Information and Reference Services Dr. Dania Bilal IS 530 Fall 2006

Definitions  Information/reference service: – provision of information, guidance, and instruction to users  Reference librarians: – information specialists or intermediaries between information sources and users

Purposes  Assist in meeting user information needs: – simple and complex – defined and ill-defined  Educate users in effective and efficient use of information  Develop and maintain collections to meet user needs

Library Services  Reference  Circulation  Interlibrary loan  Reserves  Technology  Reader’s advisory  User instruction  Technical services  Media digitization

Reference Services  User mediation  User guidance  User instruction  Collection development and maintenance  Digital/virtual reference – Chat, reference on the Internet  Technology

Types of Reference Queries  Directional  Ready reference  Specific-search questions  Research

Directional Questions  Location-driven Students: Give examples in class

Ready Reference  Data-driven Students: Give examples in class

Specific-Search  Document rather than data-driven Students: Give examples in class

Research Questions  Information-driven – Detailed, intensive – Other question types may turn into research- driven questions Students: Give examples in class

Reference Queries and Searches  Ready Reference queries – Data-driven – Closed, fact-finding, or simple – Typically, they do not involve research – Have prescribed/target answers – One or two sources may provide the answer

APTs and Ready Reference Queries  Answer-providing tools (APTs): – almanacs, dictionaries, maps, directories, encyclopedias, atlases, etc.  APTs can be: – print (books, encyclopedias, newspapers, etc.) – electronic (databases, online catalogs, Web documents, etc.)

Nature of Ready Reference Queries  Usually direct and straightforward  Might require little negotiation when vague or uncertain – Negotiation is the interaction between a user and an intermediary to identify the exact/true information need.

Research-Based Queries

Nature of Research Queries  Open-ended  Multi-faceted  Require more time than RR queries to solve  Require a variety of APTs to use

APTs and Research Queries  Journals, magazines, books, encyclopedias, government documents, theses, etc.  Sources can be print, electronic, and online

User Instruction  Type of programs: – Orientation/guidance – Web-based – class-integrated – class-related – One-on-one

Online Searching  Fee-based – uses commercially available databases (e.g., Dialog, Lexis-Nexis) – policies – offering service varies with type of library or information agency

SDI  Selective Dissemination of Information – Customized service offered to researchers in academic and special libraries based on user interest profile  Digital SDI – Provided by specific search engines, Dialog and similar services, and certain libraries/information agencies

Other Services  I&R  Telephone 

Reference and the Community  Who uses the library?  Are libraries competing with bookstores?  What type of users do libraries serve?  Are search engines such as Google competing with Library use?

Serving Diverse/Special Groups  Multicultural groups  Foreign born  Disabled

Information and the Community  Patterns of information seeking – Katz II: pp  Class discussion