Providing Services for Virtual Patrons
by Robert Hulshof

Library users have always had a knack for finding new and interesting ways to challenge librarians. With the increasing proliferation of fast personal computers and Internet access, a brave new breed of users is finding their way into the library: the Virtual Patrons. These are the people who use your library resources and make requests for library assistance without actually setting foot in the library. Working with patrons without face-to-face contact is not new—after all, the telephone (patented in 1876) is almost as old as the Dewey Decimal system (1873)—but Internet and e-mail patrons raise special issues for librarians. The principal considerations in dealing with these virtual patrons are immediacy, intricacy, and interaction.

Be Proactive—Communicate Your Worth to Management
by Lucy Lettis

Have you ever found yourself defending your credentials, expertise, and skill set as an information professional? Why does it seem most people accept an M.B.A. diploma is more than just a piece of paper, while the person in the office next to you has little appreciation for the credentials of the degreed information professional? While many of us have had the good fortune to work in organizations that value and respect the information professional, others must guide their managements up very steep learning curves. How does one accomplish this? Become a change agent, a pioneer, the one who starts the campaign to enlighten management. The process to alter their perception has to start somewhere, so why not with you?

1999/00 Candidates for SLA Office

Make sure you cast your vote for the 1999/00 board of directors. Don't miss this opportunity to read about your colleagues who are running for SLA board positions. Let your voice be heard!