Reference and Information Services: An Introduction

by Kay Ann Cassell, Uma Hiremath

Overview

From the ongoing flood of misinformation to the swift changes occasioned by the pandemic, a myriad of factors is spurring our profession to rethink reference services. Luckily, this classic text is back in a newly overhauled edition that thoughtfully addresses the evolving reference landscape. Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, Cassell and Hiremath's book also serves as the perfect resource to guide current practitioners in their day-to-day work. It teaches failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources, regardless of format. Guided by a national advisory board of educators and experts, this thoroughly updated text presents chapters covering fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics while also offering fresh insights on timely issues, including

• a basic template for the skills required and expectations demanded of the reference librarian;
• the pandemic’s effect on reference services and how the ingenuity employed by libraries in providing remote and virtual reference is here to stay;
• a new chapter dedicated to health information, with a special focus on health equity and information sources;
• selecting and evaluating reference materials, with strategies for keeping up to date;
• a heightened emphasis on techniques for evaluating sources for misinformation and ways to give library users the tools to discern facts vs. “fake facts”;
• reference as programming, readers’ advisory services, developmentally appropriate material for children and young adults, and information literacy;
• evidence-based guidance on handling microaggressions in reference interactions, featuring discussions of cultural humility and competence alongside recommended resources on implicit bias;
• managing, assessing, and improving reference services; and
• the future of information and reference services, encapsulating existing models, materials, and services to project possible evolutions in the dynamic world of reference

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838937334
Publisher:	American Library Association
Publication date:	01/17/2023
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	536
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kay Ann Cassell is presently an adjunct professor at the Rutgers University Department of Library and Information Science where she teaches a variety of courses including reference and  information services, collection development, public librarianship and government information resources. She has worked in public and academic libraries. She has been the director of several public libraries and was the Associate Director for Collections and Services at the New York Public Library. As NYPL’s Associate Director of Collections and Services she oversaw the development of reference, collections, programs and services for all of the branches and initiated new programs and services. She received her MLS from Rutgers University and her PhD from the International University for Graduate Studies. She is the author of Managing Reference Today and Public Libraries and Their Communities, and she was selected as the 2019 winner of the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award, the Reference and User Services Association’s highest honor.

Uma Hiremath was Executive Director at the Ames Free Library, Massachusetts; Assistant Director at the Thayer Public Library, Massachusetts; Head of Reference at the West Orange Public Library, New Jersey; and Supervising Librarian at the New York Public Library. She received her MLS from Pratt Institute, New York and her PhD in political science at the University of Pittsburgh.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Part I Fundamental Concepts

1 Introduction to Reference and Information Services 3

2 Determining the Question-In-Person, Telephone, and Virtual Reference Interviews 15

3 Finding the Answer-Basic Search Techniques 37

Part II Introduction to Major Reference Sources

4 Answering Questions about Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Libraries and Publishing, and Bibliographic Networks-Bibliographic Resources 63

5 Answering Questions about Anything and Everything-Encyclopedias 79

6 Answering Questions That Require Handy Facts-Ready Reference Sources 105

7 Answering Questions about Words-Dictionaries, Concordances, and Manuals 123

8 Answering Questions about Current Events, Issues, and Research Topics-Databases and Indexes 149

9 Answering Questions about Law and Business-Special Guidelines and Sources 171

10 Answering Questions about Health-Special Guidelines and Sources Emily Vardell 195

11 Answering Questions about Geography, Countries, and Travel-Atlases, Gazetteers, Maps, Geographic Information Systems, and Travel Guides 215

12 Answering Questions about the Lives of People-Biographical Information Sources 233

13 Answering Questions about Government and Related Issues-Government Information Sources 247

Part III Special Topics in Reference and Information Services

14 When and How to Use the Internet as the Primary Reference Tool 267

15 Reference as Programming 289

16 Readers'Advisory Services Maria Fesz Cynthia Orr 313

17 Reference Services for Children and Young Adults Melissa Gross 329

18 Information Literacy in the Reference Department 345

Part IV Developing and Managing Reference Collections and Services

19 Selecting and Evaluating Reference Materials 363

20 Managing Reference Departments 377

21 Assessing and Improving Reference Services 395

22 Ethics in Reference Diana Floegel 417

23 Reference 2.0 431

24 The Future of Reference and Information Services 457

Appendixes

A Rusa Outstanding Reference Sources 2011-2022 469

B Rusa Definition of Reference (2021) 475

About the Authors and Contributors 479

Reference Resources Index 481

Subject Index 491

Editorial Reviews

”[This] classic text continues to be a go-to source for all things reference ... The sections on subject areas are especially helpful and include resources pertaining to law and business, geography, health information, and biographical information. Readers may be intrigued by the section on 'Reference as Programming,' which suggests different ways to help users navigate library resources ... Essential for library schools and valuable for academic libraries and larger public ones."
— Library Journal

From the Publisher