Reference and Information Services ─ An Introduction

Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, this is the perfect text for students and librarians looking to expand their personal reference knowledge, teaching 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 practitioners, this thoroughly updated text expertly keeps up with new technologies and practices while remaining grounded in the basics of reference work. Chapters on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics provide a solid foundation; the text also offers fresh insight on core issues, including •ethics, readers’ advisory, information literacy, and other key aspects of reference librarianship; •selecting and evaluating reference materials, with strategies for keeping up to date; •assessing and improving reference services; •guidance on conducting reference interviews with a range of different library users, including children and young adults; •a new discussion of reference as programming; •important special reference topics such as Google search, 24/7 reference, and virtual reference; and •delivering reference services across multiple platforms As librarians experience a changing climate for all information services professionals, in this book Cassell and Hiremath provide the tools needed to manage the ebb and flow of changing reference services in today’s libraries.