The Reference Interview Today

More an art than a science, the reference interview requires not only knowing a specific set of skills, but also how to apply those skills in an ever-changing world. Good reference interviews accomplish three goals: establishing contact with the user, determining what the user’s information need actually is, and checking to make sure that the answer actually meets that need completely. Built around timeless service principles including Ranganathan’s Five Laws, The Reference Interview Today: Negotiating and Answering Questions Face to Face, on the Phone, and Virtually is a practical field guide to conducting reference interviews in every modality: face-to-face, phone, chat, text, virtual world such as Second Life, and even mashup reference interviews where multiple modalities are used to answer the question. Following a concise presentation of reference interview basics, the heart of the book is 12 different reference interview scenarios set in different modes and demonstrating a specific principle. Each of these twelve follows a similar construction: a general overview of the principle (for example, save the time of the reader), a script of the reference interview, and then learning questions designed to demonstrate the principle(s) as illustrated in the script. Examples range from assisting faculty members with scholarly resources to helping a high school student with a paper to assisting a hairdresser with a reference question. One scenario is based in the year 2025 to emphasize the timeless nature of reference service. Seamlessly combining both time-honored principles and multiple technologies, this practical book demonstrates how librarians can be as relevant and necessary in the digital age as in the print world. Appropriate for both novice and experienced librarians as well as for LIS students, this concise handbook speaks to those working in or preparing for careers in public, school, academic, and special libraries..

Learn and perfect the skills needed to conduct satisfying reference interviews in the modern technological environment with this easy-to-use guide. In today's technology-driven world, reference librarians must serve users who come into the building as well as remote users who ask via various digital means. With virtual reference and social networking tools now commonplace, reference questions have become more complex and interdisciplinary. The Reference Interview Today will help reference librarians decide which tools and strategies will best serve their diverse group of patrons—in person and in cyberspace. This text covers the skills needed for traditional face-to-face reference and how they can be applied in 2.0 media. Best practices for culturally diverse, disabled, and "difficult" patrons; strategies for public and academic libraries; and virtual technologies like Twitter and Second Life are described. Written by a practicing reference librarian, this invaluable book makes it easy to train paraprofessionals and serves as a guide for experienced librarians to hone their skills in new delivery methods.

Based on the latest research in communication theory but tailored specifically for real-world application, this updated manual speaks equally to the needs of students preparing to enter the profession and those who are already fielding reference inquiries. The authors, working in consultation with a stellar advisory board of scholars and practitioners, present a convenient and comprehensive resource that will teach you how to understand the needs of public, academic, and special library users across any virtual setting—including email, text messaging, and social media—as well as in traditional and face-to-face models of communication. Packed with exercises and examples to help you practice effective reference transactions and avoid common pitfalls, this book tackles the fundamentals of the reference interview, from why it’s important in the first place to methods for setting the stage for a successful interview and techniques for finding out what the library user really wants to know; covers the ins and outs of the readers’ advisory interview; examines a wide range of contexts, such as children, young adults, parents, seniors, adults from diverse communities, and those with disabilities; presents case studies of innovative reference and user encounters at a variety of libraries; offers updated coverage of virtual reference, including new research, virtual reality transcripts, and a look at crowd-sourcing reference via social media; features new content on common microaggressions, with guidance on how to use awareness of emotion as a factor in reference interactions to ensure better outcomes; discusses topics such as respecting/protecting privacy, overcoming assumptions, implicit judgment, the importance of context, determining the real information need, and many other lessons learned from challenging reference encounters; and thoroughly addresses policy and training procedures, as well as the unique challenges faced by paraprofessionals and non-degreed staff. Find your bearings in the continually evolving hybrid reference environment through proven strategies, advice, exercises, and research from three experts in the field.

Reference collections and services have changed considerably in the last three decades. We have moved from all services coming from the reference desk to a more fluid environment where users can be served in person, by phone, email, virtual reference/chat, instant messaging, texting, skyping, etc. Collections have changed too– from print collections, microfilm, microfiche and microcards to e-resources and e-books plus e-research collections in institutional archives. Although we see many libraries still providing traditional services, others have begun to move away from this model and try to develop and offer services and collections which will better serve their user population. With technology changing so fast, users expect to communicate with the library in whatever way they choose. They also want to obtain information with little effort on their part. Managing Reference Today: New Models and Practices • highlights newly developed service models that libraries are developing as well as the way they are handling changing reference collections. • describes new ways of providing reference services and new ideas of how to select and manage reference collections. • Identifies the best practices for meeting the needs of current and future library users in academic, special, and public library settings.

Covering every essential topic ranging from circulation and literacy instruction to reference and security, this benchmark text provides an up-to-date, broadly based view of library public service and its functions. Supplying essential, foundational reading for students of library public services as well as an up-to-date overview for practitioners who wish to refresh their knowledge or acquaint themselves with a new area of responsibility, this book's broad and solid coverage will benefit anyone concerned with developing or maintaining the public face of the library. A revision and expansion of Libraries Unlimited's Introduction to Library Public Services: Seventh Edition, this edition has new chapters covering such topics as e-resources, collections, print and other media, and facilities and funding. Additionally, every chapter has been substantially updated and reorganized to better reflect the role of technology in library services today. The book begins with background information on public services in libraries and an analysis of the library's public service philosophy. Then, the authors delve into staffing and assessment of services, moving logically to major functional areas of public services—reference, instruction, document delivery, circulation and reserves, collections, programming, safety and security issues, and facilities and funding. Real-life anecdotes from public, academic, and school libraries illustrate principles and concepts throughout the book. For each topic, the authors detail its role and philosophy, and offer key points to remember, references, and lists for further reading.

Ideal for public, school, and academic libraries looking to freshen up their reference collection, as well as for LIS students and instructors conducting research, this resource collects the cream of the crop sources of general reference and library science information.

The ninth edition of this popular overview of the various programs and services offered by libraries offers best practice and useful tips for implementing them effectively. Building on the strong foundation of the previous editions, award-winning author G. Edward Evans returns with a new co-author, Stacey Greenwell, for this update that combines their signature style of textbook readability, informality, and sometimes humor, as well as their knack for balancing foundational topics and new trends. A new feature in this edition is the incorporation of the concept of "library social work" through "Social Work Connections" sidebars in each chapter. Anecdotes throughout the text and "Career Connections" sidebars offer practical advice and specific current examples. Greenwell and Evans have combined several chapters from the previous edition and expanded discussions of new trends while retaining and updating the fundamentals. The ninth edition is a welcome update for library and information science courses and a valuable handbook for public services librarians.

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, reader's advisory, 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 section introduces the tools and resources that reference professionals use to provide the services described in the first half of the text.