On Mon, 3 Nov 1997, Kelly L. Russell wrote:
> >Ask a Librarian goes live today at
> >
> >34 public libraries throughout the UK are collaborating to provide the
> worldıs first national online reference enquiry service for the public.
How do you know this is a world-first?
In the Netherlands there has been an 900 number for a public reference
service operated by public libraries called 'Bibliofoon' for several years
already. Bibliofoon is also available over Internet at
HTTP://www.probiblio.nl/probiblio/nieuw.htm
It is possible to ask questions in English and to see a selection
of real questions asked as shown here with the answer.
'I would like to know what cement is, how it works and how the romans
discoverd it.
On the Internet we found two sites that discuss cement. One discusses the
history and the other gives general information about concrete.' (URL
links given of course.)
Perhaps the EARLweb offers more than the Bibliofoon, but one should be
careful with proclaiming something a world's first.
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Charles L. Citroen Senior external projects officer
Library, Delft University of Technology
P.O. Box 98, 2600 MG Delft, Quality is in the eye
Netherlands of the beholder
[log in to unmask] Phone: +31 15 278 4748 Fax: 15 215 8535
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