Carla-Mae,
A couple things:
We conducted a survey of students and got a clear message about what they want or expect when they come into the art library.
In response, we weeded and reduced the reference collection to half-height shelving; much less imposing. The top offers space to lay books for browsing. Most of the weeded works were put in the fine arts stacks.
Second, we moved it to a spot near to the service point; easier to find, easier to provide quick reference. It is clearly labelled.
The reduced collection gets a lot more browsers now, and nobody asks where it is anymore (a clear indication that they are finding it).
On the subject of digital resources, the users (and faculty) have indicated that aside from properly illustrated journal content, they are not really interested in digital reference works. This is reflected in the rather low usage of the online reference resources that we do offer.
Gary
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Gary Ginther, Fine Arts Librarian
Frederick & Kazuko Harris Arts Collection, Ohio University