Competency I
Use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users
Introduction
Linking users with information is the core of every librarians’ and information professionals’ job. In LIBR 210, I learned that being in a service oriented profession, library and information scientists must be able to satisfy the user information needs and promote information literacy. Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Information literacy also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. In all libraries information services and reference are a vital part of the function and mission of the organization. They are the key to finding that exact piece of information needed to help users satisfy their information needs.
Reference/ Information services
In 2008 the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) developed a new definition of "reference". Reference Transactions are information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help others to meet particular information needs. Reference transactions do not include formal instruction or exchanges that provide assistance with locations, schedules, equipment, supplies, or policy statements. Reference Work includes reference transactions and other activities that involve the creation, management, and assessment of information or research resources, tools, and services.
The following bullets clarify what is meant by terms within the Reference Work definition.
- Creation and management of information resources includes the development and maintenance of research collections, research guides, catalogs, databases, web sites, search engines, etc., that patrons can use independently, in-house or remotely, to satisfy their information needs.
- Assessment activities include the measurement and evaluation of reference work, resources, and services
Information service is helping library users to identify sources of information in response to a question, interest, assignment or problem. Sometimes information services is referred to as reference services. These services my be implemented in many ways: in person, over the phone, remotely online, e-mail, text or chat. RUSA guidelines for behavioral performance of reference and information services providers, covers approach ability, interest, listening/inquiring, searching and following up. Each of these areas included general guidelines, in-person guidelines and guidelines for remote reference via telephone, e-mail and chat. This provides librarians with a way to begin to blend the various ways of answering reference questions. These guidelines stress the need for good communications skills in all reference services, and the importance of providing a positive impact and good outcomes for the user. It important that librarians understand the range of inquiries that can be expected to provide a full and ready reference answer that will satisfy users’ information need.
Relevance/Accuracy/Access
For librarians, answering user's questions correctly is the most important part of the reference interaction. Reference questions or inquires are categorized into three types ready reference, research and bibliographic verification. Ready reference can be readily answered using one or two general resources. Even in this Google age, ready reference remains the cornerstone of information services and librarians should be ready to solve quick reference questions while taking the opportunity to instruct users how to use library resources. Research questions are more complex. They take much longer to answer and require multiple resources. Sometimes these questions come out of a ready reference situation that end up having a deeper more complex component requiring more in-depth research. Librarians often discover that the real question was not the first one asked. To completely understand the users inquiry and satisfy their information need, librarians must conduct a reference interview. The interview should be contacted in three phases; establishing contact with the user, finding out the user's need and confirming that the answer provided is actually what was needed. Bibliographic verification is when a user already has obtained the information needed, but just needs verification on the sources. As information is easily available to users, citations may not be complete or accurate. This not only gives the librarian a chance to connect with users, it also gives another great opportunity to introduce users to the libraries resources and to educate them on what the library can do for them. After librarians assist users with their information needs, the next step of the process is instructing them on how to access this information. This step is crucial to the whole reference process, if you show the user how to find the information they need and do not follow up with how to access this information the whole process will fail. Instructing users how to find and access information independently brings information literacy and reference services full circle.
Experience
Throughout my course work in SLIS I have taken many classes that have taught me how to satisfy a user’s information need. Information literacy is what librarians strive to teach. As I learned in LIBR 210 Introduction to Reference, technology and easy access to information are all part of the challenge facing librarians as they reassess their reference and information services roles. Using technological tools, librarians are able to provide information services 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Librarians now realize that they must make their resources and services easy to use, access and understand. My first piece of evidence is from LIBR 210. I was part of a group that created a Google Site containing resources available for finding information about women and literature through the King Library and other sources. The site was used in a presentation for women's literature resources. This session developed students’ research and information seeking skills for literature by and about women. My second piece of evidence is a pathfinder site assigned in the same course. Nurses at Stanford Hospital and Packard Children's Hospital are now expected to do more research and publish. The nursing pathfinder was intended to aid continuing education and research of nurses who now find themselves doing research in a library environment in which they are unfamiliar with, and have little recent experience in. To address the ever changing service model of reference services my last piece of evidence is a paper I wrote entitled Effective Reference: staffing an academic reference desk with librarians is it cost effective or bad service to users? Ready reference is essential to any academic library. The service does not only provide a place for users to obtain answers to their questions, it also give the librarian or library staff person an opportunity to promote programs, outreach events, library services and obtain feedback from their users. This literature review looks at the positive or negative impact of having staff and student workers staffing a ready reference information/single service desk and its cost effectiveness.
Conclusion
It is important that users feel that their librarians have tried their best to answer questions successfully. While new models of reference and information services are developing to meet different user needs, technology is continuing to change these services. Librarians must be ready to learn these new technologies, adapt to the needs of users, and use effective service models to meet the information needs of users, everytime.
Evidence Summary and Artifacts
#1 LIBR 210 Women's Literature Portal: Group Project
This site is a companion website for bibliographic instruction sessions for women's literature courses at San Jose State University. On these pages you will find resources available for finding information about women and literature through the King Library and other sources. This site was designed to meet the information needs of students enrolled in English 181, 182, or 156 at San Jose State University.
https://sites.google.com/site/libr21001complit/group-1
#2 LIBR 210 Nursing Pathfinder: This pathfinder has been created for nursing professionals who are participating in continuing education and/or research. It is designed to serve as a starting point for locating information on various aspects of nursing. Because nursing draws from multiple subject areas, you will find resources from many different disciplines, e.g., surgery, neurology, radiology.
https://sites.google.com/site/nursingpathfinderscarreras/
#3 LIBR 230 Issues in Academic Libraries
Effective Reference: staffing an academic reference desk with librarians is it cost effective or bad service to users?
This site is a companion website for bibliographic instruction sessions for women's literature courses at San Jose State University. On these pages you will find resources available for finding information about women and literature through the King Library and other sources. This site was designed to meet the information needs of students enrolled in English 181, 182, or 156 at San Jose State University.
https://sites.google.com/site/libr21001complit/group-1
#2 LIBR 210 Nursing Pathfinder: This pathfinder has been created for nursing professionals who are participating in continuing education and/or research. It is designed to serve as a starting point for locating information on various aspects of nursing. Because nursing draws from multiple subject areas, you will find resources from many different disciplines, e.g., surgery, neurology, radiology.
https://sites.google.com/site/nursingpathfinderscarreras/
#3 LIBR 230 Issues in Academic Libraries
Effective Reference: staffing an academic reference desk with librarians is it cost effective or bad service to users?
References
American Library Association. (1997-2012). Definitions of Reference. Retrieved March 17, 2012, from Reference and User Services Association: http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/definitionsreference
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2006). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century. New York: Neal-Schuman.
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2006). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century. New York: Neal-Schuman.