Using the Internet as a Reference Tool: A How‐to‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians

Citation

Cronau, D.A. (2002), "Using the Internet as a Reference Tool: A How‐to‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians", The Electronic Library, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 58-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2002.20.1.58.4

There is nothing more valuable than a how‐to book that is actually what it claims to be. In a fast‐changing area like the Internet many of us tend to feel inadequate and reactive. This book is one that will help you catch up and stay ahead of the game.

In an excellent format, this book is A4 in size and packed full of examples, including copies of Internet sites, and is very nicely presented. Designed to be used, this book commences with contents pages that present a complete breakdown of the chapters with outstanding use of subheadings. There are six chapters addressing the issues:

1. 1.

   (1)  “Assessing the impact of the Internet on reference services”;

2. 2.

   (2)  “Evaluating Internet‐based reference resources”;

3. 3.

   (3)  “Creating an effective ready reference strategy”;

4. 4.

   (4)  “Comparing search engines and directories”;

5. 5.

   (5) “Creating a complex reference strategy”; and

6. 6.

   (6)  “Exploring larger issues of Internet reference”.

The subheadings present the many aspects including: “how to … ”, “evaluating … ”, “examining … ”, “teaching … ”, “creating …”, and “searching … ” of the topics.

The appendices, which list ready reference meta pages and online vertical files, supplement the extensive resources presented at the end of the individual chapters. There is even a companion Web site for this book – www.neal‐schuman.com/sauers/ – where there are links to all of the resources listed in the book along with additional resources on all the topics discussed. Periodically the author hopes to add additional reference resources, so the value of this book will be its ability to remain current long after purchase!

Put simply, this book is field‐tested and step by step. It is designed to increase skills and confidence in using the Internet in day‐to‐day reference situations. This book is not limited in scope to any particular type of librarian (public, K‐12, university, etc.) or subject area. Nor is this book limited to librarians in a particular locality or country. Even though most of the examples are based on sites in the USA and the UK, they use situations that are encountered by librarians the world over.

It is really a must‐have learning and teaching aid. After reading the book and doing the exercises, the reader should have developed skills necessary to use the Internet successfully in search for answers to reference questions. It teaches the best way to evaluate both print and electronic resources, how to examine specific elements of a Web site, learn about bookmarks and how to create a Web‐based reference page for your library. It teaches the differences between search engines and directories, and how to use the Internet when creating effective ready reference and complex reference strategies.