At many academic libraries, spiral notebooks and three ring binders have given way to blogs and wikis as a means of facilitating communication at the reference desk. Western Kentucky UniversityNo one is better trained to find and retrieve the appropriate information than a good reference librarian. It is strange then that, for all of our skill in guiding others to obscure facts and resources, one of the thorniest problems we deal with in reference is internal communication, learning to effectively document and distribute the many bits of information, news, and procedural changes we need for effective reference services. Even in small libraries, it is a challenge to ensure that all reference staff-often working evening or weekend hours when regular staff members are not present-stay fully informed of important changes. These difficulties only mount in larger libraries covering multiple floors, buildings, and campuses.Traditionally, the internal communications needs of library reference were fulfilled, if not by simple word of mouth, then by a wide variety of paper contraptions and contrivances (see Bejune and Morris for an excellent review).1 Most common, perhaps, was the ubiquitous reference notebook. Spiral-bound or loose-leaf, in greater or lesser detail, this fixture of the reference desk was the instant messaging system of its day. It allowed staff to write down events and updates relevant to the reference desk. It could also include notes and discussions passed to and fro among the staff. Many libraries provided sections within the notebook for necessary and hard-to-find information, such as specific policies, special holiday hours, phone numbers, and perhaps even some common reference items. As long as everyone wrote everything down in the notebook, and as long as everyone read it, the news moved on. Predictably, the results were spotty but adequate for the purpose and the times. In recent years, however, we
