parent three-some, the goal is to speak with thechild without alienating the parent.Always focus on the child and confirmthat the need expressed by the parentis really what the child needs or whatthe teacher suggested. Being at eyelevel with the child is particularly use-ful in this situation. It makes a nonver-bal statement that the childTs needs areimportant.�4While the written material handedout at the PLA presentation recom-mended not asking if the question wasfor a homework assignment, the pan-elists at the presentation expressed adifference of opinion on this issue. Li-brarians need to weigh the goal ofequal treatment of children with thedesire to know about homework as-signments. Children also may worryabout librarians giving them access toinformation. In the young adult novelReluctantly Alice by Phyllis ReynoldsNaylor, Alice wants to help her friendwho does not know what a man lookslike naked. AliceTs father shows her thatthe library is the place to go for eventhat kind of information. Alice gains anew perspective of the library. As shetells the reader, oA librarian came by toget a book from the shelf, and shecouldnTt help but see what I was look-ing at; she didnTt even blink. Like it wasok to be curious. I felt almost the wayI did at the grade school the other day.Safe. Protected.�*5 Giving equal accessto information, not asking if the ques-tion is for homework, and talking di-rectly to the child are all ways of ensur-ing that the child is getting the sameservice as an adult.Vocabulary use and confusionabout word meanings can be a stum-bling block in conducting a referenceinterview with a child. At the age of 17months, children have a vocabulary ofabout 50 words,�° a child enteringschool may have a vocabulary of 3,000to 4,000 words, while by the comple-tion of college that vocabulary knowl-edge would have changed to 10,000 to30,000 words.?T Once a child asked mefor tall tales, and I responded by askingif any particular tall tale was needed.The child answered oNo,� and after aconfirming response on my part weproceeded to the 398s. As I beganpointing out some tall tale stories ofPaul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, the childasked if we had any from Norway. Thisquestion told me that his idea of talltales was the definition of folk tales. Hewent away pleased with gettingHavilandTs Favorite Fairy Tales Told inNorway. Basic and understandablewords should be used in the referenceinterview. At the same time, trying notto talk down to the child, paraphras-ing, and watching for body languageresponse should help correct anymisimpressions.Pronunciation may lead to misun-derstanding. The child may talk toosoftly, not use correct pronunciation,or mumble. An incorrect pronuncia-tion that is also a word may lead the li-brarian off on a tangent if paraphrasingand clarifying are not used. One childcame to me and said he wanted infor-mation about a ofeeling in the mouth.�I thought he needed something in re-gard to touch. When I asked if hewanted information on the tonguetouching things, the child let me knowhe wanted books on dental work or aofilling.� My favorite mispronuncia-tion is when a child asked me if we hadanything on oreptiles and amphet-amines� (rather than oreptiles and am-phibians�). When you do not under-stand what is being said at all, askingthe patron to repeat what was said, ask-ing the child to spell the word for you,or asking the person to write the topicfor you might all be useful tactics.Sometimes children do not knowthe additional information to give you.Often more childrenTs questions areother-generated rather than self-gener-Vocabulary use and confusion about word meaningscan be a stumbling block in conductinga reference interview with a child.112 " Fall 1998ated. The adult who needs informationto repair the car was not sent by any-one else. However, many children areresponding to teacher assignments andmay not have a full understanding ofthe question themselves. The surveyconducted by Transform Inc. in con-nection with the Maryland study re-vealed that 90% of the childrenTs refer-ence questions were school related.�® Ifthe child cannot tell you enough infor-mation about his question, askingwhether the question is an assignmentfrom someone else is in order. Theremay be an assignment sheet availablewith the child or a classmate who is inthe library; there may be someone whocould be reached with a phone call, orthe teacher may have alerted the li-brary about the assignment. If the ex-act question cannot be determined, thechild may have to check with theteacher the next day to clarify the ex-act nature of the assignment.Proficiency in narrowing down thequestion is helpful in interviewing thechild patron. The Transform Inc. sur-vey indicated that 70% of the time thereference interview started with abroad initial question. The Marylandstudy concluded, though, that oLibrar-ians appear to have a problem usingmore than one open probe in question-ing children, which tends to lead to asingle open probe syndrome (SOPS).�2°The following scenario includessome of the factors that have been dis-cussed:Mother and child come into thechildrenTs area of the public li-brary.Mother: Could you help us with aquestion?Librarian: I would be glad to. Isthis a question that your sonhas?Mother: Yes it is. He has a schoolassignment.Librarian (looking at child): Howcan I help you?Child: Could you tell me whereyour history books are?Librarian: We do have quite a fewhistory books. Can you tell memore about what you need?Child: Yes, I need some informa-tion about the Civil War.Librarian: That would be in the973s. Do you have your assign-ment sheet or do you know whatin particular you need to knowabout the Civil War?Child: I donTt have an assignmentsheet with me, but ITm supposedto do a report on who killedAbraham Lincoln and how itNorth Carolina Libraries

happened.Librarian: So you need informationabout the assassination or deathof Abraham Lincoln?Child: Yes, thatTs right.Librarian: I see by checking thecatalog that we have severalbiographies of Lincoln thatwould talk about his death andone book that just talks aboutthe day he was shot. Come withme, and you can look at whatTson the shelf. Here is the biogra-phy section, and here are thebooks on Lincoln. Look overthese and see which books arethe most readable for you.Child: This one will work ok.Librarian: Is that going to give youeverything you need?Child: Sure!Librarian: Feel free to check withus if you have any otherquestions.Of course, even with the samequestion, a different child or parentmay cause the course of the interviewto goin a different direction; but usingthe techniques discussed should helpthe librarian to bring the interview toa satisfactory conclusion.The JennerichsT discussion of youngpatrons summarized their recommen-dations by stressing the use of open-ended questions, paraphrasing, avoid-ing the use of jargon, finding readinglevels needed or other limitations, notpresuming the question is a school as-signment, focusing attention on thechild, and respecting privacy.°° Work-ing to provide equal treatment of chil-dren and adults, being approachable,trying to catch vocabulary and pronun-ciation confusion, being patient withgetting to the specific question, and at-tempting to be aware of school assign-ments should all help to ensure thatKathleen HorningTs question of provid-a CheckpointTNorth Carolina Librariesing the same level of service for a childas for an adult is answered positively.Just as the reference interview work-shops in connection with the originalMaryland study covered a three-daytime period, being skilled in conduct-ing reference interviews with childrenrequires not just reading about what todo, but extensive practice and rein-forcement. Children are not just thepatrons of tomorrow: they are the pa-trons of today. Working to make surewe have the skills to serve children willgive a good impression of libraries tochildren and ensure that the childrenwe are serving today will remain thepatrons of tomorrow.References1 Katherine Heylman, oKidspeak,�PubYac@nysernet.org (Novermber 21,1997).2 John Gray, Men Are From Mars,Women Are From Venus, (New York:Harpercollins, 1992).3 Cheryl Marx, oMore Kidspeak,�PubYac@nysernet.org (January 23,1998).4 Bina Williams, oRE: Kidspeak,�PubYac@nysernet.org (November 26,1997).5 June Osowski, oKidspeak Returns,�PubYac@nysernet.org (January 16,1998).6 Elaine Z. Jennerich and Edward J.Jennerich, The Reference Interview As aCreative Art, (Littleton, CO: LibrariesUnlimited, Inc., 1987), 2.ial [Onn lgg 83s8 Tbid., 8-9.9 Ralph Gers and Lillie J. Seward,oImproving Reference Performance:Results of a Statewide Study,� LibraryJournal, November 1, 1985, 32.10 Tpid., 34.WaTbide; Bo:ibid:13 Tbid.14 Maryland State Department ofEducation, A Skill Building Workshop,Toward Better Reference Service: ATrainerTs Manual, Maryland State De-partment of Education, Division of Li-brary Development and Service, PublicLibrary Branch, Baltimore, Maryland,1988, 62.1S Catherine S. Ross and PatriciaDewdney, oBest Practices: An Analysisof the Best (and Worst) in Fifty-TwoPublic Library Reference Transactions,�Public Libraries, September/October,1994, 261.16 Tbid., 265.17 Tbid., 263-264.18 Edward Jennerich and ElaineJennerich, The Reference Interview As aCreative Art, 2nd ed. (Englewood, CO:Libraries Unlimited Inc. 1997), 84-86.19 Cal Shepard, oReference Service,�NCKids Listserv, September 4, 1992.20 Kathleen T. Horning, oFishing ForQuestions,� Wilson Library Bulletin,May, 1994, 57.21 Mary Lee Blatchford, SusanPaznekas, Marjorie Ann Crammer,Stacey Aldrich, Panel Presenter, oQual-ity of Reference Service to Children: APilot Study from Maryland,� programhandout at 1998 Public Library Asso-ciation Conference, March 12, 1998.Kansas City, Missouri, 3.T.22 Jennerich, 28.23 Blatchford, 4.24 Jennerich, 1997 ed., 86.25 Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Reluc-tantly Alice, (New York: Atheneum,1991), 90.26 Marguerite Kelly, Marguerite KellyTsFamily Almanac, (New York: Simon &Schuster, 1994), 267.27 The World Book Encyclopedia, (Chi-cago: World Book Inc., 1997), v. 20,434.28 Blatchford, 6.29 Blatchford, 7.30 Jennerich, 1997 ed., 87.Tired of making "permanent loans?"Ralph M. Davis, Sales RepresentativeP.O. Box 144Rockingham, NC 283791-800-545-2714Tomorrow's Technology for Today's Libraries�"�550 Grove Road ¢ P.O. Box 188 * Thorofare, New Jersey 08086(800) 257-5540 * TELEX: 84-5396 * FAX: (609) 848-0937Fall 1998 " 113

ReadersT Advisory Services:New Attention to a Core Business of the Public Libraryhat customer service provi-sion occurs most frequentlyin public libraries in NorthCarolina?If you chose referencetransactions, you are incorrect.The most common transaction in mod-ern public libraries is circulation. InNorth Carolina, there were approxi-mately 36,000,000 circulations during1996. Compare that with the number ofreference questions during the sameyear (about 6,500,000), or with thenumber of people attending meetingsannually (just over 2,000,000). Even thetotal number of visits to facilities for allreasons (just over 25,000,000) was lessthan circulation.! The preponderance ofthose transactions comes from the cir-culation of recreational books, most of-ten novels, although videocassette andaudiocassette circulation are growingmore rapidly than book circulation. YetreadersT advisory services are not gettingthe attention they deserve.The following table illustrates circu-lation in North CarolinaTs public librar-ies during 1996 broken down into cat-egories: fiction versus non-fiction andadult versus children. While there is noquestion that programming and refer-ence are important services today orthat NC Live constitutes an excitingnew direction in North Carolina, bor-rowing books fromlibrary collections isthe most commonreason that peopleuse the public librarytoday. This suggeststhat sustained recre-ational reading playsa major role in the114 " Fall 1998by Kenneth Shearerlives of large numbers of Tar Heels.Percent of 1996 Book Circulation inNorth Carolina by Type of Book andAge of Borrrower.Adult | Children | TotalFiction 35% 67%Non-fiction 23% 33%Total 58% 100%From the table we can see that fic-tion constitutes 67% of all circulation inNorth Carolina libraries, just over two-thirds. Since much nonfiction readingis also recreational, the circulation ofrecreational books is a core business ofthe public library. Recognition of thisfact is reflected in a recent cover ofAmerican Libraries, which had a mock-up of an imaginary advertisement:INFORMATION MANAGER21st-Century Public Information andPublic Culture Center seeks dynamiccustomer service-oriented professionalto direct strategic visioning andtechnologically advanced facility.Bookstore experience required.MLS helpful?Because of the great frequency ofcirculation transactions, it is not sur-The most common transaction in modern publiclibraries is circulation .... Even the total number ofvisits to facilities for all reason " at just over25,000,000 " was less than circulation.prising that the area given highest pri-ority in public library planning is thePopular Materials Center.* That prior-ity clearly suggests that readersT advi-sory transactions have a claim to sup-port equal to that given to referenceservice in terms of education forlibrarianship, bibliographic aids, andbudgetary and staffing priorities. Cit-ing a 1994 poll that showed that 67%of Americans used public libraries andof them, 80% went to borrow a book,Wayne Wiegand asks: oWhat do thesestatistics suggest to you about the valuethat 140 million readers place on theact of reading?�*One may wonder how or whetherreference and readersT advisory transac-tions differ. What knowledge and skillsdo they require? How well are publiclibraries providing staffing to deal withthe leisure reading interests of their cli-entele?Reference and ReadersTAdvisory ComparedIn conducting reference transactions,the librarian must after ascertaintheprecise need of the questioner and thenfind a frame in which the informationcan be located. For example, after deter-mining that a questioner wants to knowabout moderately priced restaurants inParis, Ohio (and not Paris, France), thelibrarian, probably re-lying on an Internetsite, locates a currentlisting of restaurantsthere with authorita-tive information oncosts and menus.ReadersT advisorytransactions differ inNorth Carolina Libraries

that the reader wants a new enjoyablereading experience that mirrors earlierones. Duncan Smith identifies the steps in,a readersT advisory transaction:1. The advisor must elicit informationabout the reader's interests.2. The advisor must look for the simi-larities and links between titles andnot just their uniqueness.3. The advisor must be able to establishlinks between titles based on boththe readerTs interests and on theadvisorTs knowledge of titles andreadersT advisory resources.4. The advisor must be able to presentidentified titles and communicatehow each title relates to the reader'sinterests.°In the past, readersT advisory trans-actions have appeared to be more diffi-cult to handle than reference transac-tions because the proliferation of refer-ence tools and classification of nonfic-tion are decades ahead of developmentsin readersT advisory tools and fictionclassification. A compounding difficultyis that education for adult library servicehas consistently and for a very long timepaid careful attention to provision ofreference service but inconsistently, orsometimes not at all, addressed provi-sion of readersT advisory service. The factthat readersT advisory service has its mostobvious application in public and schoollibraries also may have contributed to itsneglect in MLS programs, which fre-quently focus on the needs of academicand special librarianship.Sharon Baker traced the neglect ofreadersT advisory service to a failure todemonstrate its value when cuts had tobe made during the Depression in the1930s, a consequence of a failure to col-lect appropriate statistics and conductrelated research.® Nonetheless, in the1980s and 1990s new attention and em-phasis on readersT advisory service de-veloped, especially related to the offer-ing of advice on entertaining novels toread. The readersT advisory transaction,which in the early twentieth centurywas more involved in the provision ofa course of studies related to a nonfic-tion subject, has changed to the presentemphasis on a good book to read forpersonal satisfaction.What is a readersT advisory transac-tion today? Joyce Saricks characterizes itas conversations about books that maylead to suggestions for further reading.With this approach, the transaction sim-ply may provide an opportunity for thereader to express feelings about currentreading. The advisor may suggest otherNorth Carolina LibrariesSince reading is such a private act, having an interestedperson who shares the enjoyment of reading is in itself avaluable service performed by the staff of the library.books that the reader might find ofinterest.T This approach acknowl-edges the importance of talking witha sympathetic listener about booksthat have been read. Since reading issuch a private act, having an inter-ested person who shares the enjoy-ment of reading is in itself a valuableservice performed by the staff of thelibrary.Mary Kay Chelton points out asimilarity between reference andreadersT advisory interviews: a read-ersT advisory interview is oAn inter-view aimed at getting readers to ar-ticulate what they want ... as in a ref-erence interview you need to probewith open ended questions.�®Kenneth Shearer emphasizes theexpectation that suggestions for fur-ther reading will come at the conclu-sion of the readersT advisory transac-tion. He defines the transaction asAn exchange of information be-tween two people with the purposeof one personTs suggesting text forthe other's later reading interest ...The success of the readersT advisorytransaction is reflected in a readerdiscovering a book (or cassette orsoftware) which is enjoyable, enter-taining, stimulating, mind-stretch-ing, and eye-opening; it is in therealm of the subjective.TReadersT Advisory AidsIncrease in Number and ScopeNot only is the readersT advisorytransaction in the realm of the subjec-tive, it often has a discursive qualityand demands a Brobdingnagian-sizedmemory on the part of the advisor towork successfully in the absence ofadvisory tools. Fortunately, the num-ber and specificity of these tools isproliferating. In the most popular fic-tion genre " including romance,mystery, science fiction, inspira-tional, adventure, western, historicalfiction, medical, and law thrillers "many advisory tools have emerged. APublic Library Association preconfer-ence in Kansas City this year identi-fied bibliographies of such tools,most of which are current.At the same time that readersT ad-visory print guides are proliferating,new automated advisory resources aremaking interactive searching of fictiontitles possible. For example, NC LIVEcontains a version of NoveList, including(1) information on over 34,000 novels;(2) listings from major lists of prize-winning novels; and (3) lists of genreand subgenre fiction books recom-mended based on Genreflecting and otheradvisory tools. The Internet site atwww.webrary.org, gives links to over 400other sites devoted to guiding readers togood books. This site is an excellentsource of information about recreationalreading generally.If all that were not enough to dem-onstrate the new vitality in readersT Ad-visory service, note that one of thetoughest problems in public librarian-ship, the question of the classification offiction for recreational reading purposesas opposed to scholarly access, is movingforward. Work by Sharon Baker, GaleHarrell, and Jeff Cannell all shed light onwhy genre classification should be usedin public libraries, and which categorieshave been most commonly employed.!°Saricks and BrownTs excellent recent bookon how to make readersT advisory servicesucceed in public libraries is already in itssecond edition.!! Perhaps the most com-plete fiction classification for recreationalreading purposes was presented in a re-cent MasterTs paper.!* An annotated bib-liography on the classification of fictionin public libraries appeared in print re-cently as well.!° The Library of CongressTsassignment of fiction subject headingsmakes the search for related works byusing library catalogs more and moreuseful.Staffing Issues in ReadersTAdvisorySome of the major reasons that librarystaff members found readersT advisoryservice difficult to provide in the past aredisappearing rapidly. Well-stocked collec-tions of advisory tools, one or more on-line fiction search engines, and propersignage can offer the sophisticated andmotivated user the tools needed tosearch for more recreational reading forpersonal pleasure. To offer successfulreadersT advisory transactions, however,library management needs to hire staffwith a thought to the provision of read-ersT advisory transactions.Research has indicated that much ofthat service in the adult collections of li-Fall 1998 " 115

braries is given by nonprofessional staff,so directors may wish to consider plac-ing tools and terminals near circulationdesks and hiring non-professionals whoexhibit a lively interest in bestsellersand genre fiction. Robert Burgin haspublished a survey that suggests thatparaprofessionals are far more likelythan professionals to encounter readersTadvisory questions.'4 Training for circu-lation and advisory staff and workshopsfor the general public in use of printand online advisory services, however,is probably best supervised by a profes-sional with an ongoing, lively interestin both the service and the books them-selves. It may be worth noting here thatbooks on tape and videotapes can behandled in the same fashion. My videorental store staff spends more time andenergy on advisory service than anypublic library I have worked in or usedon a regular basis. They also provideguides to films in a book format and acomputerized guide to films. They al-ways carefully classify films in appropri-ate, popular genres. I find that my stu-dents benefit from visiting a variety ofbook and video rental stores and com-paring notes in the context of our Read-ersT Advisory Studies. The successfulstrategies of these stores should beadapted for public librariesT print andnonprint-based services.The Case for PrioritizingReadersT AdvisoryI have been asked by library directorshow they can possibly justify spendingthe kind of resources on readersT advisorythat they devote to reference. IsnTt refer-ence more important and valuable? Toanswer that question, think about theconsequences of each of these transac-tions. What is the added value of answer-ing a reference question or giving adviceon how to spend more enjoyable leisuretime? Clearly, the value varies from onereference transaction to another as itdoes from one readersT advisory transac-tion to another. The answer to a refer-ence question fills in a gap in a frame-work that the user wants but does nothave. The advice on a good book answersthe need for how to best spend manygood hours of leisure time. Why wouldreadersT advisory service be thought tohave less importance or value than ref-erence service?Part of the reason that readersT ad-visory transactions have been neglectedin the past is that the task of diagnos-ing the adviseeTs need and prescribingbooks to fill it has been so difficult toperform in the absence of the fictionclassifications and tools to help provide116 " Fall 1998a means to succeed. As we see, thosegaps are closing. The other major rea-son that readersT advisory transactionshave been neglected is that reading rec-reational books, especially fiction, hasbeen seen as less valuable and impor-tant than reading nonfiction, especiallyoserious� nonfiction. The bias in thisvalue scheme belongs more to an in-dustrial age than an age of information,and more to a patriarchal age than to-day.The value that modern Americaplaces on oquality� free time should notbe underestimated when nearly two-thirds of all adults, including senior citi-zens, work. Just as the problem withinformation today is managing to gleanwhat one wants from the informationoverload, the problem with entertain-ment today is its overwhelming abun-dance.The public library is well-posi-tioned to help improve the quality oflife by offering guidance through whatBusiness Week recently called the oEn-tertainment Glut.� As has been pointedout in library literature, large book-stores such as Barnes & Noble often of-fer an environment more conducive tothe nurture of reading than the publiclibrary does. Web sites such asAmazon.com often offer more helpful,informed advice on good reading thanthe public library. One interesting newdevelopment reported in SL/ in Febru-ary of this year is the New York PublicLibraryTs offering recommended read-ing in its oOnline Bookstore� and al-lowing users to order books fromBarnes & Noble directly from the site.A percentage of the profits go to sup-port the library, and the library pro-motes books of merit in the process.!5This imaginative move on the part ofNew York Public " regardless of oneTsview of its commercial side "showsthat the public library can build on itstradition of being a relaxed place tofind joy in reading in the new informa-tion environment.The road to the future of the pub-lic library has many lanes. The heaviesttraffic is likely to be found among thosebrowsing for entertainment. There isgreat potential for more and better ser-vice in these circumstances. Librarianscan create an environment which bothhelps readers help themselves to findgood leisure reading and offers readersTadvisory transactions to help users findtheir way.References! North Carolina Department of Cul-tural Resources. State Library. Statisticsand Directory of North Carolina July 1,1996 " June 30, 1997, (Raleigh: NC Dept.of Cultural Resources, 1997). See pp. 2,18-19.2 This item appeared on the cover of theMarch 1998 issue of American Libraries.3 Kenneth Shearer, oConfusing Whatis Most Wanted with What is Most Used:A Crisis in Public Library Priorities To-day,� Public Libraries 32 July/August1993): 193-197.4 Wayne Wiegand, oOut of Sight, Outof Mind: Why DonTt We Have AnySchools of Library and Reading Studies?�Journal of Education for Library and Infor-mation Science 38 (Fall 1997): 323.5 Duncan Smith, oLibrariansT Abilitiesto Recognize Reading Tastes.� In Guidingthe Reader to the Next Book, ed. KennethShearer (New York: Neal-Schuman,1996): 103.© Sharon L. Baker, oReadersT AdvisoryServices: A Call for More Research,� RQ32 (Winter 1992): 167.7 Joyce Saricks and Nancy Brown. Read-ersT Advisory Service in the Public Library, 2nded. (Chicago: ALA, 1997): 56-57.8 Mary Kay Chelton, oRead Any GoodBooks Lately? Helping Patrons FindWhat They Want,� Library Journal 118(May 1, 1993): 33-37.9 Kenneth Shearer, oThe Nature ofReadersT Advisory Transaction in AdultReading,� in Guiding the Reader to theNext Book: 3.10 Part Il, oThe Environment of Read-ersT Advisory Services: Categorizing andArranging Fiction Collections,� in Guid-ing the Reader to the Next Book: 127-165,contains these three chapters.11 Saricks and Brown, cited above, isbased on the successful practice of Read-ersT Advisory services at Downers Grove(Ull.) Public Library. It is essential reading.12 Charles R. Schabel, oConcerning theUse of a Decimal System to Classify Fic-tion According to Its Genre: Brand-Named Fiction-Finder.� MLS ResearchPaper. School of Library and InformationSciences, North Carolina Central Univer-sity, 1997.13 Gouri S. Dutta, oClassification of Fic-tion in Public Libraries: An AnnotatedBibliography.� in Guiding the Reader to theNext Book: 197-212.14 Robert Burgin, oReadersT Advisory inPublic Libraries: An Overview of CurrentPractice.� in Guiding the Reader to the NextBook: 71-88.1S New York Public Library Does Busi-ness with Barnes & Noble,� School LibraryJournal 44, 2 (Feb. 1998): 18.North Carolina Libraries

ired to theorldby Ralph Lee ScottManaging ListsInternet mailing lists? Tired of tons of ospam� inyour mailbox? Well, an enterprising entrepreneuron the Internet has created just such a service and best ofall it is free! Called ONElist, the service is available atwww.onelist.com and bills itself as a one-stop free mailinglist service. Among the things you can do are the follow-ing: subscribe to additional mailing lists, create new ones,and view old archives of lists. ONElist has a very goodlisting of existing Internet and Usenet mailing groups.ONElist hopes to provide this service through advertiserswho get a chance to spin their products.Mailing lists are the means by which people can sendmessages back and forth about a specific topic. For ex-ample, there are lists devoted to rock groups, animals,politics, hobbies, online library systems, etc. In the pastyou had to have your own computer server to run yourown list. Now with ONElist, you can start your ownmailing list and index, and run them for free. Both theWeb sites and the mailing list are free at ONElist. Indexingis very good and comprehensive by subject category. Majorcategories are Animals, Business, Entertainment, Food,Kids, People, Teens, Arts, Computers, Environment,Games, Language, Recreation, Travel, Autos, Culture,Family, Government, Military, Science, Women, Books,Education, Fashion, Health, Music, and Sports. For somereason the groups are not listed alphabetically.Subcategories under Women for example includeAlternative Medicine, Dating, Friends, Lesbian Issues,Lesbian Support Groups, Marriage, Online Groups,Relationships, Support Groups, WomenTs Health, WomenTsLiterature, WomenTs Sports, Couples, Fashion, Gynecology,Lesbian Night Life, Love/Romance, Notable Women,Pregnancy, Singles, Women in Business, WomenTs Issues,WomenTs Politics, and WomenTs Writing. Animal subcat-egories include Amphibians, Arachnids, Cats (90 lists),Fish, Insects, Pet Loss, Rabbits, Snakes, Veterinary, Zoology,Animal Husbandry, Birds, Dogs (103 lists), Horses, Mam-mals, Pets, Reptiles, Turtles, and Whales. A rather large listof possible choices can be found here.Each subgrouping contains the name of the news list,the language of most of the posts, and an advisory/restrictor line, followed by an abstract or description of thelist contents. The advisory/restrictor line contains infor-[ ver wonder if there was a better way to manageNorth Carolina Librariesmation such as: for people over 21; moderated; restricted;for people over 17; for people over 10; Safe for Kids;announce. For example, the Women/WomenTs Issuessubgroup list contains the following groups: Anatara(female acoustic rock group); Anything can be (owomenwho have found their identity, or those who need to�);Barter-it; Bigals; Christianfeminists; Eropictures;Feministvoices; Globalsisterhood, Goddessjourney; Ladies(owomen support-open on all issues�); Lesbianlink;Reprorights; Riotgrrrls (oa discussion list for riot grrrl andrelated topics�); Weddingstuff; Whats-new; Wildspaces (oaplace for spirited women to gather. A place to learn, growand howl at the moon�); Winmagazine (oA magazineabout women ... from all over the world for dialogue andgreater mutual understanding, and tapping new sources oftalent in writing�); Women (oThis list is for women to talk,vent, cry, and ... talk about anything�).ONElist allows three types of accounts: moderatedlists, restricted lists, and announcement lists. In a moder-ated list you, the list owner, approve all messages beforethey are posted to the list. In a restricted list, you approveall subscription requests and then, if approved, theapproved person can post freely to the list. An announcelist allows only you to post to the list. Announce lists worksimilarly to a mail distribution lists in an e-mail programsuch as MicrosoftTs Exchange. ONElist also supports adigest mode of reading where all the postings are sent toyou in one e-mail. Naturally ONElist has its own an-nouncement mail group to which members can subscribe.This list contains information about the ONElist systemand new mailing lists being created. ONElist has a UserCenter that allows for convenient subscribing andunsubscribing to lists. You can post to a specific list bysending an e-mail to: listname@onelist.com. For example, inyour e-mail header on the oto� line type chats@onelist.comto post a message to the oLa liste est un lieu dTexchangedestine aux amoureux des chats de la francophonieinternationale. Bienvenue a tous! ="..o=�ONElist provides an important service to the Internetcommunity. It is a neat place to follow your favoriteinterests or start a new discussion group. Check it out!Fall 1998 " 117

BEVIS rie (iam ees. Ga anServing the Silent:We Are Still a Nation of Immigrantswo important decisions regarding library services forimmigrants in North Carolina were made concut-rently during 1997. The State Library of North Caro-lina and the public library leadership decided not tofund the North Carolina Foreign Language Center (NCFLC),housed in the headquarters of the Cumberland Public Libraryand Information Center since 1976. The NCLA Literacy Com-mittee, with spokespersons Pauletta Bracy and SteveSumerford, presented to the NCLA Executive Board a positionpaper dated September 29, 1997, and entitled oGrowing Im-migrant Population in NC and the Implications for Our Li-braries,� which questioned the wisdom of dropping a state-wide service that is needed now more than in 1976.The NCFLC was funded by the U. S. Department of Edu-cation under Title I of the Library Services and ConstructionAct (LSCA), administered by the State Library of North Caro-lina. These federal funds were supplemented with local fundsfrom Cumberland County, but ironically, the NCLFC neverreceived funds from the North Carolina General Assembly.The LSCA has since been replaced with the Library Servicesand Technology Act (LSTA).The NCFLC provided onsite circulation to a large Asianpopulation in Cumberland County as well as a centralizedinterlibrary loan circulation to libraries and other educationalinstitutions throughout the state. A 1979 nationwide surveydemonstrated that the NCFLC was the only public libraryproviding foreign language materials on a statewide basis.That status continued through 1997, when the decision wasmade for the NCFLC to cease its statewide service.The NCLA Literacy Committee cited several changes indemographics having dramatic impact on our libraries andspecifically on their ability to serve a growing immigrantpopulation. The Committee stated that in 1996, over onethousand refugees came to North Carolina from twenty-fivedifferent countries, with the majority settling in GuilfordCounty. From 1990 to 1994, the number of Hispanic births in-creased 59%, from 2.5% to 4.1%. In Forsyth County alone,about 20% of all births in the county were to Hispanic women.About half of the Hispanics in Forsyth County indicatedin a recent survey that they could not speak English. Hispanicstudent population in the pub-lic schools of North Carolinaincreased 107%, from 8,530 in1990, to 17,699 in 1994. Manyrural towns have seen the mostdramatic impact in the growthof the Hispanic population.Thirty percent of the residentsof Siler City in rural RandolphCounty are Hispanic.118 " Fall 1998... libraries should allocate apercentage of the book budgetproportionate to the percentage ofthe population of each immigrantgroup in the community served.by Plummer Alston Jones, Jr.The NCLA Literacy Committee reminded us that, whileundocumented immigrants receive significant media atten-tion, the vast majority of immigrants enter the country legally(87% in 1990). Each year, according to Business Week, immi-grants pay $90 billion in taxes and receive only $5 billion inwelfare.Immigrants have special information needs, includingEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and study ma-terials in audio and video, study materials for citizenship tests,information related to immigration laws, and community in-formation on health and human services, as well as traditionalreading material in their respective foreign languages.The NCLA Literacy Committee called for oa more system-atic, strategic and comprehensive approach� and challengedthe North Carolina Library Association, as the stateTs profes-sional library association, oto lead this effort.� Since a coor-dinated, concentrated effort at the state level has failed withthe dissolution of the NCFLC, the solution must now be at thegrassroots level. Targeting the growing Spanish-speakingpopulation of North Carolina is an excellent strategy, one thattakes into account the NCFLC statistic that in 1990/91 Span-ish language materials ranked number one in statewide inter-library loan circulation.Are libraries willing to commit a portion of their acqui-sitions budget to the foreign languages, notably Spanish, spo-ken by the immigrant populations in their cities, towns, andrural areas? Perhaps libraries will consider the advice ofEleanor (Edwards) Ledbetter of the Cleveland Public Librarysystem and Chair of the now-extinct American Library Asso-ciation (ALA) Committee on Work with the Foreign Born(1918-1948). In the September 1928 issue of the American Li-brary Bulletin, Ledbetter suggested that libraries should allo-cate a percentage of the book budget proportionate to the per-centage of the population of each immigrant group in thecommunity served.If this fiscal strategy is adopted, it will go a long way to-ward making the public library truly democratic and respon-sive in meeting the reading and literacy needs of all NorthCarolinians, regardless of their places of birth. The finding ofmy Summer 1992 North Carolina Libraries article on theNCFLC is still true today: oNorthCarolina immigrants as well asAmerican immigrants in generalhave never been united and vocalin their demands for publicservices, including libraryservice.� We as librarians musttake the lead because immigrantsare the most silent populationwe serve.North Carolina Libraries

____NORTH CAROLINA epeeMoDorothy Hodder, Compilerrthur Barlowe set the precedent when he wrote to Walter Raleigh in1584 that the soil of Roanoke was othe most plentifull, sweete,fruitful and wholsome of all the world.� Since that bit of hyper-bole, most people who have written about the barrier islands offthe North Carolina coast have called on their best superlatives toconvey their wonderment of the place.In An Outer Banks Reader, David Stick has excerpted 64 descrip-tions of the Outer Banks that date from the explorer Giovanni daVerrazzano writing in 1524 to explorer Ivor Noel Hume writing in1994. The effort, Mr. Stick tells us, is to oexplain the appeal of thisplace we call home.� The writers include the less well-known, evenDavid Stick, ed. an oAnonymous,� as well as the famous " Rachel Carson and CarlSandburg. It covers all of the topics standard to Outer BanksAn Outer Banks Reader. literature: lighthouses, lifesaving, market hunting, traditional boats,Chapel Hill: University of shipwrecks, hurricanes, the Lost Colony and the Roanoke Voyages,North Carolina Press, 1998. 317 pp. Old Christmas, and old salts. It has a helpful index and a list ofCloth, $29.95. ISBN 0-8078-2420-8. sources of the articles.Paper, $16.95. ISBN 0-8078-4726-7. Who better to compile this anthology than Mr. Stick, who hasbeen collecting documentation of the Outer Banks since he had thegood sense to relocate there from New Jersey at a very young age?Jan DeBlieuHis half century of collecting resulted in an impressive array ofbooks, maps, and papers about the Outer Banks, which he verygenerously donated to the state in 1986 to create the Outer BanksHistory Center at Manteo, one of the stateTs best collections ofHatteras Journal. coastal North Caroliniana. The Center is an appropriate and lastingmonument to Stick and to his father, Frank. Profits from this bookWinston-Salem: John F. Blair, Publisher, will benefit the Frank Stick Memorial Fund and the Outer Banks1998. 232 pp. Paper, $12.95. Community Foundation, both of which support the Center.ISBN 0-89587-214-S. Jan DeBlieu is exactly the kind of writer Mr. Stick sought outNorth Carolina Librariesfor his anthology, someone new to the Outer Banks who catches itslife cycles with a kind of wide-eyed reverence. In Hatteras Journal,originally published by Fulcrum in 1987 and reissued this year byJohn Blair, DeBlieu does just that, delivering a very personalaccount of her observations of Hatteras Island in lyrical fashion.DeBlieu, an outlander who moved to Hatteras in 1985, pays hom-age to the standard totems of the Banks: shipwrecks, lifesaving, pirates, light-houses, and the Roanoke voyages. But her heart is in the natural history of theBanks, its eelgrass, sea lettuce, loggerheads, and fiddler crabs. Some of her bestwriting describes the constant norTeasters and hurricanes that frequent theOuter Banks and help to define its character. The book contains a fair indexand a select bibliography.Both of these books should adorn the library shelves of anyone interestedin the history of the state and the Outer Banks. They are a quick introduction |to the flora, fauna, and history of the region for newcomers. And they are theperfect companion for a respite at the shore, after which the reader can pen hisor her own impressions of this ogoodliest land under the cope of heaven.�" Rodney BarfieldChapel Hill MuseumFall 1998 " 119

ieutenant General U.S. Grant called it oone of the most important successes of thewar.� Rear Admiral David D. Porter boasted that oits fall sealed the fate of the Confed-eracy.� They were alluding not to the captures of Confederate Richmond, Atlanta, orCharleston, but to the Union victory at Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Historian CharlesM. RobinsonTs new book, Hurricane of Fire: The Union Assault on Fort Fisher, looks at thefascinating and generally overlooked story of the army-navy expeditions to capturethe ConfederacyTs largest seacoast fortification in the last year of the war.Unable to compete with the NorthTs industrial might, the Confederacy shopped inEurope for supplies vital to its war effort. Rifle-muskets, cannon, ammunition, food, cloth,and medicines then were shipped aboard swift blockaderunning ships to the South. Wilmington, North Carolina,emerged as the ConfederacyTs most important blockade-Charles M. Robinson III. running seaport, with three railroads to transport blockade-runHurricane of Fire:goods to the Confederate armies in the field and civilians onthe homefront. By 1864, Robert E. LeeTs main source of supplyThe Union Assault on Fort Fisher. was along the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.To protect Wilmington, Confederate engineers constructedAnnapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1998. a vast chain of fortifications. The key to the defense system was120 " Fall 1998249 pp. $28.00. ISBN 1-55750-720-1. Fort Fisher, an immense sand fort built to guard New Inlet.Colonel William Lamb planned and designed the fort, whichfeatured two walls of elevated batteries mounting 47 bigseacoast guns. Both Union and Confederate observers deemedFort Fisher impregnable against a naval attack, and dubbed itthe oGibraltar of the South.�The Federals finally attacked Fort Fisher on Christmas 1864, and for two days, theypounded the defenses with an intense naval bombardment. But the fort and its armamentwere not injured enough to justify a ground assault. The Union army commander abortedthe mission and sailed north with his troops.After a firestorm of controversy in the North, the navy successfully petitioned GeneralGrant to renew the attack on Fort Fisher, resulting in the largest combined operation ofthe war in mid-January 1865. Admiral PorterTs warships unleashed a bombardment assevere as in the Christmas attack, while army troops and a naval shore party stormed thefort. For more than five hours, the overwhelmed Confederate garrison fought hand-to-hand against a superior foe. The fall of Fort Fisher on the night of January 15, 1865, closedWilmington to blockade running and hastened the downfall of the Confederacy.Hurricane of Fire examines the factors that led to WilmingtonTs status as theConfederacyTs preeminent blockade-running seaport, the necessity of safeguarding it withstrong defenses like Fort Fisher, and the critical battles for possession of the key for theharbor. Robinson concentrates mainly on the U.S. NavyTs role in the Fort Fisher battles, butby no means excludes the Union or Confederate armies. The author offers good detail onFort FisherTs construction, the origins of the Union campaign to capture the fortress andthe politics of command therein. RobinsonTs prose is tight and fast-paced, with only minormistakes: North CarolinaTs early wartime governor was John W. Ellis, not William H. Ellis;~and WilmingtonTs Ladies Aid Society was organized by Mrs. Armand J. DeRosset, not Mrs.William DeRosset.For the more serious students of the Fort Fisher battles and the Wilmington Cam-paign, Hurricane of Fire offers no new revelations or interpretation. Like Rod GraggTsotherwise excellent 1991 book, Confederate Goliath: The Battle of Fort Fisher, Robinson'sstudy fails to explain why General Grant, who was completely indifferent to the first FortFisher assault, was willing to renew the expedition against the fortress. (It was to supportShermanTs 1865 march through the Carolinas enroute to Virginia). Robinson obviouslyadmired GraggTs work, and rightly so, but he should have protested the Naval InstitutePressTs decision to use the exact same lithograph for the dust jacket for Hurricane of Firethat Gragg used on Confederate Goliath. Moreover, given that RobinsonTs focus is on thenavyTs role in the Fort Fisher battles, he might have looked at the U.S. NavyTs extensivecollection of log books for the warships that participated in the attacks. Nevertheless, withso few studies done on the important role Fort Fisher and Wilmington played in the CivilWar, history buffs should welcome Charles M. RobinsonTs Hurricane of Fire: The UnionAssault on Fort Fisher." Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr.UNC-WilmingtonNorth Carolina Libraries

he hardships the Roanoke colonists faced are depicted vividly in the firsttwo books in the historical fiction series, The Lyon Saga, which is projectedto include a total of five books. The series takes its name from thesailing ship that transported the English colonists, the Red Lyon.Travelling by ship from England, founding a home in a new world,and coping with various travails are all told through the journal ofThe Lyon Ts Roar. Jessabel Archarde. Since Jessabel or Jess is fourteen, some of the plot is, ; : devoted to romance with her first love, George Howe, and later with aCircleville, NY: Chicken Soup Press Inc., 1997. Croatoan, Akaiyan. The facts known about the colony are mixed well160 pp. Cloth, $9.95. ISBN 0-9646904-2-X. into the plots of the books, making for painless learning. The writingPaper, $6.95. ISBN 0-9646904-3-8 style is slightly stilted, which gives some of the flavor of the speaking. and writing of the time but does not intrude into the readability ofM. L. Stainer. the books. Some transitions are abrupt, but the total effect of the LyonThe Lyon ~s Cub. Saga is a satisfactory one. The older adolescents and young adultswho enjoy reading such historical fiction as American Girls and DearCircleville, NY: Chicken Soup Press Inc., 1998. America also should like reading the Lyon Saga series. A list of the162 pp. Cloth, $9.95. ISBN 0-9646904-S-4. names of 1587 Virginia colonists is appended along with books forPaper, $6.95. ISBN 0-9646904-6-2. further reading.M. L. Stainer." Mel BurtonPublic Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburghere are visions in the work of Sharyn McCrumb. People see things that were and willbe. The past isnTt content to stay dead and buried; it runs alongside the present,commenting, embellishing, explaining. ItTs a pattern and style that works, especiallysince McCrumbTs setting is the wind-worn Appalachians. Time there catches andswirls, holds just a bit, before rushing on to wherever it goes.McCrumb, a native of Mitchell County, has compared her books to mountain quilts. oI takebrightly colored scraps of legends, ballads, and folklore of rural life and local tragedy, and I piecethem together into a complex whole that tells not only a story but also a deeper truth about theculture of the mountain South.�Her latest quilt and the fifth book in her Ballad series tells the story of eighteen-year-oldFrances oFrankie� Silver. On July 12, 1833, young Frankie became the first woman in NorthCarolina history to be hanged for murder. Her short drop carried her into the stories of kin andneighbors. These masters of the spoken word have kept alive the story of that wind-blown nightnearly 170 years ago when tiny Frankie took an axe to her husband as he lay by the fire.McCrumb, distantly related to the Silvers, tells how FrankieTs mama and little brother helped cutup the body, attempting to burn the evidence in the fireplace. Not allof it burned, however, leaving husband Charlie to be buried in threeseparate graves.Sharyn McCrumb. Woven into the tale of the nineteenth-century murder is theio Sj story of a modern-day death-row inmate and the man who sent himThe Ballad of Frankie Silver. up, Sheriff Spencer Arrowood. Arrowood is the thread with whichNew York: NAL Dutton, 1998. 304 pp. $23.95. McCrumb sews together her scraps of mountain tales. And there liesISBN: 0-525-93969-5. the weakness of this particular work. As another inhabitant of thosesame parts, Senator Sam Ervin, once commented, oThe constitutionshould be taken like mountain whiskey " undiluted and untaxed.�This mountain legend should have been treated like ErvinTs whiskey.McCrumb has built a following by exploring the interactions of the past and present. She is amaster of the blend, but this time it just doesnTt seem to work. The Ballad of Frankie Silver finds itsfull voice and power when the author is immersed in FrankieTs story. Spencer Arrowood and therest of the twentieth century cast are overshadowed by their ancestors. This is due to the simplepower of the earlier tale juxtaposed against the modern but common six oTclock news crime.ThereTs a baby in FrankieTs story. ThereTs also a community trying to thwart the gallows despiteher deed, and, of course, there are those three graves. But, most importantly, there is still mysteryclinging to FrankieTs crime. When asked by the Sheriff if she had any final words, the mountain girlstepped forward to speak only to hear her father call out, oDie with it in ye, Frankie.�For generations, mountain storytellers have asked and attempted to answer the question,oWith what?T Add Sharyn McCrumb to their number " she has done a laudable job." Kevin CherryRowan Public LibraryNorth Carolina Libraries Fall 1998 " 121

cholarly books on southern history and womenTs history are prolifer-ating, and in this well-done example the two types come together.The author, a history professor at UNC-Charlotte, has not only editeda series of remarkable and largely untapped documents from the eraof the American Revolution, but has also written a good introductionand five chapter essays. The text sometimes goes beyond the evidenceadduced from the petitions, and one suspects the present workis a prolegomena to another book. The title is somewhatmisleading because all of the documents come from South andCynthia A. Kierner. North Carolina, with only the essays considering relatedSouthern Women in Revolution, materials from Virginia and Georgia.The petitions are grievances filed by women for losses1776-1800: incurred during the war or for other matters such as divorce.Personal and Political Narratives.Careful analysis allows Kierner, author of two previous histori-cal works, to present a view of how women and families wereCulumbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1998. affected by military aspects of the Revolution and the temperBarbara R. Duncan, ed.253 pp. $34.95. ISBN 1-57003-218-1. of the times. Even though women could not vote, they couldpetition, and even some slave women petitioned. Women,however, as in much of the new historiography, appear notjust as victims but also as doers, even as peretrators. oTheRevolution� should be remembered oas an event that affectedand was affected by Americans from every walk of life.�Readings such as these help historians and students learn the flavor of past life,sush as the divorce petition of an Edenton couple who, osoon after their intermar-riage, there arose a variety of Quarrels and Disputes, between them; that they mustnever hope to taste that Comfort and Happiness in Wedlock.� Or the freed slave inNew Bern petitioning for legislative recognition of her status and that of her sonwho oturned out during the war in defence [sic] of his Country & exposed his lifeas an Artilleryman.�One nice publishing touch is that the well-researched footnotes are actually atthe bottom of the page, a practice that should be encouraged. The index includesgeographic locations, a boon to those looking for specific counties. The selectbibliography is short but sufficient. This as a good purchase for academic and largerpublic libraries with an interest in North Carolina or womenTs history." Patrick ValentineWilson County Public Libraryiving Stories of the Cherokee is quite simply a gift. Principal Chief of theEastern Band of Cherokee Joyce Conseen Dugan points out in herforeword that Barbara Duncan has provided a rare opportunity for theCherokee to share some of their stories in their authentic voices,rather than in one that merely has been appropriated by an outsider.Commending Duncan for the time she took to forge friendships with,listen to, and generally enter into the Cherokee community of the Qualla Boundary,Chief Dugan recognizes Duncan as unusual among the many who might havechosen a quicker, more superficial approach by reciting or retelling without firstseeking understanding. Then Chief Dugan paradoxically encourages the reader toshare the stories with their own family and friends, saying, oThe voices you hear arethose of my friends and neighbors, and now they becomeyours.� Her statement is a promise of the pleasure and knowl-edge that this book will bring to any reader sharing DuncanTswillingness to search out and hear genuine meaning.Duncan notes in the introduction that nearly a centuryhas passed since James Mooney first published Myths of theL iving Stories of the Cherokee. Cherokee in 1900. Living Stories of the Cherokee is a benchmarkpublication that continues and amplifies the work MooneyChapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, defined and began. In university libraries, faculty members and1998. xv, 253 pp. Cloth, $29.95. students will welcome DuncanTs discussion of how these storiesISBN 0-8078-2411-9. Paper, $15.95. 0-8078-4719-4. are woven into a larger artistic tradition, comprising theater,122 " Fall 1998dance, music, medicine, craft, and other visual arts.Living Stories of the Cherokee is also an obvious candidateNorth Carolina Libraries

A Story of Virginia during the War.for public and school libraries. One may open it to almost any page to reveal somethinginteresting, entertaining, and informative; however, it is in taking Chief DuganTs advice to givevoice to the stories that the deeper significance of this book sinks in. It not only offers acomparison with Mooney to see which stories have survived, changed, or vanished over thecentury; it also offers outsiders an unprecedented chance to witness the folk culture of theCherokee, as it exists today in a spoken and active idiom.The stories, as told by Davey Arch, Robert Bushyhead, Edna Chekelelee, Marie Junaluska,Kathi Smith Littlejohn, and Freeman Owle, are all strongly experiential accounts of ancientbeliefs; of adventures; of religious history; of the disruptions wrought by colonization, the Trailof Tears, and punishment of schoolchildren for speaking Cherokee; of partially preservedmedical and agricultural techniques; of ghosts; of how things came to be the way they are; offamilies; of plant and animal lore; but above all of values, of how to be in the world. Foranyone fortunate enough to grow up in a family where storytelling is part of the daily routine,this book will fit naturally into that wonderful pattern. For families unacquainted with thisway of life, hereTs the door. For teachers who want to augment existing history texts and otherteaching tools, reading from Living Stories of the Cherokee will bring a powerful new set ofinsights. Older students will find reading from it an invaluable complement to the discovery ofprimary source material." Meredith MerrittUniversity of North Carolina at Charlottesweeping story of the South during the Civil War, JacobTs Ladder: A Story of Virginiaduring the War captures both the history and the spirit of the times. Described as amixture of the writing of historian Shelby Foote and novelist Margaret Mitchell,this historical epic illuminates and entertains.Spanning the Civil War period , McCaigTs novel follows the lives of a host ofcharacters, including slaves and masters, blacks and whites, civilians and soldiers,and Northerners and Southeners. The story begins in 1857Virginia at the prosperous Stratford Plantation, which is owned bythe benevolent Southern gentleman, Samuel Gatewood. OtherDonald McCaig. characters include SamuelTs wife, Abigail, and their children,7 reckless Duncan and delicate Leona.Jacob s Ladder: As a young man, Duncan takes a slave mistress, the beautifullight-skinned Midge, and fathers a child by her. When SamuelGatewood discovers the affair, he sends Duncan to military schoolNew York: Norton, 1998. 525 pp. $25.95. and arranges a marriage between Midge and his strongest farmNorth Carolina LibrariesISBN 0-393-04629-X. worker, Jesse, who happens to be literate. When he sells Midgeand her son to a slave trader, Jesse runs away to find his belovedwife. The plot follows Midge (who is now called Maggie) fromVirginia to Tennessee brothels and eventually to the Confederateports of Wilmington and Richmond. Maggie is sold to SilasOmohundru, who eventually marries her. When the war breaks out, Omohundru becomes ablockade runner in Wilmington, one of the few cities in the South where people prosperedduring the Civil War.Meanwhile, Duncan Gatewood joins the Confederate army, and Jesse eventually joins theUnion Army. The plot intertwines rich elements, including Confederate deserters, a commu-nity of German Brethren pacifists, women left behind, brave and overwhelmed soldiers, andhistorical figures such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Battle scenes are graphic anddetailed, describing both the heroism and horror of war. The authorTs research of Civil Warbattles, weapons, and medicine keep time, place, and action historically accurate.Donald McCaig is a skilled storyteller and has written a strong novel with well-portrayedcharacters, an interesting and intricate plot, and ample historical detail to hold the readerTsattention. His understanding and sympathy for the many sides of the conflict become appar-ent and allow the reader to examine not only the issues but also the motivations of the peopleof the period. JacobTs Ladder succeeds as a history and as a novel of the Civil War.McCaig is the author of the national bestsellers NopTs Trials and Eminent Dogs, DangerousMen. This novel is a selection of the Book-of-the Month Club, History Book Club, and QualityPaperback Book Club. Recommended for popular collections." Joan SherifNorthwestern Regional LibraryFall 1998 " 123

O one wants to think about, much less talk about it. Then, one day, it happens. Asupervisor calls a meeting and says, oYou are going to be laid off; this plant isgoing to close down.� What goes through your mind as you work those last shiftsknowing that you have spent ten, twenty, or even more years of your life doing ajob that soon you will no longer do? How would you feel about trying to find anew job when you are over 50 years old? How will you feed, clothe, and educateyour children when your financial support structure collapses? Closing explores these andother very difficult questions as they spin out for the last employees of the White FurnitureCompany of Mebane, North Carolina.White Furniture Company began in Mebane in 1881, and over a period of years it builta national reputation for the quality of its furniture products. Thecompany was founded and run for most of its existence by members ofthe White family, who practiced a form of benign paternalism over theBill Bamberger and Cathy N. Davidson. employees. A job at White, even during the Great Depression, was a job3 for life; and WhiteTs workers considered themselves to be fine crafts-Closing : men. By the mid-1980s, however, WhiteTs profits were falling and theThe Life and Death of an company was sold to Hickory Manufacturing Corporation. HickoryTsmanagement philosophy of omore, cheaper, faster� production createdAmerican Factory. tension with WhiteTs craft style of production. Within seven years,White Furniture was closed down.New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. Bill Bamberger visited the White Company just three months223 pp. $27.50. ISBN 0-393-04568-4. before it closed in 1992 and photographed the workers on the assemblyline. He returned later to photograph the auctioning of equipment andthe final, hollow emptiness of the vacant plant. Cathy Davidson spenta year talking with people who had, or whose family members had,worked in the White factory, and supplemented her field research by using tapes relating tothe White Furniture Company in the Southern Oral History Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. InClosing, the authors combine their research, oral narrative, and photographs to look at thevery painful, human side of job loss. Readers are drawn into the lives of several of the lastWhite employees and given the opportunity to view the demise of the company from thisunique viewpoint.Closing is an excellent book that should have wide reader appeal; it is recommended forhigh school, public, and academic libraries."John WelchState Library of North Carolinahe Civil War is finally over and Maddie and her family are finally free " free toown their own farm, free to learn skilled trades, free to walk into any store.Almost. The idea of freedom is delicious, but the reality is filled with bothhope and fear. While Maddie dreams of being a teacher " maybe even goingto a college someday " her family must walk the gauntlet between sympa-thetic folk and the angry, defeated, white Southerners.In this sequel to Sound the Jubilee Maddie is fifteen years old, old enough for youngmen to look at her with matrimonial intentions. She is old enough to adopt and care fora small child who has seen the worst of the war, and who is still too terrified to speak.Maddie works hard alongside her family as they try to build a new, free life. And duringthis difficult time of change and adjustment, she comes to learn andaccept that goals and dreams sometimes change.Sandra Forrester. Maddie is a lovely character, warm and down-to-earth, yet withH a mind spinning dreams. Her family and friends, all of them freedMy Home is Over J ordan. slaves, are as earnest and hardworking as she is. The bad folk are veryNew York: Lodestar Books, 1997. bad and the good ones are almost saintly, but the dichotomy works163 pp. $15.99. ISBN 0-525-67568-X. well to show the difficult path the freed slaves must tréad.My Home is Over Jordan is a worthy addition to Reconstructionstories. The text is clear and often elegantly simple. The cover illustra-tion is engaging. North Carolina history provides a rich backdrop toMaddieTs character. And Maddie is, above all things, a young girl"similar to young girlsboth now and then"who must cope with the world around her while doing her best togrow up. Recommended for both public and school libraries, readers age 10 to 15." Frances M. WoodDurham County Public Library124 " Fall 1998 North Carolina Libraries

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST ...Starting our list with North CarolinaTs colonial history, H. Tyler Blethen and Curtis W. Wood,Jr. are the authors of From Ulster to Carolina: The Migration of the Scotch-Irish to South-western North Carolina. They examine the religion, occupations, living conditions, social life,and customs of the Ulster Scots who settled in southwestern North Carolina, and describetheir influence on early American agricultural practices and culture. Originally published byWestern Carolina University to accompany a major exhibition of the same title, this revisededition is the first of a projected series of titles about the history of western North Carolina tobe published jointly by the Historical Publications Section and the Appalachian Consortium ofBoone. (1998; Historical Publications Section, Division of Archives and History, 109 E. JonesSt., Raleigh, NC 27601-2807; xi, 71 pp.; paper, $9.00 plus $3.00 postage; ISBN 0-86526-279-9.)Gerald and Patricia Gutek have compiled a guidebook titled Visiting Utopian Communities: AGuide to the Shakers, Moravians, and Others, which includes a chapter on the Moraviansettlement at Salem. Each of the 20 entries describes the communityTs origin, ideology, history,and significance; a biographical sketch of its founder; a self-guided tour detailing the architec-ture, industries, crafts, art, and artifacts associated with the settlement; current telephonenumbers, times of operation, and fees; and information about restaurants, shops, facilities,lodgings, tours, and special events. (1998; University of South Carolina Press, 937 Assembly St.,Carolina Plaza, 8th Floor, Columbia, SC 29208; 230 pp.; paper, $16.95; ISBN 1-57003-210-6.)Daniel W. Barefoot, author of the Touring the Backroads of North CarolinaTs Upper (and Lower)Coast, has put together 14 tours for Revolutionary War enthusiasts in Touring NorthCarolinaTs Revolutionary War Sites. The volume, which is illustrated with maps and black-and-white photographs, attempts to cover every significant Revolutionary War site in thestate, and many lesser-known or forgotten sites. It includes an extensive bibliography andindex. (1998; John F. Blair, Publisher, 1406 Plaza Dr., Winston-Salem, NC 27103; xv, 488 pp.;paper, $21.95; ISBN 0-89587-217-X.)Perry Deane Young has dug into The Untold Story of Frankie Silver, the first woman to behanged for murder in North Carolina. He includes the text of the original documents andnews reports from the controversial husband-killing case, which played out between 1831 and1833. Also included is a bibliography and a genealogy of FrankieTs descendants. (1998; DownHome Press, P.O. Box 4126, Asheboro, NC 27204; 193 pp.; paper, $14.95; ISBN 1-878086-66-9.)Archie N. McIntosh, M.D., is the author of Little Doc, a collection of stories about boyhoodadventures and interesting neighbors in Old Fort, North Carolina, in 1932 and 1933, histwelfth year. The son of a physician, he grew up to practice medicine for over 50 years innearby Marion, North Carolina. (1995; Archie N. McIntosh, M.D., P.O. Box 991, Marion, NC28752; 192 pp.; paper, $20.00; no ISBN.)Former state senator Herbert L. Hyde has published his memories of boyhood in Swain Countyjust before World War Il in My Home is in the Smoky Mountains. Hyde practices law inAsheville, and is a noted orator. (1998; distributed by Alexander Books, 65 Macedonia Rd.,Alexander, NC 28701; 193 pp.; paper, $14.99; ISBN 1-56664-133-0.)From the Civil Rights era we have Ella Baker: Freedom Bound, by Joanne Grant. Baker wasborn in Norfolk in 1903, attended Shaw University in Raleigh, and moved north during theHarlem Renaissance. She was active in promoting desegregation of schools and encouragingAfrican American voter registration and political participation during the 1940s, ~50s, and ~60s.She was a national officer of the NAACP and helped found the Southern Christian LeadershipConference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Includes notes, bibliogra-phy, and index. (1998; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012;xviii, 270 pp.; $24.95; ISBN 0-471-02020-6.)Addresses and Public Papers of James Grubbs Martin, Governor of North Carolina, VolumeIT, 1989-1993, covers his second term of office. Editor Jan-Michael Poff, who is also the editorof the first volume of Governor MartinTs papers, selected 139 speeches and press releases topresent the aspirations and accomplishments of his administration. Lists of omitted speechesand executive orders are appended, with a roster of appointees to boards and commissionsduring his eight years in office. Indexed. A limited number are available free to the public,with shipping. (1998; Historical Publications Section, Division of Archives and History, 109 E.Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601-2807; xxxii, 763 pp.; $4.00 postage; ISBN 0-86526-265-9.)North Carolina Libraries Fall 1998 " 125

J. Chris Holaday has compiled Professional Baseball in North Carolina: An Illustrated City-by-City History, 1901-1996. Year-by-year summaries are provided for 72 towns, with lists of notableplayers and club records. Biographies of 20 prominent minor leaguers are included, as is anappendix of nearly 2,000 major leaguers who played for a North Carolina team. The Negro leagueand textile league are covered briefly. Indexed. (1998; McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers,Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640, order line 1-800-253-2187; 251 pp.; $35.00 plus $4.00 postage;ISBN 0-7864-0532-5.)Close to the Heart: A FamilyTs Encounter with Breast Cancer is Barry TeaterTs tribute to hissister, Gena, who was diagnosed with the disease at age 29 and died seven years later. Thispersonal account offers extremely detailed information about surgery, chemotherapy, radio-therapy, bone marrow transplants, and all aspects of living with breast cancer. Beyond practicaladvice, it offers inspiration for managing life with a terminal disease. (1997; Marblehead Publish-ing, distributed by Southern Book Service, 1318 Old Trinity Circle, -Raleigh, NC 27607; xi, 175pp.; $9.95, library price $7.00; ISBN 0-943335-06-X.)Mountain Year: A Southern Appalachian Nature Notebook includes 85 essays on the flora andfauna of the southern Appalachian mountains by Barbara G. Hallowell, arranged by season. Manyfirst appeared as columns in the Hendersonville (NC) Times-News. The book is illustrated with 60beautiful color photographs, and includes a list of references and an index. (1998; John F. Blair,Publisher, 1406 Plaza Dr., Winston-Salem, NC 27103; 289 pp.; paper, $18.95; ISBN 0-89587-222-6.)Parkway Byways by James R. Hinkel guides the traveler through 20 routes along the side roadsclose to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Shenandoah National Park, and the Great Smoky MountainsNational Park. Includes maps, black-and-white photographs, and index. (1998; Parkway Publish-ers, Inc., P.O. Box 3678, Boone, NC 28607; 227 pp.; paper, $18.95; ISBN 1-887905-07-3.)Finally, the revised and updated edition of Jay BarnesTs North CarolinaTs Hurricane History cameout just in time for hurricane season. Originally published in 1995, the blow-by-blow accountnow includes 1996Ts Fran and Bertha in its list of miscreants. (1998; The University of NorthCarolina Press, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288; 256 pp; paper, $18.95; ISBN 0-8078-4728-3; cloth, $34.95; ISBN 0-8078-2416-X.)BRODART: Your complete sourcefor Library Supplies & FurnishingsFor a complimentary catalog, call today!800-233-8959 * Fax: 800-283-6087X@we Brodart Co., 1609 Memorial Ave.Book TRUCKS PANG Williamsport, PA 17705 * www.brodart.com | CumprENTs MosiLeBook BROWSERBook SUPPORTS.126 " Fall 1998 North Carolina Libraries

Leaguiappe' (Noth Canolinianacompiled by Plummer Alston Jones, Jr.*Lagniappe (lan-yapT, lan� yapT) n. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. [Louisiana French]Reel North Carolina Il:More Movies and Videos from the Old North StateThe first column of reviews of movies and videos with a North Carolina connectionappeared one year ago in the Summer 1997 issue of North Carolina Libraries. SinceNorth Carolina is now second only to California as the place of choice for filmmakersand producers, we must work overtime to keep up with the production of new filmsand videos here in the Old North State.The casting call is hereby posted: MOVIE REVIEWERS WANTED. Share your memories offond films of the past or your critiques of new films and videos. Send your review forinclusion in oReel North Carolina III.�his fond tribute to the career of North Carolina native Charles Kuraltoriginally was aired as the CBS oSunday Morning� program two days afterKuraltTs death at the age of 62 on July 4, 1997. Hosted by Charles Osgood(who took over as host of oSunday Morning� when Kuralt retired in 1994),the program reviews KuraltTs tenure at CBS, which began in 1957. Those early years,shown in black-and-white footage, record Kuralt reporting from some particularlydangerous places, including Vietnam and the Congo, but they also show the genesisof the pieces that would become KuraltTs trademark " his look at the neighborhoodand the people of 117th Street in New York City.A Tribute to Charles Kuralt.CBS Video; 1997; color; 53 min.; $14.98.Dist. by Baker & Taylor EntertainmentandNorth Carolina Libraries(1-800-775-2600)Ingram Library Services(1-800-937-5300).Osgood notes that what Kuralt valued most was greatness of spirit.KuraltTs profiles of extraordinary people (from both his oOn the Road�series and oSunday Morning�) show that in his travels across thecountry, he found this greatness in abundance. And he found it mostlyin people we didnTt know, such as Jethro Mann of Belmont, NorthCarolina, who repairs bikes and loans them to any child who doesnTthave one, while teaching the older kids to repair bikes for the younger.OsgoodTs affection for Kuralt is apparent. The video includes a portionof OsgoodTs interview with Kuralt upon the publication of his bookCharles KuraltTs America. It is one of the few times we hear Kuralt talking(a bit) about himself. Clearly, Kuralt was more comfortable telling usabout the people he met.This profile spotlights the talent for which Kuralt no doubt will bebest remembered: discovering people with remarkable stories, who atfirst glance seem to be just plain folks encountered everyday throughoutAmerica. Fittingly, the oSunday Morning� program ends with its usualmontage of pastoral scenes, with only the breeze and birds for musical accompani-ment. This time the montage features scenes from the coast to the mountains ofbeautiful North Carolina, KuraltTs birthplace, with which he maintained strong tiesthroughout his life.No North Carolina library with a video collection should be without this title." Melody MoxleyRowan Public LibraryFall 1998 " 127

ow many minor league baseball teams can you name? Unless you live inAsheville, Hickory, Winston-Salem, or Wilmington, the Tourists, Crawdads,Warthogs, or Sharks are probably not too familiar to you. Now what about theDurham Bulls? Thanks to the 1988 film, Bull Durham, starring Susan Sarandon,Kevin Costner, and Tim Robbins, there is one minor league team that has arguably won aplace in popular consciousness usually reserved for the likes of the Yankees and the Braves.Film producer and Durham native Thom Mount brought his cast and crew to the Bull Cityin the fall of 1987 to create a film that would immortalize a North Carolina team. In BullDurham, Ron Shelton, the former minor league baseball player who wrote and directed thefilm manages to convey the unglamorous reality of life in the minors with faithful rever-ence, while spinning a sexy and intelligent comedic yarn.The story involves the triangle of Sarandon as Annie Savoy, a part-Bull Durham. time English teacher and full-time baseball junkie; Robbins as oNuke�1988: color: 108 min.: LaLoosh, a talented, but green pitcher; and Costner as Crash Davis, a/ s § veteran catcher brought in by the team to mold the younger player intovideo released Feb. 1989; laser, cx encoded; ; ' B Siam aa star. Annie reveals a similar mission as she enters an affair with Nuke$39.95 Dist. by Image Entertainment,9333 Oso Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311. that has as much to do with civilizing his behavior and strengtheningOrder No. ID63120R. his game as exploring new forms of pleasure. As her narration reveals,Telephone: 1-800-407-9100. Annie oworships at the church of baseball,� choosing one lucky playerFAX: 1-800-407-9111. each season to prosper from her own brand of religious training.Though attracted to the intelligent and experienced Crash, who canmatch her verse for verse and speak knowingly on quantum physics,Annie initially resists his charms in favor of the more pliable youngplayer. Not to worry, eventually the two older and wiser charactersrelent to their passions and heat up the screen, dancing joyfully to-gether as the closing credits roll. Despite the emphasis on love and lust,baseball is not neglected as the season unfolds, with its long schedule of games playedacross the region under less than stellar conditions. Nuke learns to control his powerfularm and earns a chance in the majors while Crash gets his own swing at personal triumph.By the filmTs end, all the characters achieve some level of personal growth, while allowingthemselves and the audience a lot of fun along the way.When first released, Bull Durham received some local criticism for its depiction ofDurham as a quaint Southern town. By watching the film, it is hard to recognize thebustling urban center with its world class university, medical school, and modern dancefestival. Ultimately this portrayal of Durham can be forgiven. Bull Durham is a romance,and a little romanticizing of the locale is allowed. Consider that the Durham AthleticPark, another star of the film, with its intimate stands, advertisements for Bojangles andNorthgate Mall, and its crazy, smoke-snorting bull, was replaced after the movieTs releaseby a modern state-of-the-art stadium with sky boxes and gourmet concessions. In realitythe new stadium is a more comfortable and practical venue for watching a game, but inthe film, the old park and the small town spirit of Durham survive timelessly as a placewhere people live and play baseball, not for big bucks or media-fed glory, but for the loveof it and the spiritual deliverance it can provide.Rated R, for sexual situations and strong language, this film is not recommended foryounger viewers. It does belong in any collection devoted to North Carolina and/orbaseball." Billy KingState Library of North Carolina¢ Over 21,000 Current & Backlist Titles19 Years or Soc MUMFORD¢ oHands On� Selectioe otk RELIABLE WHOLESALER SINCE 1977* Discounts up to 70% Off North Carolina Representative " Phil May* Now Two Adjacent Warehouses : : :* Sturdy Library Bindings oNothing like seeing¢ 100% Fill foryourself.�¢ Cataloging/Processing AvailableMUMFORD LIBRARY BOOKS, SOUTHEAST, INC.7847 Bayberry Road ¢ Jacksonville, Florida 32256FAX: (904) 730-8913(904) 737-2649 1-800-367-3927128 " Fall 1998 North Carolina Libraries

NorTH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONMinutes of the Executive BoardJuly 17, 1998, Watauga County Public LibraryAttending: Beverley Gass, Al Jones, Maureen Costello, Susan Adams, Martha Davis, Rhoda Channing, EleanorCook, Dave Fergusson, Tracy Babiasz, Carolyn Price, Shirley Gregory, Marilyn Miller, Carol Truett, CarolFreeman, Gayle Keresey, Catherine Wilkinson, Diane Kester, Peggy Quinn, Karen Gavigan, Melinda Ratchford,Ann Miller, Ginny Gilbert, Lila Friday, Peter Keber.President Beverley Gass called the meetingto order and asked for approval of the Aprilminutes. They were approved with one cor-rection: the spelling of the name Wilkersonto Wilkinson.President Gass asked the group to intro-duce themselves, giving name and positionwith NCLA.PresidentTs ReportPresident Gass and Al Jones revised the vi-sion statement to include the commentsfrom the last meeting. Discussion was heldand the statement was approved and ac-cepted as the Vision Statement for theNorth Carolina Library Association.A request was presented from Janet Free-man, chair of NC Live, for funds to purchasea 4-panel display at a cost of $2,200. Thedisplay would be ochecked out� across thestate for exhibit opportunities. Discussionincluded questions regarding the clarifica-tion of the availability of the unit through-out the state, the cost of one unit, versustwo, and the cost(s) for shipping the display.The motion to approve the expense waspassed with the recommendation that NCLive be encouraged to purchase two unitswith the $2,200. President Gass will workwith Janet Freeman regarding the concernsof access to the display.TreasurerTs ReportDiane Kester asked for discussion regardingthe AssociationTs treasurerTs report. Eachsection and round table received an indi-vidual report reflecting its own financialstatus as of the 2nd quarter. Questionsabout the ChildrenTs Book award moneywas directed to both the ChildrenTs ServicesSection and NCASL. It was recommendedthat Maureen Costello, Administrative As-sistant, develop a ohead count� form to beused at all workshop/events to calculate thefunds to be received by the Association.North Carolina LibrariesSection/Round Table ReportsChildrenTs Services SectionSusan Adams reported that the ChildrenTsServices Section met on June 1, 1998 to fi-nalize plans for the biennial retreat. Theretreat, entitled oReading Renaissance: aRetreat to Rediscover the Book,� will beginat noon on October 26, end at noon onOctober 27 and will be held at the BrownTsSummit Hotel.Speakers will include Jim Rossinia, whowill discuss the oages and stages� of adoles-cence, Dr. Denise Palas, who will discussphysiological stages and pre-reading inschool children, and Dr. Dudley Shearbornof Salem College will energize the group toogo forth and discuss� books. A omock�Newbery book discussion " led by individu-als who have actually participated in thereal discussion, and a relaxing evening fea-turing storytelling around the fire will beincluded also.College and University SectionShirley Gregory, Director of the Library atBarton College and new chair, reported thatthe College and University Section has reor-ganized after the resignation of chairmanDr. Clarence Toomer in May. Bobby C.Wynn, Director of Library ServicesFayetteville State University, has acceptedthe position of vice chair. The section is dis-cussing union with the Community andJunior College section, but has not beenable to meet with their representative.A fall workshop is being planned forNovember 6, 1998. The title of the work-shop is oFulfilling the Promise of theMillenium: Purposes, Perspectives, and Pos-sibilities.� The keynote address will be givenby Dr. Benjamin Speller of North CarolinaCentral University. Break out sessions willfocus on the future that is here, NC Live.These sessions will address education andaccess.Community and Junior CollegeSectionMartha Davis reported that CJCLS is work-ing with the NC Library ParaprofessionalAssociation on a joint workshop that willtentatively be scheduled for the fall. Thiswill allow the NCLPA to survey their groupfor a topic of interest.Documents SectionAnn Miller reported on the sectionTs springprogram oThe Old North State: State,County and Local Information in NorthCarolina� which took place May 15, 1998 atthe McKimmon Center in Raleigh. It was agreat success, with attendance at around 60participants. Nancy Kohlenbrander, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect is now planning the FallProgram, to take place in October, focusingon coping with electronic documents.Candidates for Vice-Chair/Chair-Electand Treasurer will be sought in the comingmonths.The State Depository System AdvisoryBoard has asked the Documents Section tocreate a task force to examine the changingformats in which state information is beingissued and the impact that will have onpublic access. The task force will identifycore state information which needs to bepreserved in printed form, examine thechange from print to electronic distributionand the issues involved and begin to exam-ine possible legislative action needed. Thedetails of the charge and the membership ofthe task force are still being established.Marilyn Schuster of UNC-Charlotte andMike Van Fossen of UNC-Chapel Hill haveagreed to serve as section liaisons to thePublications Committee. Marilyn will workwith the newsletter project and Mike withthe Web page.Fall 1998 " 129

Library and Management SectionRhoda Channing reported that a TreasurerTsreport indicating the section to be in poorfinancial position was cleared up once pre-conference expenses charged to the sectionand revenues allocated to the section hadbeen analyzed.The joint mentoring initiative betweenthe New Members Round Table and LAMShas gone forward with the appointment of aSteering Committee to prepare a brochureand survey information. Appointed fromLAMS are Mary McAfee from Forsyth Public,Robert Canida II from UNC-Pembroke, andKate Hickey of Elon College.Rhoda Channing attended a meeting ofthe Resources and Technical Services SectionBoard to continue planning the RTSS/LAMSworkshop on assessment. All of the details ofthe meeting seem to be working out and alarge attendance is anticipated.The LAMS Board met on July 10 at WakeForest University. Reports were heard on thebudget, the mentoring program, and the fallworkshop. Gwen Jackson spoke about theneed to include school library media special-ists in the mentoring program. Robert Burginwill head the nominating committee forLAMS, and will make suggestions as to othermembers. Martha Davis, Chair-Elect, gave acomprehensive report on the Council ofLAMA AffiliatesT meeting she attended at ALA.Martha had several ideas for possible pro-grams that could be pre-conference sessions atthe next NCLA biennial conference. It wasdecided to get more information about thevarious Institutes offered by the divisions.Martha will also be following up on lapsedmembers of LAMS. Various ways of increasingand marketing membership were considered.It was felt that the mentoring program willincrease personal involvement of membersand possibly attract new ones to LAMS.NC Association of School LibrariansSectionMelinda Ratchford and Karen Gavigan re-ported that the NCASL Conference arescheduled be held September 16-18, 1998,offering outstanding speakers and presenters.The theme oTool Time� is so appropriate be-cause of the vast array of otools� media spe-cialists are being asked to provide and use.The AASL meetings at ALA were attendedby both Melinda and Karen. A tremendouseffort is under way to get the InformationPower advocacy plan into effect.The NCASL Executive Board met on June3, 1998. Details about the upcoming confer-ence were discussed. The board voted tonominate Laura Williams and Vicki Stanfieldto attend the NCLA Leadership Institute inOctober. NC Book Awards were given to RosesAre Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by DianeDeGroat, and Shiloh Season, by PhyllisNaylor. Information concerning awards andscholarships have been sent out with a July10, 1998 deadline for their return. Awardsand scholarships will be presented during the170 " Fall 1998opening session on Thursday morning. Adecision was made to present oA LifetimeAchievement Award� during this time also.Marilyn Shontz reported that she is still mak-ing revisions to the Profile of NC School Li-braries Survey. It is hoped that the data inthis report, expected to be out after LaborDay, can be used to support library programsacross North Carolina. A boost in NCASLmembership is anticipated with the upcom-ing conference. Laura Williams is looking fora permanent place to host the NCASL webpage. It was suggested to check with EastCarolina University. A suggestion was alsomade to put an application for membershipon the web page. Melinda Ratchford reportedthat she and Sue Spencer are on the NC StateLibrary Committee for Sharing Resources.They are looking into the possibility of aState-Wide Union Catalog. A conference wasdiscussed to hear issues from all kinds of li-braries. Laura Williams and Marilyn Shontzwill be responsible for finding someone to bein charge of the newsletter. The next Execu-tive Board meeting will be held on Septem-ber 16, 1998 at 5:00 PM in the 3rd floorboardroom of the Benton Civic Center.NC Library Paraprofessional RoundTableIn a written report, Frances Lampley, the newchair reported that an Executive Board meet-ing was held on June 19, 1998 inHendersonville. Discussion was held regard-ing programs planned " whether to continuethe plans for workshops, whether or not toconduct one as a test, or whether to changethe workshop altogether. After much discus-sion, it was decided that since the plans hadbeen approved by the board at the last meet-ing, workshops should continue as planned.Contact was to be made with Martha Davisof LAMS concerning the progress made.Lou Bryant submitted her resignation aschair. A replacement director is being soughtfor District 2. The next meeting will bescheduled for late August or early September.NC Public Library Trustee AssociationThere was no report.New Members Round TableThe board of the New Members Round Tablemet on June 9. The board is proceeding withan implementation of the mentoring programfor NCLA members. After discussion withmembers of the LAMS board, a steering com-mittee (made up of Jennie Hunt and JaneCasto from the NMRT board and RobertCanida, Kate Hickey and Mary McAffee fromthe LAMS board) was formed and will begin topull together a brochure to describe the pro-gram and request applications. Workshops forthe participants will be considered also.The 2nd Annual NMRTTs Big Adventurewas held on July 10 in Greensboro. Fourteenlibrarians met and mingled as they visitedseveral local libraries. More Big Adventureswill be planned for the future. Jennie Hunt,Director for Programming, is looking towardsanother fall program in the fall with a pos-sible theme of fundraising and grant oppor-tunities in libraries.The NMRT newsletter should be mailedsometime in the new few weeks. A great dealof time has been spent discussing means ofpublishing more online to reduce theamount of printing necessary and the speedwith which information is distributed. Plansare being made to survey members regardingtheir needs in an upcoming newsletter issue.The board agreed to support NCLA Lead-ership Institute 1998 with a donation.Members have been queried about thetype of program(s) they would like to see atthe next biennial conference. The topic will bediscussed in detail at future board meetings.Public Library SectionSteve Sumerford was unable to attend thismeeting but reported through Beverley Gassthat PLS committees were making progress.Reference & Adult Services SectionCarolyn Price reported that the RASS Execu-tive Committee met on Friday, May 1, 1998at the Durham County Public Library. PhilipBanks was voted Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect andLisa Sheffield will take PhilipTs place as thepublic library representative to the Board.Materials are still being formulated forthe Fall Workshop relating to the impact ofthe NC Live project on reference and publicservices. Sue Cody has contacted Crit Stuartfrom GALILEO as a possible speaker to talkabout what Georgia has learned from itsstatewide project. A representative from theState Library will be sought to give an updateon NC Live. The afternoon will include ses-sions that look at differing aspects of the net-work that will interest librarians from varioustypes of libraries.The low budget report and low member-ship and their effect on the upcoming pro-grams were discussed at length. Revised fi-nancial reports offered a more encouragingpicture of the balance.The next meeting will be held August 7 inAsheville.Resources & Technical ServicesThe board members met on April 23 andJune 11 in Greensboro. At the first meeting,initial plans were made for the fall workshop.Margaret Foote, membership chair, agreed torepresent RTSS on the NCLA Publicity Com-mittee. Vice-chair, Lisa Smith, volunteered tomaintain the RTSS web site.Rhoda Channing, LAMS chair, joinedRTSS at the June meeting to make detailedplans for the fall workshop, which is beingco-sponsored by LAMS. The workshop, en-titled oMoving Ahead While Honoring thePast: Assessing Our Operations,� will be heldSeptember 24, 1998 at the Friday Center inChapel Hill. Ellen Altman will speak on whyand how we assess library operations. RobertBurgin will speak on assessment tools. AndNorth Carolina Libraries

Lea Wells will discuss staff morale during as-sessments and implementation of changes. Abrochure will be sent to all NCLA membersin early August. Information about the work-shop, including the registration form, will beon the RTSS web site.The board agreed to contribute $250 tothe Leadership Institute.The chair attended the Council of Re-gional Groups on June 28 at ALA in Wash-ington, DC and reported on RTSS activitiessince the Midwinter meeting.Round Table for Ethnic MinorityConcernsBarbara Best-Nichols reported that Dr.Clarence Toomer will not be able to fulfill therole of archivist. He is moving from the area.A fall workshop entitled oTechnology forthe New Millenium " Are Your Public andTechnical Services at Risk?� is planned. Pan-elists from universities, public libraries, andcommercial information providers willpresent information on changes taking placein the library and information environ-ments. In addition to a panel, there will bean extensive question and answer period.Demonstrations of technologies affecting theroles of public and technical services areaswill also be held. The workshop is set for theMcKimmon Center at NC State University onSeptember 18, 1998. Brochures will go outwithin the next few weeks.Round Table on Special CollectionsThe Round Table on Special Collectionssponsored three practical workshops on oralhistory basics, oTelling Our Stories,� inWilliamston, Pinehurst, and Lenoir duringApril, May, and June. Presenters were fromEast Carolina University, the North CarolinaMuseum of History, and the Southern OralHistory Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Ap-proximately 60 representing public libraries,academic libraries, historical societies andgeneological societies attended.Round Table on Status of Women inLibrarianshipOn May 1, 1998, Dr. Richard E. Rubin, Asso-ciate Professor, School of Library and Informa-tion Science at Kent State University, pre-sented a very successful workshop on Motiva-tion, Satisfaction and Commitment in theLibrary Workplace. The Public Library Sectionco-sponsored the workshop and the 36 at-tendees reflected both units. Attendees werefrom public, academic, and school libraries.The forthcoming RTSWL board meetingwill begin planning for the 1999 conference.Technology & Trends Round TableEleanor Cook reported that they plan tomeet soon and are presently working onplans for a workshop on technology andtrends. She reminded other board membersthat TNT is always ready to co-sponsor anevent with any other group(s).North Carolina LibrariesCommittee ReportsAdministrative Advisory CommitteeThe committeeTs organizational meeting washeld on June 19, 1998. This group will dealwith issues related to the move of the NCLAoffice, the future of the office after the move,the position of Administrative Assistant in-cluding implementing a procedures manualand personnel, and providing guidance onmatters of office technology such as databasemaintenance and Internet presence and itsmaintenance, and hardware/software stan-dards.The committee will write (with assistanceof the incumbent) a job description and per-sonnel manual concerning the position ofAdministrative Assistant. It will cover roles,responsibilities and priorities, to whom theposition reports and how often, work hours,leave, training, probationary period, salaryand benefits, work related travel compensa-tion, and method of evaluation. The com-mittee chair will interview previous Admin-istrative Assistants to get their perspective onthe position. Past position holders, or any-one knowing their whereabouts, are encour-aged to contact Liz Hamilton at 252-335-2511 or at ehamilton@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us.Archives CommitteeThe Archives Committee met on July 2, 1998at the State Library. The members began re-viewing the subject heading list, the scopeand contents and the description records ofthe subgroups. After reviewing the lists, thecommittee discussed the possibility of add-ing other headings, although no changeswere made.A complete inventory of all receivedmaterials is planned for the next meeting.The committee will continue working onolder materials and preparing them for trans-fer into the archives. Records from the mid-1980s " early 1990s will be the committeeTsfirst priority.The committee discussed the need to in-vite the archivist to the next meeting to of-fer suggestions and instruct the committeeon various preservation techniques.Conference CommitteeAl Jones reported that the 1999 NCLA Bien-nial Conference will be held September 21-24 at the Benton Convention Center in Win-ston-Salem. The 2001 Conference will also beheld in Winston-Salem.The full Conference Committee met onMay 15 at Catawba College. A theme wasdecided for the 1999 Conference. oImaginethe Future� will give librarians in every typeof library an opportunity to think about howto shape the future of librarianship in thenew milennium. Program planners wereurged to incorporate a futurist perspective inthe planning of meetings for the conference.Monthly meetings of the full ConferenceCommittee will begin on September 11,1998. Registration and exhibit booth fees willbe decided and a budget for the conferencewill be approved.The convention centers of Charlotte,Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh, and Win-ston-Salem were contacted as possible sitesfor the 2003 and 2005 biennial conferences.Proposals have been received from all fivepotential sites. The dates requested for the2003 conference are September 23-26 and forthe 2005 conference, September 20-23, datesthat will not conflict with the Jewish HighHoly Days. The Vice-President asked theboard to approve Winston-Salem as the sitefor the 2003 conference. It was approved.Most roundtable committee chairs havesent Al information on their respective pro-gram planners, which has been forwarded toPhil Barton, Program Chair for the 1999Conference. Any further information on pro-gram planners or requests about the programplanning can be sent directly to Phil atbartonp@co.rowan.nc.us. He needs to knowthe name, address, telephone number(s), andemail address of the person in the section orround table who will be responsible for pro-grams at the Conference.Signers for the deaf among the Boardmembers or NCLA members at large areencouraged to contact Al Jones atpajones@catawba.edu.Constitution, Codes and HandbookCommitteeChair Gayle Keresey reported that the com-mittee will meet within the next six weeks.Development CommitteeThe NCLA Development Committee met onJune 12. The committee discussed ways tohandle and invest funds donated to theplanned endowment. There seem to be threeoptions: do it ourselves; pay a professional todo it for us; or contact with one of NorthCarolinaTs two community foundations to doit. Consensus was that it was impractical forthe association itself to manage an endow-ment, and that a professional would be toocostly. Thus, the committee decided to ex-plore investing with either the North Caro-lina Community Foundation, based in Ra-leigh, or the Foundation for the Carolinas,based in Charlotte. These organizations pro-vide a variety of development services fornon-profit organizations and also distributegrants of their own to local funding agencies.A representative from each organization willbe asked to make a presentation to the Devel-opment Committee in early September.NCLA officers and members of the FinanceCommittee will be invited to this presenta-tion as well.Although both these foundations offer toacknowledge donations on behalf of thenon-profit for which money is being raised,the committee agreed that NCLA should ini-tially receive and acknowledge all donationsitself. An acknowledgement letter with theappropriate statements to the effect that thedonation is tax deductible has been drafted.The committee discussed the possibility ofFall 1998 " 131

carrying out a silent auction and drawing atthe biennial conference to raise money forthe endowment. Similarly successful eventshave been held at other state conferences.The Development Committee will contactthe Conference Committee about this idea.Discussion was also held about solicitingcorporate donations to the endowment assponsorships of NCLA activities.Finance CommitteeCatherine Wilkinson reported that the Fi-nance Committee discussed the Member-ship Committee request oto change thedues structure to $10/year for all years inschool for library school students.� Slightlyamended, the proposal is now oto changethe dues structure to $10/year for degree-seeking library school students (six yearmaximum).� This change establishes a timelimit equal to the time limit for earning theMasterTs degree. It also eliminates those whooccasionally enroll in a course or courses forthe purposes of continuing education, etc.The current policy calls for full-time librarystudents to pay dues of $10/year for onlytwo years. There is no clear indication of theimpact this change in the dues structure forlibrary school students would have on thebudget.On June 10, 1998, President Gass askedthe Finance Committee for a recommenda-tion regarding reimbursement for travel toNCLA Executive Board meetings. Prelimi-nary investigation has resulted in the factthat the implications of providing reim-bursement for travel to Executive Boardmeetings are far reaching, ranging frombudgetary implications to choice of meetinglocations. The Finance Committee needsadditional time to gather information, in-cluding polling each section/round table asto its current and future practices regardingtravel expenditure reimbursement.Some current funding practices werenoted. NCLA provides funds for the ALACouncilor to use to attend ALA meetings.Funds are available for discretionary use bythe President and Treasurer. Some sectionsdo use section funds to reimburse the sectionchairTs travel to Executive Board meetings.Approximately 40 attend board meetings.Governmental Relations CommitteeThere was no report.Intellectual Freedom CommitteeIn a written report, Gene Lanier noted thenumerous activities of this committee.Some examples of involvement are: lobby-ing against oParental Rights and Child Pro-tection� bill in General Assembly; co-spon-sored Judith F. Krug as general sessionspeaker at the 1997 Biennial Conference;presented the NCLA/SIRS Intellectual Free-dom Award to Susan Cannady, media spe-cialist at Grimsley High School in Greens-boro; provided Web sites on NCLA listservfor information on many intellectual free-172 " Fall 1998dom issues including Internet use policies,sites for children and library filters; trackedstates/federal proposed legislation connect-ing library filters and e-rates; helped numer-ous libraries formulate Internet use policiesand update selection policies.Leadership InstituteCover letters and applications for the 1998Leadership Institute went out to library di-rectors and school system media coordina-tors in May and every NCLA member re-ceived a postcard. Both are also available onthe NCLA web site. Thus far, the Nomina-tions committee has received 24 applica-tions. The original June 30 deadline wasextended to July 17 to provide time to re-ceived additional applications. The goal isto have 30 participants.The following people have agreed toserve as mentors for the 1998 Institute: Bar-bara Baker, Durham Technical CommunityCollege; Phillip Cherry Il, Hickory PublicLibrary; Janet Freeman, Meredith College;Alice Naylor, Appalachian State University;Benjamin F. Speller, NC Central University;and Jerry Thrasher, Cumberland CountyPublic Library and Information Center.The full planning committee met on July22. Final decisions were made regarding pos-sible additions to the mentor list at that time.The fundraising sub-committee hasbeen seeking corporate donations for theInstitute. Also, NCLA sections and roundtables have been encouraged to contributewith a suggested donation of $250.00. Au-thorized funds can be transferred into theLeadership Institute budget by MaureenCostello.Details regarding program plans, localarrangements and participants will be final-ized soon in preparation for the October 28" November 1 experience.Literacy CommitteeThere was no report.Membership CommitteeThe Membership Committee met on July 9.Joining the committee were Beverley Gassand Maureen Costello. A discussion washeld on developing and implementing along-range membership plan for NCLA.Beverley outlined the 3 Rs " Recruitment,Retention & Reward " for increasing mem-bership. The Committee will contact and/orvisit web sites of prominent state libraryorganizations such as Texas, Michigan, andOhio for assistance in formulating a writtenplan. A draft of the plan of action will bepresented at the October Executive Boardmeeting. The committee is planning to mailpersonalized letters to North Carolina li-brarians, citing the benefits of membership.Peggy Quinn presented a report of mem-bership totals for 1998, comparing themwith 1997 totals. Information was dividedby section/round table and type of member-ship. The Membership Committee will as-sume this responsibility from the Adminis-trative Assistant.Anew membership application was dis-tributed. This application will be the onlyofficial application and will be used for bothnew members and renewals.Nominating CommitteeBeverley Gass reported that Gwen Jackson,Chair, is preparing a slate for 1998 SELA rep-resentatives.Publications and MarketingCommitteeThe Publications and Marketing Committeemet June 12, 1998. Three working groupshave been formed and representatives fromsome of the other committees, sections, andround tables have joined them. The Websitegroup is considering a move to a new server.Possibilities include commercial sites suchas Mindspring or Geocities, and Institu-tional sites such as East Carolina or UNC-Greensboro. Registration of a distinctive url,ideally, www.ncla.org, would entail a one-time cost of about $50. Assurance of accessto the page by successive NCLA webmasters(if security of the server is an issue) mayneed to be secured by a letter of agreement.A meeting with the original webmaster,Michael Roche, is scheduled for July 31.The electronic newsletter will be editedby Pam Burton and launched in a one-dayworkshop to be held at East Carolina Uni-versity August 14, 1998.The marketing group met on July 10.They will be working with the new Consult-ant for Communications and Evaluations atthe NC State Library to produce one or morejointly sponsored radio Public Service An-nouncements. Other possible projects werediscussed, including promotion of NCLATsrole in continuing education and sponsor-ship of a workshop for NCLA committeesdealing with the marketing of specific com-mittee programs.Another idea discussed is the possiblesale of advertising on the web page. Possiblesponsors include library schools, vendors,and people seeking positions (a oPositionsWanted� page). It was also suggested thatlinks could be provided on the conferenceexhibit page to vendorsT home pages.Section, round table, andcommitteechairs who have not already done so are en-couraged to appoint representatives.Scholarship CommitteeCarol Truett reported that selections hadbeen made for receipt of the two scholar-ships and student loan. They areNCLA Memorial Scholarship of $1000" Carrie McClean of Knightdale, NC;Query-Long Scholarship for Work withChildren or Young Adults of $1000" Lynda H. Stewart of Wingate, NCMcClendon Student Loan of $300" Charles P. Wiggins of Asheville, NC.Letters of award have been sent to the threeNorth Carolina Libraries

students.Beverley Gass suggested that the commit-tee look into whether or not more scholar-ships should be offered. A suggestion wasalso made to work in conjunction with theDevelopment Committee for developing afollow-up process for recipients. Carol willcontact Frances Bradburn concerning pub-lishing the awards in North Carolina Libraries.North Carolina LibrariesThe summer issue of North Carolina Librar-ies, oTurning Points: An Oral North Caro-lina History of Librarianship,� has been sentto the printer with a projected mailing dateof July 21.Two new editorial board representativesare John Zika (Person County Public Li-brary) of the Public Library Section and LisaDriver (Pitt Community College) of theCommunity/Junior College Section.Upcoming issues are:Fall 1998 " Advise and Consult(Artemis Kares, Guest Editor)Winter 1998 " ChildrenTs Services(Beth Hutchinson and Mel Burton,Guest Editor)Spring 1999 " OutreachSummer 1999 - North Carolina WritetsFall 1999 " Life and Limb(Page Life, Guest Editor)Winter 1999 " Conference IssueSpring 2000 " The Millennium:Celebration or DisasterLEADER INTHENorth Carolina LibrariesLN Tv E Ger: A; Tt -EaDSummer 2000 " Preserving Local HistoryFall 2000 " Research and LibrarianshipWinter 2000 " The Call of Story.SELASELA will hold its biennial conferencejointly with the Arkansas Library Associa-tion in Little Rock on September 30 " Octo-ber 3. The theme of the conference isoSouthern Libraries: Diamonds of Informa-tion.� Information can be gathered at SELATsnew web page at http://www.seflin.org/sela/confshtmilsjorgeon the listserv atLISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU.The Southeastern Librarian has been re-vived. The journal will have two issues ofnews, association business and various in-formational notices and reports. The othertwo issues will focus on significant researchand articles addressing trends, develop-ments and issues related to library and in-formation access and services. It has beenrecommended that the journal move tohaving the research issues juried.SOLINET now provides administrativeservices for SELA.The SELA Leadership and PlanningWorkshop was held in Atlanta, March 28-30oto provide a continuing education/staffdevelopment experience for leadership andmembers as recommended by the ExecutiveBoard� and to have othe opportunity tobegin to flesh out long-range planning as-pects recommended by the Future Direc-INFORMATION SERVICESINFORMATIONtions Committee to the SELA ExecutiveBoard.�North Carolina State LibraryCommissionChair Lila Friday offered the appreciation ofthe State Library Commission to NCLA forthe work they do in the field oflibrarianship.New BusinessRhoda Channing announced a teleconfer-ence that will take place on August 12, 1998from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Rhoda also reportedthat she met with Congressman RichardBurr regarding House Bill 2281 oFair Use Is-sues for Copyright Laws.� She reported apositive response to the Krug-Boucheramendment and positive follow-up withthe congressional office.Dave Fergusson announced the NationalConference of Rural Librarians to be held inWinston-Salem at the same time as theNCASL Conference, September 16-18, 1998.Beverley Gass announced her plan tosponsor a non-conference year oevent� tocelebrate NCLA membership and askedeach board member present to provide a listof three names of people who could meetwith her to discuss and plan this event.The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 PM.Respectfully submitted," Liz JacksonMANAGEMENTFall 1998 " 13%

NortTuH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 1997-1999 EXECUTIVE BOARDPRESIDENTBeverley GassM.W. Bell LibraryGuilford Technical CollegeP.O. Box 309Jamestown NC 27282-0309Telephone: 336/334-4822x2434Fax: 336/841-4350GASSB@GTCC.CC.NC.USVICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECTPlummer Alston ~AlT Jones, Jr.Catawba College2300 W. Innes StreetSalisbury, NC 28144Telephone: 704/637-4449Fax: 704/637-4204PAJONES@CATAWBA.EDUSECRETARYElizabeth J. JacksonWest Lake Elementary School207 Glen Bonnie LaneApex, NC 27511Telephone: 919/380-8232Fax: 919/662-2313LIZ@WLE.APEX.K12.NC.USTREASURERDiane D. KesterEast Carolina University105 Longview DriveGoldsboro, NC 27534-8871Telephone: 919/328-6621Fax: 919/328-4638KESTERD@EMAIL.ECU.EDUDIRECTORSVanessa Work RamseurHickory Grove7209 E. W.T. Harris Blvd.Charlotte, NC 28227Telephone: 704/563-9418Fax: 704/568-2686VWR@PLCMC.LIB.NC.USRoss HoltRaldolph Public Library201 Worth StreetAsheboro, NC 27203Telephone: 336/318-6806Fax: 336/3186823RHOLT@NCSL.DCR.STATE.NC.USALA COUNCILORJacqueline B. BeachCraven-Pamlico-CarteretRegional Library400 JohnsonNew Bern, NC 28560Telephone: 919/823-1141Fax: 919/638-7817JBEACH@NCSL.DCR.STATE.NC.US134 " Fall 1998SELA REPRESENTATIVENancy Clark FogartyJackson LibraryUNC-GreensboroGreensboro, NC 27412Telephone: 336/334-5419Fax: 336/334-5097FOGARTYN@IRIS.UNCG.EDUEDITOR, North Carolina LibrariesFrances Bryant BradburnEvaluation ServicesNC Dept. of Public Instruction301 N. Wilmington StreetRaleigh, NC 27601-2825Telephone: 919/715-1528Fax: 919/715-4762FBRADBUR@DPI.STATE.NC.USPAST-PRESIDENTDavid FergussonForsyth County Public Library660 W. Fifth StreetWinston-Salem NC 27101Telephone: 336/727-2556Fax: 336/727-2549D_FERGUSSON@FORSYTH.LIBNC.USADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTMaureen CostelloNorth Carolina Library Associationc/o State Library of North CarolinaRm. 27 109 E. Jones St.Raleigh, NC 27601-1023Telephone: 919/839-6252Fax: 919/839-6252MCOSTELLO@NCSLDCRSTATENCUSSECTION CHAIRSCHILDRENTS SERVICES SECTIONSusan AdamsSoutheast Regional Library908 7th AvenueGarner, NC 27529Telephone: 919/662-6635Fax: 919/662-2270SADAMS@CO.WAKE.NC.USCOLLEGE anp UNIVERSITY SECTIONShirley GregoryHackney Library, Barton CollegeBox S000Wilson, NC 28893-7000Telephone: 252/366-6501Fax: 252/399-6571SGREGORY@BARTON.EDUCOMMUNITY anp JUNIORCOLLEGE LIBRARIES SECTIONMartha E. DavisM. W. Bell LibraryGuilford Tech. Comm. CollegeP. O. Box 309Jamestown, NC 27282-0309Telephone: 336/334-4822Fax: 336/841-4350DAVISM@GTCC.CC.NC.USDOCUMENTS SECTIONAnn MillerPerkins LibraryDuke UniversityDurham, NC 27708-0177Telephone: 919/660-5855Fax: 919/660-2855AEM@MAIL.LIB.DUKE.EDULIBRARY ADMINISTRATION anpMANAGEMENT SECTIONRhoda ChanningZ. Smith Reynolds LibraryBox 7777Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC 27109-7777Telephone: 336/759-5090Fax: 336/759-9831CHANNING@WFU.EDUNORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATIONOF SCHOOL LIBRARIANSMalinda RatchfordGaston County Schools366 W. Garrison Blvd.Gastonia, NC 28052Telephone: 704/866-6251Fax: 704/866-6194MELEIS@AOL.COMNORTH CAROLINA PUBLICLIBRARY TRUSTEES ASSOCIATIONPeter KeberPublic Library of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County310 North Tryon StreetCharlotte, NC 28202Telephone: 704/386-5086Fax: 704/386-6444PK@PLCMC.LIB.NC.USPUBLIC LIBRARY SECTIONSteve Sumerford }Glenwood Branch Library1901 W. Florida StreetGreensboro, NC 27403Telephone: 336/297-5002Fax: 336/297-5005GLENWOOD@NR.INFI.NETREFERENCE anp ADULT SERVICESCarolyn PriceForsyth County Public Library660 W. Fifth StreetWinston-Salem, NC 27101Telephone: 336/727-8456Fax: 336/727-2549C_PRICE@FORSYTH.LIB.NC.USRESOURCES anp TECHNICALSERVICES SECTIONGinny GilbertPerkins LibraryDuke University230C Box 90191Durham, NC 27708Telephone: 919/660-5815Fax: 919/684-2855VAG@MAIL.LIB.DUKE.EDUROUND TABLE CHAIRSNEW MEMBERS ROUND TABLETracy BabiaszDurham County Library300 N. Roxboro StreetPO Box 3809Durham, NC 27702-3809Telephone: 919/560-0191Fax: 919/560-0137TBABIASZ@NCSL.DCR.STATE.NC.USNORTH CAROLINA LIBRARYPARAPROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONFrances LampleySoutheast Regional Library908 7th StreetGarner, NC 27259Telephone: 919/662-2262Fax: 919/662-2270FLAMPLEY@CO.WAKE.NC.USROUND TABLE FOR ETHNICMINORITY CONCERNSBarbara Best-NicholsReichold Chemicals, Inc.6124 Yellowstone DriveDurham, NC 27713-9708Telephone: 919/990-8054Fax: 919/990-7859BARBARA.BEST-NICHOLS@REICHHOLD.COMROUND TABLE ON SPECIALCOLLECTIONSMaury YorkJoyner LibraryEast Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858Telephone: 252/328-6601YORKM@MAIL.ECU.EDUROUND TABLE ON THE STATUSOF WOMEN IN LIBRARIANSHIPMarilyn Miller4103 Friendly AvenueGreensboro, NC 27410Telephone: 336/299-8659Fax: 336/334-5060M_MILLER@HAMLET.UNCG.EDUTECHNOLOGY AND TRENDSROUND TABLEEleanor I. CookBelk LibraryAppalachian State UniversityBoone, NC 28606Telephone: 828/262-2786Fax: 828/262-2773COOKEI@APPSTATE.EDUNCLANorth Carolina Library AssociationNorth Carolina Libraries

EDITORIAL STAFFEditorFRANCES BRYANT BRADBURNEvaluation ServicesNC Dept. of Public Instruction301 N. Wilmington StreetRaleigh, NC 27601-2825(919) 715-1528(919) 715-4823 (FAX)fbradbur@dpi.state.nc.usAssociate EditorROSE SIMONDale H. Gramley LibrarySalem CollegeWinston-Salem, NC 27108(336) 917-5421simon@salem.eduAssociate EditorJOHN WELCHDivision of State Library109 East Jones StreetRaleigh, NC 27601-2807(919) 733-2570jwelch@hal.dcr.state.nc.usBook Review EditorDOROTHY DAVIS HODDERNew Hanover Co. Public Library201 Chestnut StreetWilmington, NC 28401(910) 341-4389dhodder@co.new-hanover.nc.usLagniappe EditorPLUMMER ALSTON JONES, JR.Corriher-Linn-Black LibraryCatawba College2300 W. Innes StreetSalisbury, NC 28144(704) 637-4449pajones@catawba.eduIndexerMICHAEL COTTERJoyner LibraryEast Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858-4353(252) 328-0237cottermi@mail.ecu.eduAdvertising ManagerHARRY TUCHMAYERNew Hanover Co. Public Library201 Chestnut StreetWilmington, NC 28401(910) 341-4036htuchmayer@co.new-hanover.nc.usBetween Us EditorKEVIN CHERRYRowan Public LibraryP.O. Box 4039Salisbury, NC 28145-4039(704) 638-3021kcherry@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.usChildrenTs ServicesMELVIN K. BURTONPublic Library of Charlotte & MecklenburgNorth County Regional Library16500 Holly Crest LaneHuntersville, NC 28078(704) 895-8178mburton@plcmc.lib.nc.usCollege and UniversityARTEMIS KARESJoyner LibraryEast Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858-4353(252) 328-2263karesa@mail.ecu.eduCommunity and Junior CollegeLISA C. DRIVERPitt Community CollegePO Drawer 7007Greenville, NC 27835-7007(252) 321-4357Idriver@pcc.pitt.cc.nc.usDocumentsMICHAEL VAN FOSSENReference DocumentsDavis Library CB #3912University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, NC 27599(919) 962-1151mike_vanfossen@unc.eduLibrary Administration andManagement SectionJOLINE EZZELLPerkins LibraryDuke UniversityDurham, NC 27708-0175(919) 660-5925jre@mail.lib.duke.eduNew Members Round TableRHONDA FLORENCEFlorence Elementary SchoolHigh Point, NC 27265(336) 819-2120rholbroo@guilford.k12.nc.usN.C. Asso. of School LibrariansDIANE KESSLERDurham Public Schools808 Bacon St.Durham, NC 27703(919) 560-2360kesslerd@bacon.durham.k12.nc.usNorth Carolina LibraryParaprofessional AssociationSHARON NOLESSoutheast Regional Library in Garner908 7th AvenueGarner, NC 27529(919) 894-8322Public Library SectionJOHN ZIKAPerson County Public Library319 S. Main St.Roxboro, NC 27573(336) 597-7881rzika@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.usReference/Adult ServicesSUZANNE WISEBelk LibraryAppalachian State UniversityBoone, NC 28608(704) 262-2798wisems@appstate.eduResources and Technical ServicesPAGE LIFEDavis Library CB#3914UNC-Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC 27514-8890(919) 962-0153page_life@unc.eduRound Table for Ethnic Minority ConcernsBRIGITTE BLANTONGreensboro Public LibraryPO Box 3178Greensboro, NC 27402-3178(336) 373-2716ncs0921@interpath.comRound Table on Special CollectionsMEGAN MULDERWake Forest University LibraryPO Box 7777 Reynolda StationWinston-Salem, NC 27109-7777(336) 758-5091mulder@wfu.eduRound Table on the Status of Womenin LibrarianshipJOAN SHERIFNorthwestern Regional Library111 North Front StreetElkin, NC 28621(336) 835-4894jsherif@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.usTechnology and TrendsDIANE KESTERLibrary Studies and Ed. TechnologyEast Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858-4353(252) 328-4389Isddkest@eastnet.educ.ecu.eduWired to the World EditorRALPH LEE SCOTTJoyner LibraryEast Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858-4353(252) 328-0235scottr@mail.ecu.eduTrusteesANNE B. WILGUSN.C. Wesleyan CollegeRocky Mount, NC 27804(252) 442-2662(252) 977-3701 (FAX)North Carolina LibrariesFall 1998 " 135

NCLANorth Carolina Library AssociationUse the application below to enroll as a member of the North Carolina Library Asssociation or to renew yourmembership. All memberships are for one calendar year. THE MEMBERSHIP YEAR IS JANUARY 1 THROUGHDECEMBER 31. Memberships postmarked during the last quarter of the year cover the next year.Dues (see below) entitle you to membership in the Association and to one section or round table. For eachadditional section or round table, add $5.00. Return this form with your check or money order, payable toNorth Carolina Library Association (see address below).NCLA DUES(Membership and One Section or Round Table)1 LIBRARY PERSONNELFULL-TIME LIBRARY SCHOOLSTUDENTS (two years only) .... $10RETIRED LIBRARIANS ............. $15NON-LIBRARY PERSONNEL:(Trustee, Non-salaried, or Friendsof Libraries member).......:..... $15INSTITUTIONAL (Libraries &Library/Education-relatedBUSITICSSES) estes sce eee. $50arming upto $15,000.........0006e $15Earning $15,001 to $25,000........... $25Earning $25,001 to $35,000.......... $30Earning $35,001 to $45,000 .......... $35Earning $45,001 and above........... $40promi beesatissssnncadessiveas Eeees $100Libraries unless this box is checkedNORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONCHECK SECTIONS AND ROUND TABLESONE IS INCLUDED IN BASIC DUES. (New Members & First Timerenewals should choose a section other than New Members Round Table.)please print orNew membership*typeRenewal***Dues automatically include membership in New Members Round Table**Dues automatically include membership in New Members Round Table for FIRST TIME renewals.MembershipNameLastTitleLibraryNumber if RenewalFirstMiddleBusiness AddressDaytime Telephone Number(I Check here if you NO NOT wish to be signed up for NCLA-L listservMailing Address (if different from above)City StateZipArea CodeTYPE OF LIBRARY I WORK IN:AcademicPublicLY CONTRIBUTING (Individuals, Associations,and Firms interested in the work ofNCLA)L} Contributing member acknowledged in North CarolinaAdd $5.00 for each additional section or round table.ChildrenTs ServicesCollege & University SectionCommunity & Junior College Libraries SectionDocuments SectionLibrary Administration & ManagementNC Association of School LibrariansNC Public Library Trustees AssociationPublic Library SectionReference & Adult Services SectionResources and Technical Services SectionNew Members Round TableNC Library Paraprofessional AssociationRound Table for Ethnic Minority ConcernsRound Table on Special CollectionsRound Table on the Status of Women in LibrarianshipTechnology & Trends Round TableAMOUNT ENCLOSED: (SEE ABOVE)$Membership and one section/round table$5.00 for each additional section/round tableTOTAL (PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH)Mail Payment and Form to: North Carolina Library AssociationSchoolSpeciaOther1c/o State Library of North Carolina109East Jones StreetRaleigh, NC 27601-1023 ncla@mindspring.comTHANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTNCLA Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-1; Telephone (Voice & FAX) 919-839-NCLA; E-mail: mcostello@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us

Light and AirThe Photography of Bayard WoottenJERRY W. COTTENThe stunning presentation of the life and workof North CarolinaTs Bayard Wootten (1875-1959),a trailblazer for women photographers in theSouth. Includes many of WoottenTs most notableimages, the portraits she crafted of black andwhite working people.8X10, 190 duotones2445-3 Nov $37.50 clothBlythe Family Fund SeriesSticks and StonesThree Centuries of North CarolinaGravemarkersM. RUTH LITTLEPHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM BUCHMANA beautifully illustrated history, drawing on20 years of research and the talents of a superbphotographer.oWith a discerning heart and eye, .. . Ruth Littleilluminates the history as well as the artistryof gravemarkers in North Carolina.� CatherineW. Bishir, author of North Carolina Architecture73/4 X11, 236 duotones+2417-8 Oct $45 clothRichard Hampton Jenrette Seriesin Architecture and the Decorative ArtsNow back in print in paperback from UNC PressThe Great DismalA CarolinianTs Swamp MemoirBLAND SIMPSONWITH A NEW EPILOGUE BY THE AUTHORo{Simpson] has given us a jewel of natural andhuman history.� " The New YorkeroIn this quietly eloquent book, Bland Simpsontakes the reader on a journey through a remark-able place, and the stories he brings back are wellworth the trip.�"North Carolina Historical Review39 illus.-4752-6 Sept $14.95 paperChapel Hill BooksTar Heel Politics 2000PAUL LUEBKEoPaul Luebke understands North Carolina politicslike no one else. ... This extraordinarily valuableaccount should be read by anyone who caresabout the recent course and likely future of ourstate.�"John Shelton Reed, coauthor of 1001Things Everyone Should Know about the South+2452-6 Nov $34.95 cloth-4756-9 Nov $14.95 paperDemocracy BetrayedThe Wilmington Race Riot of 1898and Its LegacyDAVID S. CECELSKI ANDTIMOTHY B. TYSON, EDITORSFOREWORD BY JOHN HOPE FRANKLINPublished on the centennial of the white su-premacy revolution that claimed many blacklives and rolled back decades of progress forAfrican Americans in N.C. This volume aims todraw attention to the tragedy, to honor itsvictims, and to add a timely historical voice todebates over its legacy.-2451-8 Nov $45 cloth4755-0 Nov $18.95 paperColorblind InjusticeMinority Voting Rights and theUndoing of the Second ReconstructionJ. MORGAN KOUSSERAn illuminating and controversial view ofracial gerrymandering and the fight forminority voting rights.oAn indispensable guide to the uses of discrim-ination and fraud against racial and ethnicminorities in American politics.�"C. Vann Woodward, Yale University2431-3 Jan $65 cloth-4738-0 Jan $29.95 paperLatent AnoY nerth re ToBP he University ofD Vorth Cook ina PaisCHAPEL HILL * PHONE [800] 848.6224 / FAX [800] 272.6817 / http://sunsite.unc.edu/uncpress/Phase call a fecopy of our catalogISBN 0-8078FloridaTsHurricane HistoryJAY BARNESFOREWORD BY NEIL FRANKAn illustrated history of FloridaTs most notablehurricanes, from colonial days through Andrewand Opal. Filled with photos, maps, and fasci-nating stories of tragedy and survival.81/2 x 10, 112 photos, 76 maps+2443-7 Oct $39.95 cloth-4748-8 Oct $19.95 paperThe ChildrenTs Civil WarJAMES MARTENoGives voice to silent thousands"the boysand girls, black and white, northern and southern,who fought their own battles and endured thisgreatest American tragedy.� " Elliot West, authorof Growing Up With the Country: Childhood on theFar-Western Frontier2425-9 Sept $34.95 clothCivil War AmericaMemoryTs NationThe Place of Plymouth RockJOHN SEELYEAn extraordinary exploration of the changingmeanings of this national icon over two centuries.oA rich and thorough study, ... one of the mostilluminating books ever written about the roleof regional legends in our sense and non-senseof American origins as well as national identity.�" Michael Kammen, Cornell University36 illus.2415-1 Nov $39.95 cloth

poi s( eo """Winter 1998 ChildrenTs ServicesBeth Hutchison and Mel Burton, Guest EditorsSpring 1999 OutreachSummer 1999 North Carolina WritersAlice Cotten, Guest EditorFall 1999 Life and Limb (security issues)Page Life, Guest EditorWinter 1999 Conference IssueSpring 2000 The Millennium: Celebration or DisasterDavid Ferriero, Guest EditorUnsolicited articles dealing with the above themes or any issue of interest to North Carolinalibrarians are welcomed. Please contact the editor for manuscript guidelines and deadlines.North Carolina Libraries, published four times a year, is the official publication of the NorthCarolina Library Association. Membership dues include a subscription to North CarolinaLibraries. Membership information may be obtained from the Administrative Assistant ofNCLA. Subscription rates are $32.00 per year, or $10.00 per issue, for domesticsubscriptions; $50.00 per year, or $15.00 per issue, for foreign subscriptions. Backfiles aremaintained by the editor. Microfilm copies are available through University Microfilms.North Carolina Libraries is indexed by Library Literature and publishes its own annual index.Editorial correspondence should be addressed to the editor; advertisementcorrespondence should be addressed to the advertising manager. Articles are juried.