Research Catalog

Title

Introduction to reference work in the digital age / Joseph Janes.

Author

Janes, Joseph.

Publication

New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, c2003.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xv, 213 p. : ill.; 23 cm.

Summary

For many librarians, the meaning of the word -reference- is changing so rapidly that it is unsettling. Joe Janes, founder of the Internet Public Library, provides this perfect mix of provocative arguments and useful, hands-on advice. He addresses important questions including: what is the optimal mix of desk/phone/email/chat? What kind of resource for what kind of user? What software for what purpose? What values to hold on to and what habits to break? Loaded with salient considerations, pointers, and encouragement, this book will have at the library world talking on a subject we urgently need to address.

Subject

• Reference services (Libraries)
• Internet in library reference services
• Electronic reference services (Libraries)

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Reference, Digital and Otherwise -- Reference According to RUSA -- Reference According to Katz, Bopp, and Smith -- Why Is It Called "Reference" Anyway? -- A Brief History of Reference -- The Nineteenth Century -- The Twentieth Century -- The Present -- The Future -- Why Libraries Offer Reference Services -- The Values behind Reference Work -- Digital Reference -- That Which We Call "Reference" Is at a Crucial Turning Point -- Understanding Users, Communities, and Their Needs -- Planning for Reference Services in a Digital Age -- Serving the New 24/7 User -- The Changing Role of the Reference Interview -- The Synchronous Reference Interview -- The Asynchronous Reference Interview -- Today's Reference "Noninterview" -- Asynchronous Reference Service Models -- E-mail and Web Forms -- Asking Why -- Limitations of Web Forms -- Design Considerations for Web-Based Forms -- Asynchronous Interactivity -- Responding to Information Needs -- Mediation: What We Do Best -- Conducting the Search -- Digital Reference Process Issues -- Selecting the Right Resources -- Choosing the Right Interfaces -- Recognizing the "Good Enough" Response -- Utilizing Print Resources -- Respecting Intellectual Property and Copyright -- Guidelines and Policies for Asynchronous Reference Services -- What to Do before Trying to Answer a Question -- When to Give Up -- Mandatory Response Components -- Transcript Records -- User Privacy Policies -- Closure -- Asynchronous Guideline Checklist -- Real-Life Questions and Responses -- Idiom Search.

ISBN

1555704298 (alk. paper)

LCCN

^^2003052739

OCLC

• 52288757
• SCSB-10941889

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library