This book, first published in 1987, is a stimulating and informative appraisal of the international librarianship scene and the reference service function. Experts discuss how international reference services can be improved to facilitate true exchange of information around the world. They look squarely at problems and provide answers to a host of pertinent questions, such as information counselling and policies, reference services and global awareness, integrating a central reference international studies program, and more.

Search skills of today bear little resemblance to searches through print publications. Reference service has become much more complex than in the past, and is in a constant state of flux. Learning the skill sets of a worthy reference librarian can be challenging, unending, rewarding, and-- yes, fun.

As classrooms and universities strive to adapt their instructional methods to an ever progressing technological age, it is imperative that academic libraries also revisit the ways in which reference and instruction services are organized and implemented. Library Reference Services and Information Literacy: Models for Academic Institutions not only advocates for a more intentional integration of reference and instructional services, but it also provides organizational background, staff objectives, and various successes and challenges that have already been experienced by real institutions. This publication is an important reference source for librarians, practitioners, and university leaders who wish to maximize the current utilization of their resources.

This practical guide teaches failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources, regardless of format. Information on more than 300 sources has been updated to provide you high quality information.

In Introduction to Reference and Information Services in Today's School Library, one of America's premier school library educators covers the A-Z of both reference and information services for today's library. Lesley Farmer discusses everything from teaching students how to use sources to both in-person and virtual reference service.

Explore ways to bring and keep your library’s electronic services up to date! From editor Di Su: “Some years ago, if you were told that a library’s catalog would be available on a 24/7/365 basis, you’d think it was just another fiction. Perhaps as influential as Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type printing, the Internet is one of the most significant happenings in the information world in modern times.” In addition to showing you how library services have been influenced and enhanced by the advent of the Internet, Evolution in Reference and Information Services: The Impact of the Internet will enable you to make the most of the new opportunities that current technologies offer. This valuable book will also help you and your library avoid the pitfalls and new challenges to professional competency that come along with electronic research. Evolution in Reference and Information Services: gives you a review of the history of electronic reference looks at the increasing role of librarians as teachers and providers of technical help for users provides case studies and ways to evaluate electronic research methods suggests strategies for providing effective electronic services examines government Web sites explores Internet sources of health information shows you how to establish electronic services through your library’s portal site looks at how to manage a library computer lab and much more!

This inspiring book will enable academic librarians to develop excellent research and instructional services and create a library culture that encompasses exploration, learning and collaboration. Higher education and academic libraries are in a period of rapid evolution. Technology, pedagogical shifts, and programmatic changes in education mean that libraries must continually evaluate and adjust their services to meet new needs. Research and learning across institutions is becoming more team-based, crossing disciplines and dependent on increasingly sophisticated and varied data. To provide valuable services in this shifting, diverse environment, libraries must think about new ways to support research on their campuses, including collaborating across library and departmental boundaries. This book is intended to enrich and expand your vision of research support in academic libraries by: Inspiring you to think creatively about new services. Sparking ideas of potential collaborations within and outside the library, increasing awareness of functional areas that are potential key partners. Providing specific examples of new services, as well as the decision-making and implementation process. Encouraging you to take a broad view of research support rather than thinking of research and instruction services, metadata creation and data services etc as separate initiatives. Dynamic Research Support in Academic Libraries provides illustrative examples of emerging models of research support and is contributed to by library practitioners from across the world. The book is divided into three sections: Part I: Training and Infrastructure, which describes the role of staff development and library spaces in research support Part II: Data Services and Data Literacy, which sets out why the rise of research data services in universities is critical to supporting the current provision of student skills that will help develop them as data-literate citizens. Part III: Research as a Conversation, which discusses academic library initiatives to support the dissemination, discovery and critical analysis of research. This is an essential guide for librarians and information professionals involved in supporting research and scholarly communication, as well as library administrators and students studying library and information science.