Humanities Reference Librarians in the Electronic Age

Abstract

Humanists build new ideas and arguments based upon studies done in the past. Although research requires these scholars to pick through the literature that has come before, much has been lost because of the lack of adequate comprehensive reference tools. In the age of technology, new projects are available which enhance and enlarge the body of work upon which future scholars can build. For reference librarians helping with research questions in the humanities, the marriage of traditional reference tools and new on-line resources means a richer cumulation of past scholarship. In this paper, I will discuss strategies for academic humanities reference librarians to integrate traditional and electronic reference resources, and the need to continue learning the skills to use both. Humanities reference librarians must continue the great humanist tradition of building new ideas upon older foundations by successfully acquiring and using both new and old reference resources.     

Master Reference Librarians for a New Age

Summary

In 1990 the authors conducted interviews with “Master” reference librarians in an effort to determine if these librarians shared traits which could be used to predict success in the field of reference Hbrarianship. From these interviews a list of eight shared characteristics was developed. In the six intervening years, reference collections and reference work have changed greatly and the authors began to wonder if the list of characteristics remained valid in the electronic reference world. Interviews with “New Age Masters” were used to determine which characteristics were still valid and to identify any new traits needed to succeed. The librarians were also asked to speculate on the future of reference Hbrarianship.     

信息时代图书馆员的继续教育

本文针对目前图书馆事业面临的挑战,指出图书馆员继续教育的现实意义,并对图书馆员继续教育的有效实施提出了建设性的策略。     

Reference Librarians and Serial Publications in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

For better or worse, civilization constantly evolves; it is never static. The creation and use of new knowledge and its notation has passed through many stages in the last 6,000 years from cuneiform tablets to machine readable text. The service of this body of knowledge has similarly matured from that provided in the library at Alexandria to the skilled information specialist of a contemporary research library. This paper proposes a quantum leap forward to a new point at which the information specialist will directly assist the researcher in the creation of new knowledge through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Thus, the reference role is extended from one of seeking bibliographic citations or locating the full-text of articles to one of creatmg new conclusions for a specific problem or thesis.     

浅谈信息时代高校图书馆员的信息素质

文章论述了信息素质的基本内涵,并阐明信息时代高校图书馆员应具备的信息素质,指出提高馆员信息素质的途径与方法。     

图书馆员如何面对信息网络时代

文章针对迅速发展的信息网络环境及当前图书馆员的素质状况,阐述了图书馆员接受继续教育的必要性及具体实施的方法.     

Academic Reference Librarians:

No abstract available for this article.     

Academic Reference Librarians:

Declining levels of financial support for public institutiom, such as colleges and universities in particular, have resulted in reduced staffing in academic libraries. Concurrently, libraries are besi.eged with greater demands from the academic community for access to and instruction in electronic information resources such as the :Internet Emerging organizational structures of academic libraries is discussed Core competencies for academic reference librarians are then1 identified and discussed. 'lhese include a flexible attitude and approach towards technology. a high tolerance for rapid change in technology, creativity, curiosity, communication skills, public relations savvy, and the ability to effectively relate to a diverse clientele.     

Reference Librarians and Technical Services Librarians:

The relationship between reference librarians and technical services librarians has often been strained. In our changing technological and organizational environment, it is imperative that reference librarians and technical services librarians share responsibility for improving this relationship. One way for this to take place is for individuals to become more "accountable" to their colleagues. This article provides accountability guidelines for both reference and technical services librarians which, if followed, can result in increased communication and a better understanding of the roles, concerns, and needs of both reference and technical services librarians.     

Educating Reference Librarians:

A basic reference course for library school students needs to include more than information about specific reference sources. Employers expect graduates to bring flexibility and creativity to the solving of reference questions in a variety of library settings, many of which do not enjoy collections containing the titles the students memorized in class. Graduates also need skills in the evaluation and selection of reference tools, staff, and services; knowledge of the organization and administration of a reference department and how it relates to other departments; and facility in the application of current reference strategies and techniques. A sample course syllabus incorporating these concepts is suggested.     

信息时代我国图书馆员的继续教育

本文论述了信息时代对现职图书馆人员所进行继续教育的内容、措施及形式.     

Reference Librarians as Teachers:

No abstract available for this article.     

The Attitudes of Academic Reference Librarians Toward Information Brokers

This study describes a questionnaire survey of reference librarians working at the eighty-nine academic ARL (Association for Research Libraries) member institutions in the United States. The survey was conducted to determine the extent to which information brokers use the materials available in academic reference departments, the types of sources which are consulted, and the nature of the relationship between librarians and information brokers. The data colelcted in the present study indicate that none of the personal and professional conflicts between information brokers and reference librarians that were reported in the library literature during the first half of the 1970s is either widespread or serious. Possible explanation for the change include: (1) an increased professionalism characterizing brokers; (2) the attrition of the less competent brokers; and (3) the establishment and clarification of a role for commercial providers of information which is separate from and not threatening to that of librarians.     

The Education of Librarians in an Age of Information Technology

No abstract available for this article.     

Personal Malpractice Liability of Reference Librarians and Information Brokers

No abstract available for this article.     

Accountable Reference Librarians

No abstract available for this article.     

Evaluating Reference Librarians

No abstract available for this article.     

The Internet and Reference Librarians:

This paper examines the efforts of the McGill University Humanities and Social Sciences Library Reference staff to integrate the use of resources found on the hernet with traditional reference duties. It also discusses the Internet instruction workshops designed and implemented by reference staff to help librarians and the university community understand and navigate the Internet. The relationship with McGill's Computing Centre and Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology is examined and a case is made for increased collaboration with other areas concerning Internet instruction and use. Lastly, the proactive role of reference staff concerning the introduction of the Internet to other library staff and to the university community is also discussed.     

Abstracting for Reference Librarians

Reference librarians, who are thoroughly familiar with the purpose, scope and arrangement of abstract journals, are uniquely qualified for the task of writing abstracts. The procedures described here offer a relatively simply way for them to write acceptable abstracts from the outset. Although research is being conducted in the area of machine generated abstracts, there will continue to be arole for human abstractors, who must determine what combination of the author's original words and/or paraphrasing best conveys the central message of the article. The completed abstract must be accurate and must include those terms and phrases that will both facilitate manual indexing and enhance free-text searching of on-line abstracts.     

Reference Librarians/Educators

Summary

Reference librarian roles are evolving in today's rapidly changing environment. Values that have shaped and guided our profession thus far are discussed, and the rigors of working at a general reference desk are portrayed. Information overload, the demands of the information age, general societal trends, and new technologies are credited with shaping service directions. Strategies for maintaining professional competence and currency are presented, and emerging roles are profiled.