Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction (2nd edition)

Citation

Hanlon, G. (2010), "Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction (2nd edition)", Library Review, Vol. 59 No. 8, pp. 643-644. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531011073191

In the preface, the authors describe the central focus of Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction (2nd edition) as being an exploration of the skill set required of a modern reference librarian. Its aim, then, is to offer a comprehensive overview of the role of the reference librarian, presenting the skills required and, further, offering practical strategies for realising these key objectives within a reference library. In short, the book aims to be an all‐encompassing resource for reference librarians.

In order to cover all of the elements involved in the reference process, the book is divided into four main sections. In the first of these, titled “Fundamental concepts”, a practical overview of reference services and the reference process is provided. This includes a short history of reference services before taking a more practical direction, which includes the process of the reference interview as well as strategies for researching queries.

Particularly useful are the tips for getting to grips with virtual reference and suggestions for creating templates to support email or instant chat reference queries. The common pitfalls also offer valuable good practice guidelines for search techniques and interacting with the user – managing the pressure to “just answer”.

Part II continues with the theme of searching, delving further into the reference sources themselves. The scope of this section is extremely broad and, indeed, constitutes the main body of the text. The authors begin with the role of bibliographies and provide details of major bibliographic resources in the USA, the UK and Canada. This culminates in a list of the top ten bibliographic resources and recommended free websites. This same format is then adopted for the other types of reference resources examined, providing the reader with a very practical summary.

There is significant coverage of ready reference sources, which are broken down into those supporting who, what, which, where, when and how type questions. Each of these categories of query is covered in detail, with discussion on the approach to identifying appropriate information sources. Again, this includes mention of Canadian and UK sources but the focus is decidedly a Northern American one and, although the information provided for the UK is certainly accurate, the resources mentioned are very obvious.

The remaining parts of section II go on to look at resources for answering questions on particular themes or specialist subjects. This basically completes the tour of the reference library, bringing in the role of dictionaries, atlases, etc. Each category of resource is clearly outlined and matched to the types of query that it can be used to answer. This detailed analysis and the extensive examples offer both an effective introduction and a means of enabling reference librarians to re‐engage with their collections and all that they offer.

The third part of the book goes on to look at special topics in reference and information works, offering a particularly useful section on successful internet reference – encouraging the process of searching rather than surfing. A clear five‐step list is provided as well as sample checklists for content evaluation to define the librarian's interaction with internet sources.

The remaining chapters in this section bring in diverse strands of reference work, including reader's advisory support, reference work with children and young adults and information literacy in the reference department. These are supported by examples of queries and logical guidance for addressing these specific areas. The children and young adults section in particular offers a number of templates that could easily be applied within library services support the authors' suggested strategies.

The final section looks beyond the reference process to the wider matter of developing and managing reference collections and services, including collection development policies, day‐to‐day service management concerns (such as staffing) and also includes marketing and service evaluation. The text concludes with a look to the future of reference libraries and librarians, drawing on web 2.0 developments and considering the concept of reference 2.0. This section draws heavily on examples from library services where virtual reference provision has been extended to the social web.

Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction (2nd edition) has been written in a lively and engaging style, and the authors' enthusiasm for the topic – and belief in the reference librarian – is tangible throughout. The consistency of the layout within chapters and sections makes it easy to navigate, and the frequency of templates and exemplar lists makes it a valuable practical tool. As such, the text is both a useful introduction to reference services and a useful resource for more experienced reference librarians who want to update their skills, re‐engage with their collections and refresh their approach to the reference process.