Greetings,
     My name is Esther Grassian. I have been a Reference/Instruction Librarian
at the UCLA College Library since 1969.  I am sending this message to find out
whether or not there is a BITNET site interested in hosting a listserver
on the topic of Library Instruction/Bibliographic Instruction/User Education.
Following, for your information, are definitions of "library instruction"
and "bibliographic instruction," and further explanation of the importance of
this topic to librarians.
 
     Library instruction refers to the use of buildings, locations,
     facilities, and materials in teaching users how to employ
     libraries to handle their information needs.  In this broad
     sense, library instruction encompasses both library orientation,
     the explanation of available library facilities and services,
     and bibliographic instruction, the intensive process of teaching
     the efficient and effective use of the library by demonstrting
     library research methodology, search strategy, and the
     bibliographic structure of a given literature in a discipline.
     Library instruction can involve ad hoc on-the-spot incidents;
     organized sessions explaining how certain bibliographical tools
     in a particular subject area are used; highly structured formal
     programs involving printed guides, slide/tape presentations,
     lecture sessions, and credit courses; or a series of discussions
     with users about online searching techniques. (Roberts, Anne.
     LIBRARY INSTRUCTION FOR LIBRARIANS,2d ed., 1989, p.1)
 
With the advent of databases in online and CD-ROM formats, as well,
including online public catalogs of library holdings, librarians are also
becoming "information literacy" or "information access" specialists.
 
The librarians involved in the American Library Association's Bibliographic
Instruction Section (of which I am an active member), are most interested in
the newest and best ways to teach users how to get access to the information
need, and how to evaluate the usefulness of this information.  I, myself,
co-chaired a 1988 BIS program entitled "Teaching CD-ROM,"which took place at th
e annual ALA conference.  This program attracted 900 librarians, and dealt
with various methods of teaching the use of CD-ROM databases to patrons.
BIShas held a program suchas this at each annual ALA conference since 1978.
Each program deals with the practical and/or theoretical aspects of communicati
ng use of information resources to our patrons.
 
Many librarians attend these conference programs, but many more do not.  It
is particularly those who do not or cannot attend programs such as these, who w
ould benefit most from an interactive listserver such as the one I have
described.
 
I do hope there is an interested site. I look forward to hearing from you.
 
                                             Esther Grassian