Opportunities For Reference Services

Here is a refreshing new book that takes a unique look at the many aspects of reference librarianship. Written by reference librarians for reference librarians, this new volume explores the changing roles of reference services and offers advice and practical ideas to guide librarians through the increasingly tangled maze of duties being thrust upon the reference staff. Although the everyday work of the reference librarian is often taken for granted, these insightful chapters illuminate the essential service performed by the reference librarians as they facilitate access to information for a wide variety of users. Furthermore, this book helps reference librarians face the future by examining the technological and service developments that will challenge their profession. Opportunities for Reference Librarians addresses unique reference problems such as making use of the telephone as an information gathering tool, selecting reference material for the interdisciplinary field of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER), and helping non-law students with legal research. The fascinating anecdotes and encouraging discussions will be invaluable to reference library professionals for years to come. This important book covers a wide variety of topics of interest to reference librarians. Topics related to information systems are examined such as the limitations of end-user online services, and an evaluation of the Library of Congress Information system. Authoritative contributors make recommendations on how to design services to coordinate with the new technology and how to change librarians’roles so they can assist people in using these systems.

This book, first published in 1991, explores the changing roles of reference services and offers advice and practical ideas to guide librarians through the increasingly tangled maze of duties being thrust upon the reference staff. Although the everyday work of the reference librarian is often taken for granted, these insightful chapters illuminate the essential service performed by the reference librarians as they facilitate access to information for a wide variety of users. Furthermore, this book helps reference librarians face the future by examining the technological and service developments that will challenge their profession. It addresses unique reference problems such as making use of the telephone as an information gathering tool, selecting reference material for the interdisciplinary field of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER), and helping non-law students with legal research. Topics related to information systems are examined such as the limitations of end-user online services, and an evaluation of the Library of Congress Information system. Authoritative contributors make recommendations on how to design services to coordinate with the new technology and how to change librarians’ roles so they can assist people in using these systems.

Coming of Age in Reference Services: A Case History of the Washington State University Libraries focuses on the triumphs, trials, ideas, and difficulties of the Holland Library and how these experiences can help other professionals enhance services for patrons. The articles, written by reference librarians at the library, discuss topics such as departmental history and culture, training reference professionals, and user education programs to give you insight into how other librarians solve problems or implement changes. From Coming of Age in Reference Services, you'll receive advice from experienced professionals that can help you create change in your library and help you adapt to the many technological advances related to librarianship. Coming of Age in Reference Services allows you to gain first-hand experience that will guide you through problems or issues that may occur in your library. Addressing the uses and intricacies of electronic information, this book offers you information that will help you with a variety of other topics, including: training and retraining in reference skills and subject knowledge, interpersonal abilities, and thinking skills in order to improve services for the 21st century defining "Generation X," being a member of this generation, and their growing need for information and learning opportunities exploring how long reorganization plans take to be implemented and how the library environment can enhance services for users by discussing the history of Holland Library Public Services focusing on freshman taking English 101 to better teach them how to find information through cultivating better relationships with academic departments, creating web modules to reach more students, and understanding departmental cultures integrating techniques for finding books and using encyclopedias into the University's World Civilization course to encourage critical thinking discussing the impression of American Academic Libraries through the experiences of a Library Fellow from Lithuania Coming of Age in Reference Services leads you through the transformation of the Holland Library, allowing you to learn about the decisions, planning, and ingenuity involved in establishing a modern and more efficient information center. Containing appendices and a chronological timetable documenting the library's history, Coming of Age in References Services offers you knowledge from experience concerning library reorganization and the ever-changing world of a successful reference librarian.

Coming of Age in Reference Services: A Case History of the Washington State University Libraries focuses on the triumphs, trials, ideas, and difficulties of the Holland Library and how these experiences can help other professionals enhance services for patrons. The articles, written by reference librarians at the library, discuss topics such as departmental history and culture, training reference professionals, and user education programs to give you insight into how other librarians solve problems or implement changes. From Coming of Age in Reference Services, you’ll receive advice from experienced professionals that can help you create change in your library and help you adapt to the many technological advances related to librarianship. Coming of Age in Reference Services allows you to gain first-hand experience that will guide you through problems or issues that may occur in your library. Addressing the uses and intricacies of electronic information, this book offers you information that will help you with a variety of other topics, including: training and retraining in reference skills and subject knowledge, interpersonal abilities, and thinking skills in order to improve services for the 21st century defining “Generation X,” being a member of this generation, and their growing need for information and learning opportunities exploring how long reorganization plans take to be implemented and how the library environment can enhance services for users by discussing the history of Holland Library Public Services focusing on freshman taking English 101 to better teach them how to find information through cultivating better relationships with academic departments, creating web modules to reach more students, and understanding departmental cultures integrating techniques for finding books and using encyclopedias into the University’s World Civilization course to encourage critical thinking discussing the impression of American Academic Libraries through the experiences of a Library Fellow from Lithuania Coming of Age in Reference Services leads you through the transformation of the Holland Library, allowing you to learn about the decisions, planning, and ingenuity involved in establishing a modern and more efficient information center. Containing appendices and a chronological timetable documenting the library’s history, Coming of Age in References Services offers you knowledge from experience concerning library reorganization and the ever-changing world of a successful reference librarian.

This comprehensive volume recounts the ways reference librarians have adapted traditional services to deal with the changes in both information technologies and library patrons. New Technologies and Reference Services shows how to provide needed services using videoconferencing, interactive classrooms, drop-in seminars, and required courses. It also discusses the other implications of new technologies, including developing trends in publishing, copyright issues, collection strategies, and decentralizing library reference services.

Get the most out of your reference information systems and technology! Reference Services and Media meets the information challenges that overwhelm and assist us today with computerization, electronics, and telecommunications changes in the reference services of our libraries. As a professional in the library science field, you will discover innovative theories and researched solutions on many technology problems and challenges such as formatting and compatibility, training of reference professionals and library users, costs, and information have and have nots. With the year 2000 and beyond upon us, emerging technologies afford tremendous opportunities for reference librarians and for improved and enhanced public access to information. In Reference Services and Media you will learn about planning for staffing, troubleshooting fund-raising, and budget developing to support the use of information technologies. You will also examine the impact new media has on academic libraries, specifically video and movie clips that are transferred over intranets and internets and their opportunities and legal implications. In Reference Services and Media you will also explore: desktop conferencing and web access for reference services versus personalized contact desktop conferencing with personal computers in remote areas for reference service assistance positive and negative aspects of using each technology in reference use instruction creative methods for procuring funding for an electronic information literary instruction classroom providing a digital library for a state library network raising confidence levels of public service librarians in using electronic resources to answer reference questions Reference Services and Media includes case studies, tables, and an annotated bibliography that serves as a librarian's media reference toolkit, making it essential for effective media reference work. An excellent source for the reference librarian, Reference Services and Media will assist you in adopting and incorporating new information technologies for the present and future.

A dozen articles suggest a variety of ways for libraries to enhance their daily reference service and the image of librarianship, and to bring in more users. They emphasize the interaction of both the staff and the clients with new technology. Also published as The Reference Librarian, no. 39, 1993. No index. The paper edition has the same ISBN. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Contains nine contributions which range from Internet business research, ESL students, and underprivileged, nontraditional students to networking with community business sources and the Internet's impact on government documents.

The most proactive source for business reference librarian information on the market, Business Reference Services and Sources: How End Users and Librarians Work Together shows you that the librarian-customer relationship is as synergistic as ever. It gives you timely facts about how librarians and users work together and how those partnerships are built. In it, you’ll encounter group projects done by faculty, students, external users, and non-librarian supervisors and discover an enlightening spirit of collaboration lacking in most research literature today. Further establishing the marketability of contemporary research librarians, Business Reference Service and Sources goes to the front lines of business reference service, solidifying and updating the librarian-user partnership. You’ll see how research librarians can reach users at the crux of their needs. Overall, individual chapters address the needs of such people as students, business school officials, and corporations. Specifically, you’ll read about these areas: Internet business research and ESL students corporate home pages as supplements to traditional business resources networking with community business sources synergy in the information specialist-customer partnership avoiding information overload in bibliographic instruction the Internet’s impact on government documents assessing the validity of electronic journals underprivileged, nontraditional students and bibliographic instruction Today, in our climate of negative ad campaigns directed at libraries and librarians in general, business reference librarians face many challenges, academic as well as professional. But if you’re one of the vocal, proactive supporters of productive librarian-customer partnerships, this book will help you “grow feet” and move out from behind the restrictive comfort of your desk into the world’s classrooms and manufacturing teams. Certainly, Business References and Sources will convince you that collaborative projects between contemporary reference librarians and end-users are alive and well.

This important volume presents a wealth of practical ideas for improving the art of reference librarianship. Reference Service Expertise provides pragmatic ways for librarians to aid patrons, consider reference collections and how they are employed, and assess various technologies in reference work. Dedicated to the idea that reference service is a benevolent desire to help the sometimes puzzled library user, this unique book describes numerous and varied means to that end and encourages reference librarians to become familiar with the multiple resources available in modern libraries. Reference Service Expertise pinpoints specific areas in which librarians can increase their knowledge in order to become more efficient. These strategies include using a systems approach in reference instruction for library professionals; guidelines for academic librarians to use for evaluating facilities, services, and staff as to how effectively they welcome users and validate their information needs; using team teaching to instruct users about library services; developing legal reference skills to support the constitutional right-to-know in a self-governing society; and helping non-science librarians to become science literate by reading popular science literature, watching science television programs, visiting science museums, and generally increasing their awareness of the problem of science illiteracy among the general population. A wide variety of resources available in today's reference libraries are discussed to help librarians become better informed about the options available to their patrons, including: ERIC and NTIS and the information gap between the two databases resources on the evolving market economy or investments in the Commonwealth of Independent States fee-based services PsycLIT (CD-ROM), PsycINFO (online), and the difference in retrieval patterns using the same vocabulary of terms interactive media centers--advantages and shortcomings Reference librarians in all types of libraries will benefit from chapters that describe specific methods for improving their own personal effectiveness as well as chapters that evaluate specific services and reference tools available for reference library users.

In Philosophies of Reference Service, reference librarians share with you their reflective thinking about what they do as service providers. An important addition to the personal and occupational library of anyone in reference services, this book discusses the origins of reference service, its founding principles, the pleasures and pitfalls of the reference encounter, delivering high-quality service, and much, much more In a clever juxtaposition of the fundamentals of reference service provision with top-notch thinking about the role of the reference librarian and what makes a reference unit effective, Philosophies of Reference Service advocates for continuing familiarity with books in the reference section, recognizing the diversity of service users, and using collegiality in the work environment to boost productivity. It discusses why reference service should move toward instructing people in mediums, not systems, as well as: achieving consistency in reference service through "shared values" the concept of tiered reference services (based on survey research) the little-discussed "art" of reference desk scheduling the importance of knowing your user and making appropriate accommodations partnerships in reference services techniques for conducting reference rovering the advantages of print fostering widely grounded research through reference service why reference librarians share with the corporate world many of the same desired outcomes with regard to service provision Designed to assist readers in defining and developing their own approaches to reference service delivery, Philosophies of Reference Service offers reference librarians insight, practical knowledge, and guidelines for keeping on top of new reference techniques, establishing a partnership between the library and the user population, and maximizing the helpful nature of reference service.

Here is a succinct update on school library reference services for the busy practitioner or student. Exploring the state and state-of-the-art of school library reference services in the 1990s, this book provides an overview of current information skills teaching models, the impact of new technologies on the teaching of reference and the student search process, and assessment and evaluation models for gauging the success of school reference services. School Library Reference Services in the 90s is an informative guide for school media coordinators and specialists, library science graduate students, and professors and researchers in the field to help them understand what students must learn and what teachers must teach to keep everyone up to date in the fast-changing world of reference. School Library Reference Services in the 90s is divided into three sections that cover reference/research teaching models, technology, and evaluation. Topics in the first section include an examination of the current state of affairs in reference teaching, a look at various models for integrating library research and reference skills into the curricula, and discussions of the effects of these new models on the school librarian's role. Section two addresses the profound effect new technologies, such as CD-ROM, multimedia, CD-I and CD-TV, are having on both the teaching of reference and information skills and on the entire research process from initiation to production of the final student report. The last section presents three models for assessing the effectiveness of school reference services and skills instruction. School library reference services, and particularly library instruction, are changing dramatically in the 1990s as a result of the information age. School Library Reference Services in the 90s helps professionals in the field stay abreast of current developments and be more effective in their jobs.

Extensive data on the theoretical and practical aspects of electronic reference services! Digital Reference Services provides an overview of electronic reference services and software, and explores the opportunities that real-time digital reference services can offer in a variety of library settings. Experts in the field convey numerous opinions and theory about the growth of this new approach to answering reference questions. This book teaches librarians new methods and techniques for offering technologically advanced reference services to the public. The first half of Digital Reference Services includes such topics as: real-time or “live online” reference services the historical development of digital reference services and the role of the reference librarian mediated online searches how to create a virtual-ready reference collection of elite reference Web sites—includes a list of the top sites available to the public how to start and operate a digital reference desk in your library The second half of Digital Reference Services covers examples of libraries—both large and small—which have used revolutionary ideas to bring electronic reference services to their patrons. These ideas include: utilizing ATM-like kiosks in remote locations from library buildings to connect with underserved populations implementing live, interactive web-based reference services—the challenges and benefits, cost, training, and workload requirements evaluating your real-time references services—investigating self-assessment and blind reviewing, incorporating your assessment into an existing evaluative program, and obtaining the administrative support essential for an accurate assessment creating a statewide virtual reference system—selecting software, developing policy, marketing, coordinating the project, and staffing and training online reference management for smaller libraries—because of the smaller staff, smaller budget, and smaller amount of patrons, is it a feasible addition to the library? much more! This well-referenced volume contains case examples, figures, useful Web sites, and case histories to show how the basic principles of digital reference services work. Librarians and students of information and library science will find Digital Reference Services a helpful resource to enhance their library and electronic reference expertise.

This revised and updated sixth edition of Reference and Information Services continues the book's rich tradition, covering all phases of reference and information services with less emphasis on print and more emphasis on strategies and scenarios. Reference and Information Services is the go-to textbook for MSLIS and i-School courses on reference services and related topics. It is also a helpful handbook for practitioners. Authors include LIS faculty and professionals who have relevant degrees in their areas and who have published extensively on their topics. The first half of the book provides an overview of reference services and techniques for service provision, including the reference interview, ethics, instruction, evaluation and assessment, and services to diverse populations including children. This part of the book establishes a foundation of knowledge on reference service and frames each topic with ethical and social justice perspectives. The second part of the book offers an overview of the information life cycle and dissemination of information, followed by an in-depth examination of information sources by type-including dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, and abstracts-as well as by broad subject areas including government, statistics and data, health, and legal information. This second part introduces the tools and resources that reference professionals use to provide the services described in the first half of the text. Reference and Information Services is a recognized textbook for information retrieval courses and updates the previous edition Editors and contributors are experts in the field Activity boxes engage readers and invite them to reflect on what they are learning and practice skills through real-life exercises Conscious integration of critical theory and social justice perspectives offers critical reflection on the standards and practices of the field and encourages readers to consider alternate perspectives

Thoroughly updated, this is the essential guide to one of the most fundamental fields in the library profession. It links you—and through you, your patrons—to the significant changes that have occurred in reference and information sciences with emphasis on the growth of digital content. • Provides a comprehensive text edited by two highly regarded experts in reference and academic librarianship, Linda C. Smith and Melissa A. Wong, with chapters written by some of the best minds in the library science field • Includes newly updated information that reflects today's realities in reference service with an indication of how reference service may be provided to meet changing patron needs in the future • Encompasses the effective use of print sources, free online sources, and fee-based sources • Features individual chapters that can be used for in-service staff training or in student course packs

Extensive data on the theoretical and practical aspects of electronic reference services! Digital Reference Services provides an overview of electronic reference services and software, and explores the opportunities that real-time digital reference services can offer in a variety of library settings. Experts in the field convey numerous opinions and theory about the growth of this new approach to answering reference questions. This book teaches librarians new methods and techniques for offering technologically advanced reference services to the public. The first half of Digital Reference Services includes such topics as: real-time or “live online” reference services the historical development of digital reference services and the role of the reference librarian mediated online searches how to create a virtual-ready reference collection of elite reference Web sites—includes a list of the top sites available to the public how to start and operate a digital reference desk in your library The second half of Digital Reference Services covers examples of libraries—both large and small—which have used revolutionary ideas to bring electronic reference services to their patrons. These ideas include: utilizing ATM-like kiosks in remote locations from library buildings to connect with underserved populations implementing live, interactive web-based reference services—the challenges and benefits, cost, training, and workload requirements evaluating your real-time references services—investigating self-assessment and blind reviewing, incorporating your assessment into an existing evaluative program, and obtaining the administrative support essential for an accurate assessment creating a statewide virtual reference system—selecting software, developing policy, marketing, coordinating the project, and staffing and training online reference management for smaller libraries—because of the smaller staff, smaller budget, and smaller amount of patrons, is it a feasible addition to the library? much more! This well-referenced volume contains case examples, figures, useful Web sites, and case histories to show how the basic principles of digital reference services work. Librarians and students of information and library science will find Digital Reference Services a helpful resource to enhance their library and electronic reference expertise.

The most user-friendly book on Internet library research to date, Reference Sources on the Internet: Off the Shelf and Onto the Web gives you a core list of online resources that will save those who visit your library considerable time. Its menu of current reference sites will help you wade through the mire of irrelevant, unreliable material and zero in on the cyberinfo that will more economically and accurately satisfy your users’needs. While online research has by no means replaced in-house paper materials, Resources on the Internet makes it clear that you can?t ignore the timely information that hovers only in cyberspace, outside the traditional library?s four walls. In this book, you?ll learn which search tools are out there, how to determine source reliability, and how to quickly frame a reference need in light of the existing collection of Internet resources. Here?s a quick search list of what you?ll find: a comparative study of existing search engines pinpointing career, government, patent, and geographical information sites covering education, psychology, finance, social science, and private business international trade sites accessing information on gender and cultural issues the performing arts, architecture, world history, languages, and literature sports and entertainment sources life, biological, and earth science sites In an era of library research where surfing the Internet for germane data too often means plowing through the home pages of Vanna White and Pennzoil, Resources on the Internet will teach you the idiosyncracies of the existing search engines while schooling you in how to weed out the propaganda. You?ll save yourself and your researchers time, and you?ll find yourself surfing from the stillwaters of research stagnance to the pipeline of library productivity.