Reference and Information Services : An Introduction

Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, this is the perfect text for students and librarians looking to expand their personal reference knowledge, teaching 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 practitioners, this thoroughly updated text expertly keeps up with new technologies and practices while remaining grounded in the basics of reference work. Chapters on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics provide a solid foundation; the text also offers fresh insight on core issues, includingethics, readers'advisory, information literacy, and other key aspects of reference librarianship;selecting and evaluating reference materials, with strategies for keeping up to date;assessing and improving reference services;guidance on conducting reference interviews with a range of different library users, including children and young adults;a new discussion of reference as programming;important special reference topics such as Google search, 24/7 reference, and virtual reference; anddelivering reference services across multiple platformsAs librarians experience a changing climate for all information services professionals, Cassell and Hiremath provide the tools needed to manage the ebb and flow of changing reference services in today's libraries. Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgments Part I. Fundamental Concepts 1. Introduction to Reference and Information Services 2. Determining the Question: In-Person, Telephone, and Virtual Reference Interviews 3. Finding the Answer: Basic Search Techniques Part II. Introduction to Major Reference Sources 4. Answering Questions about Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Libraries and Publishing, and Bibliographic Networks—Bibliographic Resources 5. Answering Questions about Anything and Everything—Encyclopedias 6. Answering Questions That Require Handy Facts—Ready Reference Sources 7. Answering Questions about Words—Dictionaries, Concordances, and Manuals 8. Answering Questions about Events and Issues, Past and Present—Databases (and Indexes) 9. Answering Questions about Health, Law, and Business—Special Guidelines and Sources 10. Answering Questions about Geography, Countries, and Travel—Atlases, Gazetteers, Maps, Geographic Information Systems, and Travel Guides 11. Answering Questions about the Lives of People—Biographical Information Sources 12. Answering Questions about Government and Related Issues—Government Information Sources Part III. Special Topics in Reference and Information Work 13. When and How to Use the Internet as a Reference Tool 14. Readers’ Advisory Services 15. Reference Services for Children and Young Adults 16. Information Literacy in the Reference Department Part IV. Developing and Managing Reference Collections and Services 17. Ethics in Reference 18. Selecting and Evaluating Reference Materials 19. Reference as Programming 20. Managing Reference Departments 21. Assessing and Improving Reference Services 22. Reference 2.0 23. The Future of Information Service Appendix. RUSA Outstanding Reference Sources 2007–2018 About the Authors and Contributors Index of Reference Resources Subject Index "Guided by a national advisory board of educators and practitioners, this thoroughly updated text expertly keeps up with new technologies and practices while remaining grounded in the basics of reference work. Chapters on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics provide a solid foundation; the text also offers fresh insight on core issues, including ethics, readers' advisory, information literacy, selecting and evaluating reference materials, assessing and improving reference services, guidance on conducting reference interviews with a range of different library users, and much more"-- Provided by publisher