ABSTRACT
Research on citizen information-seeking suggests that most people in need of coping information tend to use interpersonal sources such as family and friends in preference to formal institutions. Public libraries, owing to their community service mandate, must be prepared to provide information to women who find themselves in abusive situations, as well as to their families and friends. Not surprisingly, most women who use the library to locate information about wife assault may not wish to identify themselves as being battered. Beyond traditional library functions, library and information science practitioners may be of use in linking assaulted women to appropriate help resources by taking on other roles. Much of the information needed by service providers is also useful to policy makers and funding authorities. Information management skills can also be used to assist service providers to organize more effectively their own agency information.
