Reference and Research: Boost Your Skills

Based on the latest research in communication theory but tailored specifically for real-world application, this updated manual speaks equally to the needs of students preparing to enter the profession and those who are already fielding reference inquiries. The authors present a convenient and comprehensive resource that will teach you how to understand the needs of public, academic, and special library users across any virtual setting-including email, text messaging, and social media-as well as in traditional and face-to-face models of communication. Packed with exercises and examples to help you practice effective reference transactions and avoid common pitfalls, this book tackles the fundamentals of the reference interview.

Providing Reference Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians was written for the working librarian. Its seven chapters sketch the history of reference services, assess today's reference collections, outline the basics of reference practice, address reference staff management and administration, examine marketing and collaboration efforts, and consider the future of reference services. Each chapter includes a summary of key points and a list of references. Newly minted reference librarians, seasoned practitioners, and reference supervisors and administrators working in public, academic, school, or special libraries, along with LIS students, will find much to ponder in these pages.

This new edition of the classic text Reference and Information Services has been thoroughly updated to reflect current information in the field. The first half of the book provides an overview of reference services and techniques for service provision, including the reference interview, ethics, instruction, reader's advisory, and services to diverse populations including children. This part of the book establishes a foundation of knowledge on reference service and frames each topic with ethical and social justice perspectives. The second part of the book offers an overview of the information life cycle and dissemination of information, followed by an in-depth examination of information sources by type, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, and abstracts, as well as by broad subject areas including government, statistics and data, health, and legal information.