Form for Reference Questions

[Douglas Cornwell]

Hi,

We have something called "Ask a Cyberspace Librarian a Reference 
Question".  We do not yet use a form, but use a "mailto:" function to 
have them respond via e-mail.  We provide the instructions for what they 
need to supply as part of their e-mail message (including library card 
number, etc.).  Some day when we have more time available, we would would 
like to develop a form for this function.  To find the "Cyberspace 
Librarian", go to the following URL and find the link on that page:

http://www.pbcc.cc.fl.us/llrc/llrc.htm

I have experimented a little with a CGI script for a form with our 
Interlibrary Loan form, but have had trouble in getting it to work 
properly on the server I am using.  I don't have time to sit down and 
learn Perl or C language to do my own CGI script, so have borrowed other 
working CGI scripts (one published in a book) and modified it for our 
form.  Still having trouble with it, so I have specified all output from 
the form to go to an e-mail address.  So far, no one has yet to submit 
anything via this mode, so it has been put on low priority to fix it.  If 
I had to constantly go in and sort out the e-mail I receive using this 
method, I would put the development of the CGI script on a higher 
priority.  Low demand... low priority.

Despite the fact that our response for ILL from the web form is
non-existent, I believe we have received a couple of reference questions
from our web page.  Still not a very high demand. 

Hope that helps.

Douglas Cornwell
dougc at pb.seflin.org
Palm Beach Community College
Lake Worth, FL
(561)439-8121

On Mon, 9 Jun 1997, Memorial Hall Library wrote:

> We are a regional public library in Andover, Massachusetts, in the process
> of developing a web page across which other area libraries can ask us
> Reference questions.  We would be interested in looking at your home page if
> you have any type of form for reference requests, either aimed at patrons or
> at other libraries.  Please send your URL to schaake at mhl.org  .  Thanks in
> advance!  Glenda Schaake, Head of Reference, Memorial Hall Library, Andover,
> MA  508-623-8400. Fax:  508-623-8407
>