Reference Librarianship

Reference Librarianship PDF Author: Peter Sprenkle
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136440119
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
A daily diary of actual interactions between a reference desk librarian and his patrons Reference Librarianship documents a year in the life of a young librarian working in the “trenches” at a library in the Midwestern United States. This one-of-a-kind book provides a daily diary of every librarian/patron transaction—no matter how mundane or absurd—to demonstrate not only how advances in technology have affected the reference librarian’s job, but how the public’s expectations have changed, as well. The book also includes observations by a now-retired reference librarian on the current state of the field based on these unedited interactions. Over the past two decades, the job of reference librarian has seen many changes. But in many ways, reference desk work hasn’t changed a bit, with its mix of odd, humorous, routine, and ridiculous requests that capture what it’s like to deal with patrons day after day. Reference Librarianship paints a clear picture of the field for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical support to practitioners, and reminds library administrators of what life was like on the “front lines.” A sampling of the daily transactions documented in Reference Librarianship: Monday, May 19, 2003: pencil pencil network down I tell people that I can’t sign them up for an Internet terminal because the network is down and they just stand there, staring into space One of them asks for three days worth of newspapers microfiche machine explanation Sorry, Sir, the network is still down (multiply by twenty and insert randomly into the remainder of the day) magic tricks, but he pretty much knew where they were One of our large interior plate glass windows shattered. No one was hurt and it made a fascinating noise, like a crystal waterfall landing on soil. “Books on prostitution, you know—whores?” Someone from the County called to ask if any criminal activity had occurred on a particular street. Someone else referred her to us. She was dubious—with good reason. “Math puzzles.” Okay. I show him the books. “Just math.” Certainly. I show him the books. “I need them in Spanish.” Grrr ... Reference Librarianship is an enlightening, educational, and entertaining look at the real world of reference desk work. It’s an essential read for reference librarians (both public and academic), library administrators, and library school students, as well as anyone who works with the public.

Reference Librarianship

Reference Librarianship PDF Author: Peter Sprenkle
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136440119
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Get Book

Book Description
A daily diary of actual interactions between a reference desk librarian and his patrons Reference Librarianship documents a year in the life of a young librarian working in the “trenches” at a library in the Midwestern United States. This one-of-a-kind book provides a daily diary of every librarian/patron transaction—no matter how mundane or absurd—to demonstrate not only how advances in technology have affected the reference librarian’s job, but how the public’s expectations have changed, as well. The book also includes observations by a now-retired reference librarian on the current state of the field based on these unedited interactions. Over the past two decades, the job of reference librarian has seen many changes. But in many ways, reference desk work hasn’t changed a bit, with its mix of odd, humorous, routine, and ridiculous requests that capture what it’s like to deal with patrons day after day. Reference Librarianship paints a clear picture of the field for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical support to practitioners, and reminds library administrators of what life was like on the “front lines.” A sampling of the daily transactions documented in Reference Librarianship: Monday, May 19, 2003: pencil pencil network down I tell people that I can’t sign them up for an Internet terminal because the network is down and they just stand there, staring into space One of them asks for three days worth of newspapers microfiche machine explanation Sorry, Sir, the network is still down (multiply by twenty and insert randomly into the remainder of the day) magic tricks, but he pretty much knew where they were One of our large interior plate glass windows shattered. No one was hurt and it made a fascinating noise, like a crystal waterfall landing on soil. “Books on prostitution, you know—whores?” Someone from the County called to ask if any criminal activity had occurred on a particular street. Someone else referred her to us. She was dubious—with good reason. “Math puzzles.” Okay. I show him the books. “Just math.” Certainly. I show him the books. “I need them in Spanish.” Grrr ... Reference Librarianship is an enlightening, educational, and entertaining look at the real world of reference desk work. It’s an essential read for reference librarians (both public and academic), library administrators, and library school students, as well as anyone who works with the public.

Continuing Education of Reference Librarians

Continuing Education of Reference Librarians PDF Author: William A. Katz
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9781560240204
Category : Librarians
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Here is a crucial book on the neglected issue of continuing education of reference librarians. For librarians seeking to enhance and maintain a high level of quality reference work and for managers who must assure that their staffs receive the basics in continuing education, this is essential reading. Continuing Education of Reference Librarians addresses the concerns of all librarians that they must be informed and educated in order to excel in their work. In the first several chapters of this comprehensive volume, on-the-job librarians focus on the increased need for nontraditional approaches to continuing education and training of reference staff. They offer practical ways of making additional training both useful and relatively easy to carry out within the library setting. Teachers of reference offer suggestions for contending with current formal courses, and they also examine the responsibilities of not only the reference librarian but also the bibliographer and faculty member in staying abreast of current trends. Also in this broad-based look at continuing education is a list of critical skills most librarians expect of their reference people, including reference interview techniques, mastery of basic reference sources, and an understanding of new technologies; a review of the most revolutionary change in teaching reference librarianship in the last 100 years--the online search; and a discussion on ethics, including the need for librarians to be aware of the basic documents of the American Library Association, and more importantly, the need to treat all library users equally, in terms of access and service, regardless of status and personal prejudice. Continuing Education of Reference Librarians focuses on specific types of training for librarians. Authorities explain pioneering programs in California and Maryland which deal with teaching basic reference tools to beginning librarians and paraprofessionals. They also discuss the role of multitype networks in continuing education as the most cost and time efficient means available today, and the use of self-directed contract learning as a method that requires long-term planning and rewards in contrast to the immediate results of a short-term plan of education. The management perspective of continuing education is also included. Working library directors offer their observations on sound, inspirational approaches to continuing education. They also examine the critical role department heads play as mentor to beginning reference librarians.

Reading and the Reference Librarian

Reading and the Reference Librarian PDF Author: Juris Dilevko
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786480459
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
Reference librarians are no longer expected to know much about the information they find; they are merely expected to find it. Technological competency rather than knowledge has become the order of the day. In many respects, reference service has become a matter of typing search terms into a library's online catalog or a web search engine and providing the patron with the results of the search. Calling for a re-intellectualization of reference librarianship, this book suggests another approach to providing quality reference service--reading. The authors surveyed both academic reference librarians and public library reference personnel in the United States and Canada about their reading habits. From the 950 responses, the authors present findings about the extent to which librarians read newspapers, periodicals, fiction and nonfiction, and recount and analyze stories about how reading has made them better librarians. The authors also report that North American professors in the humanities and social sciences believe that the best reference librarians are those who have wide-ranging, subject-based knowledge as opposed to the type of process-based, functional knowledge that is increasingly dominating the curricula of many Library and Information Science programs.

Continuing Education of Reference Librarians

Continuing Education of Reference Librarians PDF Author: Bill Katz
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000757730
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
This book, first published in 1990, addresses the concerns of librarians that they must be informed and educated in order to excel in their work. It focuses on specific types of training for librarians. Authorities explain pioneering programs in California and Maryland which deal with teaching basic reference tools to beginning librarians and paraprofessionals. They also discuss the role of multitype networks in continuing education as the most cost and time efficient means available today, and the use of self-directed contract learning as a method that requires long-term planning and rewards in contrast to the immediate results of a short-term plan of education. The management perspective of continuing education is also included. Working library directors offer their observations on sound, inspirational approaches to continuing education. They also examine the critical role department heads play as mentor to beginning reference librarians.

Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book

Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book PDF Author: Ray Prytherch
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317123611
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 768

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Book Description
Listing over 10,000 entries, Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book spans everything from traditional printing terms to search engines and from book formats to URLs. Revisions for this tenth edition have centred in particular on the Information Society and its ramifications, on the general shift towards electronic resources, and on e-commerce, e-learning and e-government, whilst at the same time maintaining key areas predating the IT revolution. Web terminology, URLs and IT terms have been checked and updated, and coverage of terms relating to digitization and digital resources, portals, multimedia and electronic products has been revised or expanded as necessary. Harrod's Glossary now includes Knowledge Management terms, and this edition has also focused on developments in the field of intellectual property, copyright, patents, privacy and piracy. It gives wide international coverage of names, addresses and URLs of major libraries and other important organizations in the information sector, of professional associations, fellowships, networks, government bodies, projects and programmes, consortia and institutions, influential reports and other key publications. Entries are included on classification and file coding, on records management and archiving and on both the latest and the most enduring aspects of library and information skills. Even with the Web at your fingertips Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book remains a quicker reference for explaining specialist terms, jargon and acronyms, and for finding the URLs you need, whether you are working in a print-based or digital library, in archiving, records management, conservation, bookselling or publishing.

The Reference Librarian and Implications of Mediation

The Reference Librarian and Implications of Mediation PDF Author: M. Keith Ewing
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000759148
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
This book, first published in 1992, examines the reference librarian's role as a connecting link between information seekers and the resources they need. It provides the best approaches to providing resolutions or guidance to the appropriate resources. It analyses librarians’ reference skills, communication abilities, accuracy in responding to specific inquiries, and sensitivity to various groups such as paraprofessionals and non-traditional patrons. This provocative book encourages librarians to go beyond merely providing an answer or resource to helping clients better understand the physical surroundings, the social or educational context, and the ethical, political and economic climate in which the process takes place.

Conflicts in Reference Services

Conflicts in Reference Services PDF Author: William A. Katz
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780866563857
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
This collection examines issues such as the discussion of goals and rationales for charging for online searches, conflicts between reference and other library departments, how to provide quality service and who is best suited to provide it.

Legal Reference for Librarians

Legal Reference for Librarians PDF Author: Paul D. Healey
Publisher: American Library Association
ISBN: 083891117X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
In recent years the number of Americans who have decided to handle their own legal affairs without the help of a lawyer has skyrocketed. Ranging from people writing their own wills or drafting a contract to those trying to represent themselves in court, they’re going to public and academic libraries for answers. As both an attorney and a librarian, Healy’s background makes him uniquely qualified to advise library staff on providing users with the legal information they seek, and in this handbook, he Provides a concise orientation on legal research, including strategies for finding information quickly and a handpicked compendium of the best resources Offers guidance on how to provide advice on legal research while steering clear of liability Covers federal legal reference as well as all 50 states, with a comprehensive list of web-based legal resources Library staff can provide valuable and ethical legal reference guidance with the practical guidance in this book.

Providing Reference Services

Providing Reference Services PDF Author: John Gottfried
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442279125
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Providing Reference Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians was written with the working librarian in mind; it focuses on specific methods and information to help foster effective, exceptional results. Topics covered include: Reference services: basic information and background Reference resources and tutorials Organizing and providing services Staffing and performance management Forming helpful partnerships (internal and external) The future of reference Readers will come away with a solid foundation in reference services. They will have the knowledge to update or restructure an existing reference program, or to create a program from the ground up. Individual chapters and subsections provide constructive tips and advice for specific reference issues. Taken as a whole, this book provides a valuable, inclusive source of information for all major aspects of reference service. Providing Reference Services is an appropriate resource for nearly all librarians in public-service positions, especially those with reference responsibilities, whether they are working reference librarians at any level of experience, reference supervisors, or administrators with oversight of reference services. The content is relevant to academic, public, school, and special libraries—any library or organization, in fact, that offers reference or research assistance.

The Reference Librarian's Bible

The Reference Librarian's Bible PDF Author: Steven W. Sowards
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
Divided into dedicated categories about the subjects most meaningful to librarians, this valuable resource reviews 500 texts across all major fields. Drawing on their collective experience in reference services and sifting through nearly 30,000 reviews in ARBAonline, editors Steven Sowards, associate director for collection at Michigan State University Libraries, and Juneal Chenoweth, editor of American Reference Books Annual, curated this collection of titles, most of which have been published since 2000, to serve collections and reference librarians in academic and public libraries. From the Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences and Encyclopedia of the Civil War to the Encyclopedia of Physics, Encyclopedia of Insects, and Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants to the formidable Oxford English Dictionary, The Reference Librarian's Bible encompasses every subject imaginable and will be your first stop for choosing and evaluating your library's collections as well as for answering patrons' questions.