"My mother can't quite understand why I decided to go to library school" -What patrons say about library staff when asking government documents reference questions at depository libraries

This article examines the written comments of proxies participating in an u nobtrusive nationwide study of government documents reference service in Ca nada. Proxies submitted overviews about the quality of reference service th ey received. On the whole, proxies were disappointed in how they were treat ed by depository library staff. For example, reference personnel were criti cized for providing numerous unmonitored referrals, telling users that the questions were too difficult, and for not being sufficiently knowledgeable about government documents. Some aspects of reference service, such as use of multiple sources and collaboration among staff, received positive commen ts. Proxies also made a number of salient recommendations for improving gov ernment documents reference service in Canada. If depository libraries are to survive as vital links in the transmission of government information to the public, the knowledge level and service ethic of staff needs significan t improvement. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.