Approved-By:  GBELL@KENTVM.BITNET
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.libref-l
Date:         Thu, 23 Jul 1992 19:00:54 EDT
From:         Bruce Flanders <FLANDERS@UKANVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Reference Networking Anyone?

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
The two reference librarians at the Kansas State Library, Marc Galbraith
and Cindy Roupe, sometimes feel like they're caught between two revolutions.
One in the information industry where it's truly impossible to keep up
with the speed of change and a second revolution (more aptly termed revolt)
among the taxpayers which makes it yet more difficult to keep up and be
effective. They think some relief to this almost impossible work environment
might be forthcoming through something they call reference networking. At
the very least they think reference networking might act as a kind of support
group for harried reference librarians and ultimately could help they better
serve their users.

Marc and Cindy are hoping to develop a CONFERENCE ON REFERENCE NETWORKING
and are looking for existing models and speakers. They want to know about
mechanisms in use, new ways to pay between libraries, identification of
disincentives and solution to those disincentives.

ALL COMMENTS MOST APPRECIATED.

They've read articles that suggest cooperation among reference departments
can be enhanced by the use of fees. The idea is that fees provide a medium
of exchange and, in a sense, grease the wheels of information flow. Fees, it
is suggested, will break down the walls of local protocol that, uninten-
tionally, but in fact, prevent effective reference department to reference
department cooperation. They don't doubt the truth or logic of that
argument, but they think that there have to be other ways, other mechanisms,
to break down those walls and grease those wheels.

The mechanisms they have in mind include something as simple as a directory,
either in paper or bulletin board fashion, of the reference specialties
and/or specialists at the libraries in a given community, region or state.
They also think that what might be called wide-area-preservice-agreements
among libraries could pave the way of information flow. Under preservice
agreements, library A would know in advance that it was OK to charge library
B for a requested literature search. Library B, and its business office,
would in turn, expect to be billed for the services rendered. It's the
"knowing" that is different: it would tend to remove the disincentive to
sharing. They also think that formalized interlibrary reference protocols
can ease info flow. The thought of building on an old form of reference
networking known as cooperative acquisition is also inviting. Few can afford
to buy all the electronic titles needed, and even fewer can climb high
enough on the learning curve associated with the multitude of CD-ROM and
online tools.

As noted earlier, Marc and Cindy have been mulling over these ideas for
some time, but their interest was piqued by two recent articles from
LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The Bionic Library" by Harold Billings and "Doing It For
Money" by Steve Coffman and Helen Josephine.

Please give us your feedback. Until Marc and Cindy obtain their own
BITNET/Internet accounts (which should be soon), I'll pass on your comments
to them. Or you can call or fax directly to Marc/Cindy at:

Phone 913-296-3296.   Fax 913-296-6650.

Thanks.

Bruce Flanders / Director of Technology / Kansas State Library
300 SW 10th Ave. Rm 343 / Topeka, KS 66612-1593

FLANDERS@UKANVM.Bitnet   flanders@ukanvm.cc.ukans.edu
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