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.

Written as a textbook for LIS students taking reference courses, this fully updated and revised seventh edition of Reference and Information Services: An Introduction also serves as a helpful handbook for practitioners to refamiliarize themselves with particular types and formats of sources and to refresh their knowledge on specific service topics. The first section grounds the rest of the textbook with an overview of the foundations of reference and an introduction to the theories, values, and standards that guide reference service. The second section provides an overview of reference services and techniques for service provision, establishing a foundation of knowledge on reference service and extending ethical and social justice perspectives. The third part offers an overview of the information life cycle and dissemination of information, followed by an in-depth examination of information sources by type as well as by broad subject areas. Finally, the concluding section guides the reader through the process of developing and maintaining their own vision of reference practice. This textbook is essential reading for all preservice and working librarians, particularly those concerned with ethical and social justice perspectives on reference work.

Every librarian who teaches in an academic library setting understands the complexities involved in partnering with teaching faculty. Relationships Between Teaching Faculty and Teaching Librarians recounts the efforts of librarians and faculty working together in disciplines across the board to create and sustain connections crucial to the success of library instruction. This unique collection of essays examines various types of partnerships between librarians and faculty (networking, coordination, and collaboration) and addresses the big issues involved, including teaching within an academic discipline, the intricacies of assigning grades, faculty perceptions of library instruction, and the changing role of the reference librarian. Education is the main focus of reference service in today's academic libraries and librarians teach a variety of single-session, course-related, course-integrated, or credit-bearing courses in nearly every discipline. Relationships Between Teaching Faculty and Teaching Librarians reflects the experiences of librarians, teaching faculty, and library directors, whose perspectives range from cynicism to cautious optimism to idealism when it comes to working with teaching faculty. The book includes case studies, surveys, sample questionnaires, statistics, and a toolkit for establishing an effective library liaison program, and examines the teaching and learning environment, course growth and maintenance, and the “professor librarian” model. Relationships Between Teaching Faculty and Teaching Librarians presents lessons learned from seeking a common ground including: a successful faculty/librarian collaboration for educational psychology and counseling a library research project for freshman engineering students a semester-by-semester look at a collaboratively taught graduate research and writing course a survey that determines how librarians and library directors feel about teaching outside the library an analysis of librarians’ attitudes toward faculty an analysis of attitudes that influence faculty collaboration in library instruction a look at innovative methods of increasing the teaching roles of librarians and much more! The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSA/CHE) has mandated that information literacy be included as part of a general education requirement. If your faculty wasn't calling for library instruction before the mandate, it probably is now. Relationships Between Teaching Faculty and Teaching Librarians will help librarians establish communication with faculty that provides a solid foundation for coursework in all disciplines.

The demand for and technology needed to create effective distance learning programs are increasing at a breakneck pace. Is your institution keeping up? As educators, information professionals are faced with the challenge of providing Web-based library instructional materials in a time of ever-changing technologies. This book will help you address that daunting challenge, examining ways to assess user needs, to develop and offer well-thought-out information literacy courses, to employ appropriate teaching methodologies, and to determine the effectiveness of existing information literacy programs. With Distance Learning: Information Access and Services for Virtual Users, you will examine: the evolution and significance of asynchronous learning networks (ALN) and various issues in ALN, including cost, faculty and technology requirements, the nature of the learning community, social presence, and collaborative environment virtual reference services, including electronic journals, subject directories, the invisible Web, and search engines the criteria for evaluating search results the role played by consortia and cooperative efforts in facilitating user access to library resources a review of selected literature addressing user characteristics and service/staff issues involved in providing information support for distance education the strategies, technologies, and pedagogical issues surrounding the development of Web-based library instruction tools—includes Web page design, copyright issues, Web site maintenance, and usability the award-winning online information literacy course developed at Ulster County Community College in New York—its development, course modules, and administrative challenges the library support services provided to distance learning students in the SUNY Plattsburg Telenursing Program the influence of cultural factors on interactions within and perceptions of distance education

The library budget, a topic of primary importance to the reference librarian, is thoroughly examined in this book, first published in 1988. Experts offer insightful suggestions for reference librarians to understand and take responsibility for budget issues, directly and indirectly. They address the ability to explain the budget - which actually entails explaining the collection, the services, and the process in place for managing the fiscal resources - a necessary skill for any reference librarian faced with looming budget cuts. Providing quality services on a limited budget is also explored. The contributors provide helpful essays on convincing the parent agency to provide adequate support, setting goals and priorities, generating revenue, and more.

Design and maintain document delivery services that are ideal for academic patrons! In Document Delivery Services: Contrasting Views, you’ll visit four university library systems to discover the considerations and challenges each library faced in bringing document delivery to its clientele. This book examines the questions about document delivery that are most pressing in the profession of library science. Despite their own unique experiences, you’ll find common practices among all four—including planning, implementation of service, and evaluation of either user satisfaction and/or vendor performance. This book reviews the planning and process of implementing document delivery in: Miami University University of Colorado at Denver University of Montana at Missoula Purdue University Libraries Document Delivery Services: Contrasting Views addresses the paradigm of access versus acquisition and shows you how document delivery can be more integral in the library right alongside full-text databases, Internet access, and reference services. This book focuses on the issues that develop specifically in academic libraries, such as the “invisible” user majority of undergraduate students when considering budget issues and collection development. This book also explores the dynamic relationship between faculty and library administration that can impact events such as serials cancellations, alternative access to materials, and the reorganization of libraries to incorporate enhanced services to users. You’ll find useful information and proven methods concerning these topics: re-engineering library services restructuring a traditional Interlibrary Loan Department into an Information Delivery/Interlibrary Loan Department (ID/ILL) criteria for document delivery vendor selection delivering electronic tables of contents and search strategy outputs to faculty desktops document delivery in academic fee-based information services With Document Delivery Services: Contrasting Views, document delivery becomes more than a simple acquisitions tool or a necessary service; instead it is an enhanced access service that lends greater perspective to library staff and users alike. This handy volume will help expand the role of document delivery services in your own library setting.

Get a unique insight into the image problems librarians face! The Image and Role of the Librarian addresses all aspects of professional identity for librarians, including professional roles, cultural images, popular perceptions, and future trends. The book examines historical representations, stereotypes, and popular culture icons and the r

A problem patron is not one with difficult requests or obscure interests, but one who displays behavior that is deemed destructive, criminal, bothersome, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate. Librarians look at the nature of the problem in academic and public libraries, the impact of such technologies as the Internet and cell phones, and solutions from other professions as well as from the experience of librarians.

This insightful book shows you how to deal with an issue as old as the library profession: interacting with problem patrons. It looks at this fact of life that affects almost every facet of library work and provides practical solutions--some developed within the field and some borrowed from other professions--that will improve reference services for those you serve and make the work of your library staff less stressful, more productive, and increasingly meaningful. Helping the Difficult Library Patron: New Approaches to Examining and Resolving a Long-Standing and Ongoing Problem examines: the nature of the problem from historical and demographic perspectives ways of dealing with the problem in academic and public libraries competency-based training techniques that will empower your frontline staff the impact of new technologies such as cellular phones and the Internet and ways of dealing with the new breeds of difficult patrons that come with them solutions from our colleagues what we can learn from the perspectives of others--psychotherapists, businesspeople, and corporate managers--you even get a Zen Buddhist viewpoint! effective ways to utilize community resources such as campus and local police and much, much more! Nowhere in the library literature have so many practitioners and educators combined their efforts to examine and provide solutions to this ageless problem. Library administrators, staff, and educators will find Helping the Difficult Library Patron a matchless resource!