The future of reference: get real!

LaGuardia, Cheryl

doi:10.1108/00907320310460898

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…LaGuardia, for example, argues that telecommuting is a good way to increase service hours while "reducing library overhead costs." 82 It is now the norm for many librarians to answer email reference questions from home at night and on the weekends when the reference desk and indeed the physical library is closed, expanding our services into the virtual realm and away from the library building and a specific desk. However, while these transactions are virtual, they still require librarians to function as active human links between users and the information they need.…”

Section: Questioning the Mode Of Delivery (Physical Vs Virtual)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…60 While some argue that the desk invites and is best suited to handle quick questions, there is also the seemingly contradictory refrain in the literature that although we have seen a decrease in reference desk transactions, "the questions coming to us now tend to be more complex, more time-consuming, and larger in scope." 61 LaGuardia suggests that this shift to more complex questions is due to the fact that Google "takes care of some first-tier-type questions," but for many users conducting academic research, "the amount of information they have to sift through is immense" and overwhelming. As a result, they need "a thorough introduction to a new methodology of research," which reference librarians are uniquely equipped to provide.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reference Reviewed and Re-Envisioned: Revamping Librarian and Desk-Centric Services with LibStARs and LibAnswers

Stevens¹

2013

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

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The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term "reference," pointing to a disconnect between those definitions and much of the work that actually takes place at reference desks. Next, critiques of desk-centric models of reference are examined, followed by a discussion of the persistence of the desk in so many academic libraries today. The analysis of the literature in section one informs the reenvisioning of reference services at CPP discussed in section two. Specifically, section two describes and assesses CPP's reference desk staffing shift from librarians to LibStARs (Library Student Assistant Researchers) and our implementation of LibAnswers in an effort to automate some reference transactions. The paper ends with an overview of the benefits of these new initiatives. INTRODUCTIONIn 1986, Ford offered reference librarians some cautiously worded but nevertheless provocative advice, encouraging them "to begin to think the unthinkable, exploring alternatives and possibly eliminating the reference desk."1 By 1994, Summerhill had responded to the call, arguing that "traditional reference services are not cost-effective" 2 and as a result, libraries should "detach reference services from the reference desk." 3 The following year saw an article by Ewing and Hauptman proclaiming, "traditional academic reference service…does not need to be rethought or reconfigured, it needs to be eliminated," 4 and soon thereafter a response from The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term "reference," pointing to a disconnect between those definitions and much of the work that actually takes place at reference desks. Next, critiques of desk-centric models of reference are examined, followed by a discussion of the persistence of the desk in so many academic libraries today. The analysis of the literature in section one informs the re-3 envisioning of reference services at CPP discussed in section two. Specifically, section two describes and assesses CPP's reference desk staffing shift from librarians to LibStARs (Library Student Assistant Researchers) and our implementation of LibAnswers in an effort to automate some reference transactions. The paper ends with an overview of the benefits of these new initiatives. WHAT'S WRONG WITH REFERENCE?In his frequently cited 1984 article, Miller posed the question "What's wrong with reference?" and then identified "reference sprawl" as the source of a "malaise" that was infecting "reference departments everywhere." 10 Our ever-expanding services, he argu...

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Section: Questioning the Mode Of Delivery (Physical Vs Virtual)mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference Reviewed and Re-Envisioned: Revamping Librarian and Desk-Centric Services with LibStARs and LibAnswers

Stevens¹

2013

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

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“…Some believe that the abundance of information available through the Internet will inspire users, overwhelmed by possible resources, to seek out mediators or consultants, changing the kinds of questions posed, but never the necessity for help (Fritch & Mandernack, 2001). In this vein, Cheryl LaGuardia contends that greater complexity and sophistication in the questions now asked of librarians necessitates solutions that free reference specialists from desks so they can assist in the research process more actively without stopping for "where are the bathrooms"-type questions (LaGuardia, 2003).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ACRL has prioritized teaching information literacy, which-in their assessment-constitutes the following competencies: to determine the extent of information needed, to access the needed information effectively and efficiently, to evaluate information and its sources critically, to incorporate selected information into one's knowledge base, to use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, to understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally (ACRL, 2003). Even those who take umbrage at the demeaning presumption that users are information illiterates see instruction in virtual, electronic, and physical environments as key to the success of libraries (LaGuardia, 2003).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference as Outreach: Meeting Users Where They Are

Aguilar

Keating

Schadl

et al. 2011

Journal of Library Administration

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Academic libraries have seen a dramatic decline in face-to-face traditional reference desk interactions over the past decade. Due to new initiatives at the University of New Mexico, reference services are flourishing even though traditional desk reference interactions are declining. Incorporating more engaged librarians within the academic and surrounding communities has expanded reference services and created new opportunities for librarians to consult with users in multiple settings. The establishment of a virtual service desk has increased the accessibility and visibility of the library to "meet users where they are" in an electronic environment.

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“…For example, LaGuardia identified library instruction as one of five crucial issues in contemporary reference services. 33 And in his prediction of the future of reference services, Tyckoson forecasted that "the demand for instruction will rise," explaining that "the community needs the librarian to teach how to find and, more importantly, how to evaluate information sources." 34 …”

Section: The Shift From Librarian-as-searcher To Librarian-as-evaluatormentioning

confidence: 99%