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Using paraprofessionals to answer reference questions is a great way to expand your library¿s reference reach while getting the most value out of your staff. But how do you begin training them? What training materials should be used? What skills should be taught? How important is the reference interview for paraprofessionals? What are the pros and cons of using paraprofessionals in this manner? Morgan answers these and other questions in a new edition of this bestselling book. Revised and updated to include basic and advanced skills using both print and electronic resources, this volume includes modules on government information, international and corporate information, statistics, medical and health information, and more. This guide will help you prepare paraprofessionals for the issues frontline library staff face on a daily basis. Once you¿ve trained them, you can turn again to the book for tips and strategies on evaluation and supplemental training. If your library has catalogers, students, newly hired staff, or other staff members with untapped potential, this book is for you.
With this handy new guidebook, reference luminary Jo Bell Whitlatch outlines practical methods for evaluating and delivering excellent reference service to the technology-savvy library user of today.
This book, first published in 1986, discusses reference personnel concerns and problems and offers suggestions to administration and management for improving reference personnel performance and staff development.
Search skills of today bear little resemblance to searches through print publications. Reference service has become much more complex than in the past, and is in a constant state of flux. Learning the skill sets of a worthy reference librarian can be challenging, unending, rewarding, and-- yes, fun.
Reflecting the dramatic changes shaped by rapidly developing technologies over the past six years, this new fourth edition of Reference and Information Services takes the introduction to reference sources and services significantly beyond the content of the first three editions. In Part I, Concepts and Processes, chapters have been revised and updated to reflect new ideas and methods in the provision of reference service in an era when many users have access to the Web. In Part II, Information Sources and Their Use, discussion of each source type has been updated to encompass key resources in print and on the Web, where an increasing number of freely available sources join those purchased or licensed by libraries. A number of new authors are contributors to this new edition, bringing to their chapters their experience as teachers of reference and as practitioners in different types of libraries. Discussions of services in Part I integrate digital reference as appropriate to each topic, such as how to conduct a reference interview online using instant messaging. Boxes interspersed in the text are used to present scenarios for discussion, to highlight key concepts, or to present excerpts from important documents. Discussions of sources in Part II place more emphasis on designing effective search strategies using both print and digital resources. The chapter on selection and evaluation of sources addresses the changing nature of reference collections and how to evaluate new types of sources. Each chapter concludes with an updated list of additional readings to guide further study. A new companion website will provide links to Web-accessible readings and resources as well as additional scenarios for discussion and example search strategies to supplement those presented in the text.
Reference service remains a core function of modern libraries. However, how and where we provide assistance has evolved with changing technologies and the shifting habits and preferences of our users. One way libraries can provide the on-demand, in-person assistance while managing and developing new services and resources that will benefit current and future users is to reconsider how their reference points and services are staffed and adopt a staff-based reference model. The authors, staff members at Eastern Michigan University, chose to address this by implementing an inclusive reference model in which staff and student assistants are trained to answer certain levels of reference questions while working at the reference desk and at other service points. The result was that librarians became more available to work with students who needed in-depth assistance and users were able to get simple questions answered throughout the library. Similar training for all staff and student assistants who work in the library results in better service, more accurate answers, and improved interdepartmental communication. In Implementing an Inclusive Staffing Model for Today's Reference Services, they describe step-by-step how to transition from the traditional librarian-staffed reference desk to an inclusive reference model where non-MLS personnel are equipped and empowered to answer reference questions wherever these questions might be asked. Users ask questions of staff at all service points, not just at the Reference Desk. It is vitally important that those who work at circulation, periodicals, maps, archives and other public service points be trained in how to answer certain reference questions. When this is accomplished, users who have simple questions will not have to make useless treks to the Reference Desk. Topics covered include: Recognizing that nearly all staff answer reference questions, but few are trained to do so documenting the necessity for a change in reference model gaining buy-in from all interested parties—librarians, non-MLS staff, and administrators determining the optimal staffing level creating training materials and schedules monitoring the quality of reference service supervising staff evaluating the new model using multiple methods Additionally, each chapter contains practical resources such as checklists, forms, and sample materials, and other usable features to support readers as they implement the inclusive reference model. The book describes in detail the process of transforming traditional reference into a model that transcends departmental and job title boundaries, is focused on the user, and allows librarians to better utilize their time and talents, and include non-professional staff in their reference services.
Here is one of the first books to address the problems of serials as they relate to the user, the reference librarian, and the library itself. Opening a crucial dialogue, serials librarians and reference librarians explore ways in which they can work together to make serials more accessible to the user. With this vital new book, public services librarians will gain a better understanding of the unique nature of serials, especially concerning their acquisition and cataloguing, and technical services librarians will gain a clearer view of the problems involved in interpreting the record for the user. Serials and Reference Services provides a wealth of information that will help the cataloguer who must create a record out of a dizzying change of titles, volumes, and frequency; the reference librarian who must interpret the record for the user; the bibliographer who must select titles; the manager who will be viewing the new formats for serials; and the administrator who needs an overview in order to pull disparate services together into a functioning whole. Automation is also explored and finally, a look at the core collection--newspapers, comic books, and poetry magazines--gives an eclectic ending to the volume. Tillie Krieger, Peter Hernon, David C. Heisser, David C. Taylor, and Laura Peritore are among the well-known contributors to the book.
Reference collections and services have changed considerably in the last three decades. We have moved from all services coming from the reference desk to a more fluid environment where users can be served in person, by phone, email, virtual reference/chat, instant messaging, texting, skyping, etc. Collections have changed too– from print collections, microfilm, microfiche and microcards to e-resources and e-books plus e-research collections in institutional archives. Although we see many libraries still providing traditional services, others have begun to move away from this model and try to develop and offer services and collections which will better serve their user population. With technology changing so fast, users expect to communicate with the library in whatever way they choose. They also want to obtain information with little effort on their part. Managing Reference Today: New Models and Practices • highlights newly developed service models that libraries are developing as well as the way they are handling changing reference collections. • describes new ways of providing reference services and new ideas of how to select and manage reference collections. • Identifies the best practices for meeting the needs of current and future library users in academic, special, and public library settings.
Combines theory and practical advice to address public library policies, procedures, resources, and human relations in a clear manner. "Expect future editions of this eminently readable, yet well-documented text." —LIBRARY JOURNAL