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The reference desk or information desk of a
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
is a public service counter where professional
librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
s provide library users with direction to library materials, advice on library collections and services, and expertise on multiple kinds of information from multiple sources.


Purpose and usage

Library users can consult the staff at the reference desk for help in finding information. Using a structured
reference interview A reference interview is a conversation between a librarian and a library user, usually at a reference desk, in which the librarian responds to the user's initial explanation of his or her information need by first attempting to clarify that need a ...
, the librarian works with the library user to clarify their needs and determine what information sources will fill them. To borrow a medical analogy, reference librarians diagnose and treat information deficiencies. The ultimate help provided may consist of reading material in the form of a
book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
or
journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
article, instruction in the use of specific searchable information resources such as the library's online
catalog Catalog or catalogue may refer to: *Cataloging **'emmy on the 'og **in science and technology ***Library catalog, a catalog of books and other media ****Union catalog, a combined library catalog describing the collections of a number of libraries ...
or subscription bibliographic/fulltext databases, or simply factual information drawn from the library's print or online reference collection. Information is also provided to patrons through electronic resources. Typically, a reference desk can be consulted either in person, by telephone, through email or online chat, although a library user may be asked to come to the library in person for help with more involved research questions. A staffed and knowledgeable reference desk is an essential part of a library. The services that are provided at a reference desk may vary depending on the type of library, its purpose, its resources, and its staff.


History

Reference services did not become commonplace in libraries until the late 1800s. These services initially began in public libraries. At first librarians were hesitant to offer reference services because many libraries did not have a large enough staff to provide the services without other duties being neglected. Beginning in 1883 with the
Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonweal ...
, libraries began to hire librarians whose primary duty was to provide reference services. One of the earliest proponents of references services was
Samuel Swett Green Samuel Swett Green (February 20, 1837 – December 8, 1918) was a founding figure in America’s public library movement. Considered by many to be the "father of reference work", laying the groundwork for widespread reform within the field, he o ...
. He wrote an article titled "Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers" which had a large impact on the future of reference services. Utor (2008) defined reference services as a direct personal assistance to readers seeking information through direct contact between the reference librarian and the user. Reference desks changed dramatically with the emergence of
information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
.


Resources

Resources that are often kept at a library reference desk may include: * A computer with internet access. Librarians use both the public web and subscription databases to find and evaluate information and research sources. * A small collection of
reference book A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...
s (called ''ready reference'') that are most often used, so that the librarians can reach them quickly, especially when they are on the phone, and so that the books will be returned in time for someone else to use later the same day. The library's full reference collection is usually nearby as well. * Newspaper clipping files and other rare or restricted items that must be returned to the reference desk. * Index cards with the answers to frequently asked questions, and/or drawers with folders of pamphlets and photocopies of pages that, from previous experience, were difficult to find. These enable librarians to find such information quickly without leaving the desk—even faster than they could look it up in a reference book or using the Internet. * Books and other items that are being held for library users who asked the librarian by phone to set them aside for them to pick up later the same day, or within the next few days. * Books from the circulating collection that have been set aside for students working on a special assignment, and are temporarily designated to be used only within the library until the project is due. * Printed lists of items in the library that are not in the catalogue, such as newspapers, school yearbooks, old telephone directories, college course catalogues, and local history sources.


Services

Services that are often available at a library reference desk include: * A sign-up sheet for reserving computers with Internet access, or
word processing A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
software. * The ability to place the book 'on hold', which prevents the person who has borrowed it from renewing it. The person who placed the 'hold' is notified when the book has been returned. (Some libraries provide this service at the circulation desk.) * The ability to request
interlibrary loan Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...
of books and other material from other branch libraries in the same library system, or from a cooperating library anywhere in the world. (Some libraries provide this service at the circulation desk.) * The opportunity to recommend that the library purchase something for its collection that it doesn't have, which may be needed or of interest to other library users. The
librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
who staffs the reference desk can usually do the following by virtue of their professional training and experience: * The librarian can look up a brief, factual answer to a specific question. * The librarian can use the catalogue to find out whether the library owns an item with a particular title or author, or that contains a short story, chapter, song, or poem with a particular title, or to compile a list of books by a particular author or on a particular subject. * The librarian can briefly teach the user how to use the catalogue and how to use its advanced features, or recommend the proper subject words or terms that are used in the catalogue for the topic the user has in mind. * The librarian can often take the library user directly to the shelves with books on a certain topic without using the catalogue. * The librarian is familiar with the contents of hundreds of
reference book A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...
s, and can recommend books that might contain the answer to a particular question. * The librarian can teach the library user to use online
database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...
s such as for
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
and
newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
articles, and recommend words and search strategies for the topic the user has in mind. * The librarian can recommend reliable
web sites A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikipe ...
, give advice on searching the Internet for information, and evaluate the reliability of the information on web sites. * If the library doesn't have information on a given topic, or if the library user wants more information, the librarian can refer the library user to another library or to an organization that can be contacted by phone or mail. *Offer aid with devices such as tablets and e-readers. This can range from general assistance with questions on how to navigate e-reader and tablet devices to instructing classes. Questions can vary from what devices are compatible with the library's e-book platform, how to check out books, and how to read electronic books.


Staff qualifications

In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, those who staff library reference desks are usually required to have a master's degree in library science from a program accredited by the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
. However, if there is a lack of qualified applicants, particularly in rural areas, a person with an associate degree, a certificate in library technology, or a bachelor's degree in library science may perform these duties. In many academic libraries, student assistants are used as the primary contact, sometimes at an "information desk." In
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, librarians at reference desks typically have master's degrees from the Sri Lankan Library Association's accredited programs.


Electronic reference services

With the development of the Web,
digital reference services Digital reference (more commonly called virtual reference) is a service by which a library reference service is conducted online, and the reference transaction is a computer-mediated communication. It is the remote, computer-mediated delivery of re ...
are beginning to take over some of the roles of the traditional reference desk in a library. There is disagreement over whether or not this development is desirable or inevitable. Are Reference Desks Dying Out?
by Scott Carlson, ''Chronicle of Higher Education'' April 20, 2007.


See also

* Internet search engines and libraries *
Reference scenario A reference scenario is an imagined situation where a library patron brings a question to a librarian and there is then a conversation, called in the field a reference interview, where the librarian works to help the patron find the information the ...
*
Current awareness service Selective dissemination of information ("SDI") was originally a phrase related to library and information science. SDI refers to tools and resources used to keep a user informed of new resources on specified topics, including the current-awareness ...


References


External links


UCLA DIS 245 "Info Access" Wiki on Reference Services, edited by John V. Richardson Jr. and Debbie Weismann




* ttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/index.cfm Reference and User Services Association Guidelines
Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers
by Samuel Swett Green {{Authority control Library resources Reference