Reference and Information Services

An Introduction

Kay Ann Cassell, Uma Hiremath

• Publisher: ALA Neal-Schuman
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9780838915684
• eBook ISBN:
  9780838917060
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Library & Information Science
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

PART I

Fundamental Concepts

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Reference and Information Services

A CHANGING REFERENCE landscape dominates the current conversation on reference and information services. Although such services’ mission and goals remain steady, the way they are provided is constantly changing. The development of subscription and free electronic resources has changed the sources of information available, while virtual reference has made it possible to reach users no matter where they are. Librarians and library users are constantly bombarded with a wide range of information choices that must be evaluated for authenticity and accuracy. Whether at home on their computers or wandering through the stacks, many people feel as though they are drowning in a sea of information. New media and technologies link users to this new and growing body of global knowledge and enable librarians to assist them virtually as well as face-to-face. Reference services are at once a life raft, map, and compass to those who feel adrift. In providing users with a combination of personalized services in a timely manner, libraries reaffirm their centrality as twenty-first-century public institutions par excellence.

For all its contemporary relevance, the concept of reference service is over a century old. In 1876, Samuel Green, librarian of the Worcester Free Public Library in Massachusetts, developed the idea of having librarians assist users in the selection of books to suit their needs. This served a dual function, increasing the use of his library’s collection and thereby demonstrating the need for the library. Green saw the role of the public library as one of welcoming users by having a pleasant and cultivated female staff (Genz, 1998). Some forty years later, in 1915, at the thirty-seventh meeting of the American Library Association, a paper on reference work was delivered by William Warner Bishop, the superintendent of the Reading Room of the Library of Congress. Bishop defined reference work as “the service rendered by a librarian in aid of some sort of study,” claiming that it was “an organized effort on the part of libraries in aid of the most expeditious and fruitful use of their books” (Genz, 1998: 511).

Charles Williamson further developed the idea of reference service in his 1923 report “Training for Library Service: A Report Prepared for the Carnegie Corporation of New York,” which included a course description for reference work:

A study of the standard works of reference, general and special encyclopedias, dictionaries, annuals, indexes to periodicals, ready reference manuals of every kind, special bibliographies, and the more important newspapers and periodicals. Works of similar scope are compared, and the limitations of each pointed out. Lists of questions made up from practical experience are given, and the method of finding the answers discussed in the class. (Genz, 1998: 513)

More recently, several authors, including William A. Katz (2001) and Linda C. Smith and Melissa A. Wong (2016), wrote reference texts in which they continued to refine the role of the reference librarian over the subsequent decades.

Perhaps the most important point to remember is that reference service seeks to fulfill the greater mission of the library by assisting individual users. Despite the many transformations that have been wrought on reference work by developments of our information society and paradigm shifts in the self-understandings of the library, much has remained the same. First and foremost, it is still a service in which the librarian interacts with the patron on a one-to-one basis, whether in person or virtually. This level of personal service has become even more important in the twenty-first century in light of the alienating and depersonalizing effects of many information technologies. On the other hand, the way in which librarians provide such service has changed considerably—it now extends beyond face-to-face assistance thanks to the availability of the telephone, e-mail, and the technology for chat and instant messaging (IM) reference. Even social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are now involved.

ETHICS

Ethical awareness and engagement is a crucial aspect of all library services, and the ideals that have been established for the profession generally apply fully to those working in reference services. Just as therapists would do their patients little good if they did not keep their patients’ information confidential, reference librarians must follow certain standards of behavior if the service they provide is to be effective. The American Library Association’s current Code of Ethics, last revised in 2008, provides a useful guide. This code upholds a variety of the principles essential to the modern library.

The code encourages librarians to provide the same high level of service to all library users and to provide information that is “accurate, unbiased and courteous.” This statement is at the heart of good reference service, which strives to provide high-quality information and information to all. Reference staff must understand what constitutes a good reference interaction and must strive to meet that standard with each user query (Bunge, 1999).

The code calls for upholding the principles of intellectual freedom and resisting attempts to censor library materials. Resource selection is reflected in this statement, as librarians are encouraged to provide information on a subject from many points of view. The code goes on to insist on the user’s right to privacy and confidentiality in requesting and using library resources. Reference librarians must be particularly cognizant of this professional obligation. They must respect the privacy of users by keeping their reference interviews and the resources used confidential.

Intellectual property rights, addressed in the code, are of increasing importance in libraries. Librarians must keep current with changes in intellectual property laws—especially copyright—and keep their users aware of these laws. Librarians must know when copying is covered under the “fair use” provision of the law and when copying violates the copyright law. This is more than good in itself; it also helps protect the institution, its employees, and its users from claims of copyright infringement and intellectual dishonesty.

The relationship between personal interests and professional responsibilities is discussed in the code. The respectful treatment of coworkers and colleagues and the safeguarding of the rights of all employees are encouraged. Library employees are cautioned not to put private interests ahead of library interests. This means that employees should be circumspect in their dealings with library vendors and other outsiders so their decisions are made on professional merit and are not influenced by personal interests.

The code also cautions library employees not to put personal convictions or beliefs ahead of library interests. This is of special significance to reference librarians. Sometimes a librarian must help a user research an area that is personally against the librarian’s own beliefs or philosophy. By putting professional duties first, the librarian can successfully assist the user and provide the information needed.

Other professional library organizations have their own codes of ethics. These include, among others, the Association for Information Science and Technology, the Society of American Archivists, the Medical Library Association, and the American Association of Law Libraries. A more in-depth discussion of ethics is presented in chapter 17.

KINDS OF INFORMATION SERVICE

Information service is the process of resolving information needs of users in response to a particular question, interest, assignment, or problem and building positive relationships with users (Radford, 1999). The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association defines reference transactions, sometimes referred to as reference service, as “information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help others to meet particular information needs” (RUSA, 2008). These reference transactions can take place in person, on the telephone, or virtually via e-mail, chat reference, instant messaging, social media, or videoconferencing. Librarians are also creating websites, answer archives, and links to “frequently asked questions”—all of which are designed to anticipate user questions and help people independently find information. Traditional reference desk service continues to be highly valued by library users in many settings, but newer forms of virtual communication such as e-mail, chat reference, and texting have become extremely popular. Consequently, it is all the more important for librarians to understand the range of inquiries that can be expected, allowing them to provide a full and ready answer, regardless of the form through which the query arises or through which the answer is delivered.

Answering Reference Questions

In light of the immense diversity and range of possible questions, being approached by a patron with an information need can seem like a daunting prospect. Indeed, much of the difficulty of information services arises from uncertainty about the kind of service or breadth of information called for by a given question. Categorizing reference questions by type is a useful way to make sense of such concerns. Three common types of reference questions are ready reference questions, research questions, and bibliographic verification.

Ready reference questions such as “Where is Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library?,” “Who won the 2014 World Series?,” “What is the capital of Cambodia?,” or “What countries use the Euro?” can be readily answered using a general reference source. The librarian may be tempted to tell the user the answer to simple ready reference questions. Yet here the saying “Giving a man a fish feeds him for a day while teaching him to fish feeds him for a lifetime” helps to explain the importance of providing instruction when possible. No matter how simple they initially seem, ready reference questions provide the opportunity for teachable moments. Taking into consideration users’ needs and willingness to engage in instruction, librarians should lead users through the process of looking up the information rather than simply provide the solution.

Librarians who assist users with ready reference inquiries on a regular basis sometimes choose to create a “ready reference” section of the most commonly used resources—either in print or on the library’s website—to answer quick questions. Typically, such sections include a general all-purpose encyclopedia, dictionaries, almanacs, and handbooks. Librarians should keep the sources up-to-date and also avoid depending so heavily on this subset of the collection that other sources are overlooked by library users and librarians. Ready reference questions have diminished due to the ease of answering basic questions through search engines such as Google, though a study found that for chat reference about 30 percent of the questions were ready reference (Connaway and Radford, 2011). Thus, ready reference remains a cornerstone of information services, and librarians should be poised to provide it at any time.

Research questions are more complex, may take much longer to answer, and typically require multiple sources of information. These are often the questions that require the user to consider a variety of sources and viewpoints and to subsequently draw conclusions. Sometimes questions that initially seem like ready reference questions are found to be far more complex, as previously hidden facets of the user’s inquiry are revealed. Here, the variety of possible sources increases with the complexity of users’ questions. Librarians should, for example, guide users in the use of bibliographic sources, databases, and other reference materials. Likewise, users with complex questions may need guidance as to how to find or request the full text of articles for which electronic databases offer only citations, allowing them to move beyond cursory surveys of the literature.

Research questions, especially if users are unable to fully articulate the nature of their queries, require librarians to ask additional questions through the reference interview as a means of understanding the nature of the requests before setting out to help the patrons answer them. The librarian will need to determine how much information is needed, what level of information is needed, and what other sources hav...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Part I. Fundamental Concepts
• Part II. Introduction to Major Reference Sources
• Part III. Special Topics in Reference and Information Work
• Part IV. Developing and Managing Reference Collections and Services
• Appendix. RUSA Outstanding Reference Sources 2007–2018
• About the Authors and Contributors
• Index of Reference Resources
• Subject Index