The Reference Realist in Library Academia

Citation

Duckett, B. (1998), "The Reference Realist in Library Academia", Library Review, Vol. 47 No. 1, pp. 56-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1998.47.1.56.16

Patricia Gebhard!, where have you been all my reference library life? Long have I sought a book that would tell me how to do reference work; not just an annotated listing of sources so beloved of bibliographers; not just about the intricacies of the reference interview so beloved of sociologists; nor the outdated sleuthing once performed by lecturers long distant from reality; nor even what today’s denizens of academia think we ought to be doing; but a book about what it is that reference librarians actually do. And here it is! Too late, alas for your reviewer perhaps, but perfect for the new generation of reference workers ‐ that bewildered and beleaguered band of footsoldiers fighting their way through the hype of IT, the simplistics of info‐babble, and the torments of target‐setting, cost‐cutting and downsizing.

Admittedly the title phrase “Library Academia” put me on my guard, as did the built‐to‐last‐for‐ever bland library binding. But not for long. Gebhard launches straight away into the reality of “direct assistance”, the title of Part 1. She progresses logically from the interview to the search strategy, the identification of reference sources, on to referral, making use of sources and to the end of the transaction, not forgetting patron contact away from the desk. And if some library managers think that is all we reference librarians do, then let them know that we still have Parts 2, 3 and 4 to come!

“Support for the Desk” is the title of Part 2. It covers alternative service provision such as telephone enquiries, database searching, preparing materials for enquiry work, and reference manuals. Part 3 covers other reference activities such as collection responsibilities, instruction, publications and exhibits, service evaluation, and management. “Professional Responsibilities” is the title of Part 4 and here the author covers such vital but easily overlooked topics as qualifications, education, obtaining a position, and training and responsibilities. There is an extensive notes section which provides background to the author’s text and leads the reader into the literature on reference work. The book is indexed.

A practitioner approach is clear throughout: thus the pros and cons of having paraprofessionals on the enquiry counter are discussed; the need to complete transactions with the public before diving off duty when the rota says it is time is instanced; it is stressed that telephone service at the reference desk is practically impossible as it conflicts with over‐the‐counter service; and that students are best contacted by e‐mail. All this shows an author in close touch with the reality of reference work. US academic practice features, but not obtrusively so: the translation to general reference work in any sort of large library is easily made.

Above everything else, the structure of the author’s approach is clear, the coverage wide, the author’s knowledge sure and her prose lucid. Never over‐technical or verbose, the book is easy to read, and fresh. Ms Gebhard wears her erudition lightly and is always interesting. Would that there were more such reference realists and fluid scribes in library academia!