The all-in-one “Reference reference” you’ve been waiting for, this invaluable book offers a concise introduction to reference sources and services for a variety of readers, from library staff members who are asked to work in the reference department to managers and others who wish to familiarize themselves with this important area of librarianship. Written in an accessible style and designed for everyday use, it presents an overview of the basic tools and techniques of reference work, including “Reference Services,” a section addressing such important topics as telephone reference, the reference interview, and electronic reference “Reference Sources,” chapters which focus on types of reference tools, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, handbooks, and almanacs Appendixes with key documents prepared by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) and an annotated bibliography An excellent training tool for both new and experienced staff, Fundamentals of Reference will quickly become your fundamental reference!

Concerned with the delivery of information and reference services to all user groups.

Make separate library services for distance learners a thing of the past Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners takes a comprehensive look at efforts by librarians and information specialists to provide distance learners with effective services that match those already available on campus. With the development of the World Wide Web and the evolution of Web-based services, reference librarians are adding a human element to the virtual library, blurring the difference between distance learners and traditional users. This unique book examines how they deal with a wide range of related topics, including standards and guidelines, copyright issues, streaming media, and chat and digital references, and presents a historical overview of how reference and instructional services have been delivered to distance users—before and after the creation of the Internet. Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners reveals that librarians do not make a sharp distinction between reference and instruction within the context of distance learning, and that there is no clear boundary between “true” distance learners and more traditional students who might use services designed for nontraditional users. Online capabilities have allowed reference librarians to approximate services advocated by published guidelines and standards, including the ACRL Distance Learning Section’s Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services, to provide a framework for librarians to plan services for off-campus students. Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners provides practical information on: how librarians can “keep IT simple” when designing methods to access reference support why library Web sites are vital sources of communication between the distance learning student and the reference-based instructional component how to set up a university chat service, including software selection, staff training and assessment how to provide students services beyond traditional provision of resources, including advising, enrollment, and payment of fees how to create an online assistance site that incorporates online versions of traditional print handouts, FAQs, subject guides, course-specific guides, learning modules, and instructional videos in one central location how to work with faculty to create online support for students in Blackboard courses the pros and cons of using open-source software how to create an online library assistance site how to create online information literacy course to teach independent research skills to remote students how to avoid copyright infringement and how to educate library personnel about copyright law how to use Camtasia Studio, a screen capture program to create audio and video for online presentations Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners is an invaluable resource for librarians working in academic, school, special, and public settings, and for library science faculty and students.

From the ongoing flood of misinformation to the swift changes occasioned by the pandemic, a myriad of factors is spurring our profession to rethink reference services. Luckily, this classic text is back in a newly overhauled edition that thoughtfully addresses the evolving reference landscape. Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, Cassell and Hiremath's book also serves as the perfect resource to guide current practitioners in their day-to-day work. It teaches failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources, regardless of format. Guided by a national advisory board of educators and experts, this thoroughly updated text presents chapters covering fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics while also offering fresh insights on timely issues, including a basic template for the skills required and expectations demanded of the reference librarian; the pandemic’s effect on reference services and how the ingenuity employed by libraries in providing remote and virtual reference is here to stay; a new chapter dedicated to health information, with a special focus on health equity and information sources; selecting and evaluating reference materials, with strategies for keeping up to date; a heightened emphasis on techniques for evaluating sources for misinformation and ways to give library users the tools to discern facts vs. “fake facts”; reference as programming, readers’ advisory services, developmentally appropriate material for children and young adults, and information literacy; evidence-based guidance on handling microaggressions in reference interactions, featuring discussions of cultural humility and competence alongside recommended resources on implicit bias; managing, assessing, and improving reference services; and the future of information and reference services, encapsulating existing models, materials, and services to project possible evolutions in the dynamic world of reference

Libraries today provide a wider variety of services, collections, and tools than at any time in the past. This book explores how reference librarianship is changing to continue to help users find information they need in this shifting environment.