Monday, October 16, 2006

Reference & User Services Quarterly: An Online Version

I received the Fall 2006 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly in the mail on Saturday and noticed right away it has a slightly new look, including a photo on the cover. I have not figured out why there is a picture of prairie grass blowing in the wind, but it is attractive in an academic way. Inside are several articles that I have read or are planning to read in the next few days. Just wondering if I could find an online version of the article I wish to review, I looked and was surprised to find that there is. In fact, it appears that the entire issue is now online at the RUSQ website. Great! Now I can link to the article. Thank you RUSA.

The new issue starts with "A Hard Act to Follow" by the new editor Diane Zabel. She salutes the editors that have preceded her and tells about planned changes for the publication. She says that 71 percent of the RUSQ readers who responded to a survey indicate that they still prefer a paper issue of the quarterly, but the organization is working on an electronic version (not saying that one is available). She also says that Michael Stephens has been retained as a consultant for developing the online edition. She also lists topics for future articles and tells who will be writing columns.

With the online version, readers can email links to their colleagues, bloggers can direct their readers to articles, and library school instructors can put links into their online assignments. RUSA has just made the quarterly much more accessible.

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