			University Library ELITE Project

Email & Web Forms

Ask A Librarian
Ask A Expert
Email for Instruction
WWW Articles

This resource offers annotated links to many significant sites of interest. Sites may include directories, databases, topic resources, organisations, professional and general information.

Comments and contribution to this listing are welcome.

Ask A Librarian Services

Email Reference Sites
Bernie Sloan provides a list of links to more than 90 email (via a web form) reference sites maintained by individual libraries. It provides examples of e-mail reference sites, allowing you to get a sense of the look-and-feel of e-mail reference sites, as well as exploring library's policies and procedures for handling e-mail reference. Mainly U.S. examples.
URL: http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/%7Eb-sloan/e-mail.html

EARL - Ask A Librarian
Provided by UK Public Librarians, this service aims to use their skill and experience to identify the best sources, print or electronic, for discovering the answer to your question. A Librarian will send you an email message as soon as possible with their response to your enquiry.
URL: http://www.earl.org.uk/ask/index.html

British Library of Political & Economic Science
URL: http://www.blpes.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/enquiry

University of Leicester, University Library's Distance Learning Unit
URL: http://www.le.ac.uk/li/distance/enquiry/reference_form.htm

Ask A Expert

Allexperts.com
A wide range of volunteer subject experts are available to answer your questions. Pick a particular topic, browse the lists of volunteers (and their credentials), and ask your question.
URL: http://www.allexperts.com/

AskA+ Locator
"A database of high-quality "AskA" services designed to link students, teachers, parents and other K-12 community members with experts on the Internet. Profiles of each AskA service include identification information (e.g., publisher, e-mail address, contact person, links to services’ home pages), scope, target audience, and a general description of the service."
URL: http://www.vrd.org/locator/index.html

Pitsco's Ask An Expert
Askanexpert.com connects you with hundreds of real world experts, ranging from astronauts to zookeepers. These experts have volunteered to answer your questions for free!
URL: http://www.askanexpert.com/

Email for Instruction

Using Email and the Internet to Teach Users at Their Desktops
The article details experiments with electronic mail as a delivery method for INSPEC instruction modules by engineering librarians at two University of California campuses.
Full text of the article available from URL: http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL1995/SepOL95/jensen-sih.html
Full text of the tutorials are available from URL: http://scilib.ucsd.edu/electclass/inspec/intro.html

Off Campus Learning Resource Services Listserv
Open Campus students, faculty & staff are encouraged to receive email updates on the latest resources and services available to them via a subscribe to the OFF-CAMPUS LRS Listserv.
Provided by: Austin Community College, Learning Resource Service, Open-Campus Services
URL: http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us./JRB/opcserv1.htm

LOUIS: E-struction
Established in the Fall of 1999 to increase and improve library outreach and instruction to the faculty at UNO and LSU, we are making our email instruction program available to all LOUIS members. This web site outlines steps to take to implement the program at your institution, text files of the email tutorials to send out, and a survey for the participants to take at the completion of the e-struction program.
Provided by: Louisiana Library Network
URL: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/louis/

Butros, ? "Using Electronic Mail to Teach MELVYL MEDLINE", Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 16 (1), 1997, p.69-75.

Burke, John. "Using E-Mail to Teach: Expanding the Reach of BI," Research Strategies, 14 (1), 1996, p. 36-43.

Kelsey, Sigrid. "Library User Education: Implementing and E-mail Bibliographic Instruction Course at a College Library", LLA Bulletin, Spring. p.222-225.

WWW Articles

mayihelpyou@theelectronicreferencedesk?: An Examination of the Past, Present and Future of Electronic Mail Reference Service
"This paper explores the various social and technological issues that a library which is contemplating the provision of an electronic mail reference service needs to consider. In addition to providing a brief history of the developments in the provision of electronic mail reference and the application of electronic reference in various types of libraries, this paper will examine the advantages and disadvantages, and how to increase the success of, electronic mail reference systems."
Author: Brenda Philip, 1997
URL: http://hollyhock.slis.ualberta.ca/598/brenda/emailref.htm

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This document has been approved by the head of department or section.
Last Updated: Monday, May 14, 2001 Web maintainer: Lou McGill