Introduction to Reference Work in the Digital Age

Front Cover
Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2003 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 213 pages
Table of Contents: Preface xi; Acknowledgments xv; Chapter 1: Reference, Digital and Otherwise 1; What Is Reference? 1; Reference According to RUSA 2; Reference According to Katz, Bopp, and Smith 4; Why Is It Called "Reference" Anyway? 5; A Brief History of Reference 6; The Nineteenth Century 6; The Twentieth Century 11; The Present 15; The Future 17; Why Libraries Offer Reference Services 20; The Values behind Reference Work 23; Digital Reference 27; Defining Digital Reference 29; That Which We Call Reference Is at a Crucial Turning Point 30; Questions for Review 32; Endnotes 34; References 35; Chapter 2: Understanding Users, Communities, and Their Needs 37; Planning for Reference Services in a Digital Age 40; Serving the New 24/7 User 45; The Changing Role of the Reference Interview 47; The Synchronous Reference Interview 48; The Asynchronous Reference Interview 49; Today's Reference Noninterview 51; Asynchronous Reference Service Models 54; E-mail and Web Forms 55; Asking Why 61; Limitations of Web Forms 62; Design Considerations for Web-Based Forms 64; Asynchronous Interactivity 66; Questions for Review 68; Endnotes 70; References 71; Chapter 3: Responding to Information Needs 73; Mediation: What We Do Best 74; Conducting the Search 76; Digital Reference Process Issues 80; Selecting the Right Resources 81; Choosing the Right Interfaces 82; Recognizing the Good Enough Response 83; Utilizing Print Resources 84; Respecting Intellectual Property and Copyright 84; Guidelines and Policies for Asynchronous Reference Services 85; Guideline 1: What to Do before Trying to Answer a Question 85; Guideline 2: When to Give Up 87; Guideline 3: Mandatory Response Components 88; Guideline 4: Transcript Records 92; Guideline 5: User Privacy Policies 93; Guideline 6: Closure 95; Asynchronous Guideline Checklist 96; Real-Life Questions and Responses 97; Idiom Search 97; Franklin's Passed Gas 98; History Videos for Kids 99; Guidelines for Synchronous Reference 101; Transcript Excerpt from Synchronous Reference 103; Professional Collaborations for Providing Reference Service 104; Stumpers-L 105; Do Reference Collaborations Go Against the Grain? 105; Ask-an-Expert Services 107; Answering In-House Questions Digitally 108; Breaking Boundaries of Time and Space 109; Questions for Review 110; Endnotes 111; References 111; Chapter 4: Technology 113; Technological Options for Providing Reference Services 115; E-mail 115; Web Forms 117; Chat and Instant Messaging 117; Videoconferencing 119; Call-Center-Based Software 120; What Do Reference Librarians Really Want Technology to Do? 122; Practical Issues Raised by the New Technologies 123; Infrastructure 123; Collaborative Service Standards 124; Service Design 125; Glitches 131; User Authentication 131; Deeper Issues Raised by the New Technologies 134; Profiling Users 134; Taking the Opportunity to Be Innovators 135; Encountering a New Generation of Questions 136; 24/7 Expectations 136; Matching Services with Expectations 137; Questions for Review 138; Chapter 5: The Evolution of Practice and the Staff of the Future 139; The Challenge of Serving the Evaporating Patron 139; Managing Internet-Based Reference 140; Restructuring Resource Utilization 141; Fitting Print into the Picture 143; FAQ ASAP? 144; Matching the Question with the Best Library to Answer It 145; Using Experts as Resources 146; The Morphing Reference Interview 147; Bringing Dead Time Back to Life 150; The Time-Lag Drag 151; Staff Development in Times of Constant Change 154; Training for Tomorrow 154; Turning Existing Skills into Online Skills 157; A Call for Criteria? 157; Successful Staffing Models 158; Opportunities for Innovation 159; Matching the Best Librarian with the Right Reference 160; Questions for Review 163; Endnotes 164; References 164; Chapter 6: Making It Work: Creating and Institutionalizing a Service 165; Planning to Plan Means Having a Vision 166; First, Fit the Mission 166; Second, Achieve Buy-In from Staff and Administrators 167; A Ten-Step Process for Planning a Reference Service 169; Step 1: Analyze the Community and Its Information Needs 169; Step 2: Describe the Overall Nature of the Service 170; Step 3: Predict the Volume of Traffic 171; Step 4: Describe the Service Points 172; Step 5: Determine Staffing and Training Needs 175; Step 6: Determine Resource Needs 175; Step 7: Develop a Marketing Plan 177; Step 8: Determine How the Service Will Be Evaluated 178; Step 9: Explore Relevant Policy Issues 181; Step 10: Develop an Implementation Schedule 184; Plan for Success 185; Questions for Review 186; References 186; Chapter 7: Syncope 189; Play to Our Professional Strengths 189; Begin by Starting Over 195; Final Thoughts: All These Things and More 198; Question for Review 199; Endnotes 199; References 200; Index 201; About the Author 213.

From inside the book

Contents

The Twentieth Century
11
The Values behind Reference Work
23
That Which We Call Reference Is at
30
Copyright

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