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

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

3. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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.)

13. 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.

14. Research-Based Queries

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

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

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

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

19. 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

20. Other Services  I&R  Telephone  E-mail

21. 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?

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

23. Information and the Community  Patterns of information seeking – Katz II: pp. 17-19  Class discussion