ABSTRACT
This article describes the development and use of a microcomputer reference assistance program at the University of Houston Library. We discuss the development environment, including the interests and concerns of the staff and the limitations on available resources. We describe the development process, which began with a concept, continued with the formulation of objectives and the preparation of initial drafts of both the computer program and the content of the presentation, and has been carried through to completion and public implementation. We describe the major modules of our computer presentation of over 350 screens of information, which has been available for public use on four IBM XTs since January 1987. We then address the integration of the ongoing management of the changes of content and the statistics produced by the program into the clerical support functions of our department. Finally, we present what we have learned from users of the public presentation, discuss how the system has worked to date, and touch on some future directions we are contemplating.
