Information and Reference Services Dr Dania Bilal IS 530 Fall 2007 Definitions Information reference service provision of information guidance and instruction to users Reference librarians information specialists and intermediaries between information sources and users Purposes Assist in meeting user information needs Educate users in effective access evaluation and use of information Develop and maintain virtal and nonvirtual collections to meet user needs Information Services Reference Circulation Interlibrary loan Technical services to support access to information Media digitization Reserves Reference Services User mediation User guidance User instruction Database searching Selective Dissemination of Information SDI Digital virtual reference User outreach Web 2 0 Other User Mediation Identify user information need Negotiation mediation of need Types of user queries Directional Factual Research User Queries Directional location driven Factual known as ready reference Have target answers simple Research require research to find relevant information sought No target answers complex Examples APTs and Ready Reference Queries Answer providing tools APTs almanacs dictionaries maps directories encyclopedias atlases etc APTs may be print books encyclopedias newspapers etc electronic database s online catalog s Web site s etc APTs and Research Queries Journals magazines books encyclopedias government documents theses etc Print and electronic online User Instruction Type of programs Orientation guidance Web based tutorials class integrated class related One on one Database Searching Fee based Available through commercial vendors such as Dialog Command driven and menu driven service policies Not all libraries offer service Dialog searches performed to users by intermediaries or other specialists End User Databases Menu rather than command driven Web based GUI driven non command driven Type point and click Examples databases accessible through Hodges Library Other Services SDI Information Referral Virtual reference Chat Email Telephone Web 2 0 Reference and the Community Who uses the library Are libraries competing with bookstores What type of users do libraries serve Are search engines such as Google competing with library use Serving Diverse Special Groups Multicultural groups Refugees People with disabilities Other groups Information and the Community Patterns of information seeking Are they the same across various cultures Katz II pp 17 19 What challenges are facing information professionals in the digital age