Librarians, Historians, and New Opportunities for Discourse: A Guide for Clio's Helpers

by Joel D. Kitchens

Overview

This book stimulates informed dialogue between librarians and historians regarding the changing nature of history and the resultant needs for a wider variety of collections and library services, including inter-library loan, library instruction, outreach, and reference.

Today's history scholars and students utilize information in many different formats, including print, microforms, and digital, with each having its own format-specific requirements. For historians, the library is an essential resource that serves as their "laboratory." Librarians need to recognize the changing needs of this group—arguably among the heaviest users of library materials and services.

Librarians, Historians, and New Opportunities for Discourse: A Guide for Clio's Helpers addresses the concerns and typical operational decisions of librarians in academic libraries regarding reference, instruction, and collection management. The book looks at the role of the librarian holistically, paying special attention to how history is researched and taught, and how this affects librarians.

After reading this book, librarians will better understand this group of patrons who are so dependent on library resources for their research and teaching; conversely, historians will grasp the pressures on librarians making the difficult transition between the print and the digital age. As a result, every reader will be capable of having a more informed dialog with "the other half," regardless of their status as a librarian or a historian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598846256
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/15/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Joel D. Kitchens is associate professor, humanities librarian, and subject specialist in history, art and architecture, and American studies for the Texas A&M University Libraries, where he has served since 1997.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

1 Overview of History 1

Brief History of History 1

Major Fields within History 2

Major Research Methods Used 4

Use and Characteristics of Primary and Secondary Sources 5

Scholarly Production: Books, Book Reviews, More Books, Scholarly Articles, and More Books! 6

Emerging Areas 7

Overlap with Other Areas in the Library 8

Conclusion 10

2 Learning Your New Landscape 11

Materials Needed 11

What Is and May Not Be Available (the Truth Is Not Always Out There) 13

Major Historians and Their Evolving Methodologies 15

Continuing Education 17

Mentorship 17

Library Association Divisions 18

Major Historical Societies and Organizations 19

Electronic Discussion Groups 20

Conferences 20

Conclusion 22

3 Getting to Know and Understand Your Local Audience 23

Talking to the Academic Department 23

Meeting Faculty on Their Own Turf 24

What Are the Local Institutions Needs? 28

Conclusion 34

4 Reference Services and Access to Material 35

Get to Know Your Collection 35

The Reference Interview 36

Catalogs and Cataloging 42

The Reference Collection 43

Major Indexes: Accessing Secondary Materials Electronically 44

Other Types of Information 45

Archival Materials 46

Printed Guides, Bibliographies, Encyclopedias, Landmark Works 47

Reference on Location 50

24 /7 Reference (or Close to It) 51

Conclusion 52

5 Information Literacy for Historians 55

The History Curriculum 56

History Components in Other Disciplines 60

Building Instructional Presentations 62

Collaborative Partnering on Assignments 64

Intervention with the Instructor 65

Too Much of a Good Thing? 67

Conclusion 68

6 Defining the History Collection 69

Challenges of History to Collection Development Policies 69

Defining Scholarly and Historical 71

Textbook Considerations 74

Serials 74

Evaluating Electronic Full Text 78

Media and Web-Based Materials 79

Microforms 81

Newspapers 83

Conclusion 85

7 Selection and Acquisitions Tools 87

Budget Considerations 87

Building a Foundation 93

Using Approval Plans 95

Review Sources 97

Getting Prize Books 98

Assessing the Collection 100

Promoting the Collections 101

Open Stacks or Special Collections 101

Conclusion 102

8 Maturing as a History Librarian 105

Progressive Journey 105

Setbacks 107

Navigating Departmental Politics 108

Indicators of Progress 109

Sharing Knowledge as a Senior Subject Librarian 110

Conclusion 110

Reference List and Recommended Readings 113

Index 119