IFLA Discussion Group on Reference Work, a 4-year perspective
by
Annsofie Oscarsson
Head of Reference
Umeå University Library, Sweden
[Archive - Historical Material]
Reference and information
work is one of the fundamental pillars of our libraries, and has turned
out to be even more important concurrently with the information
explosion on the Internet. This information overflow is a phenomenon
that may seem, at first glance, easy to handle as "You can find
anything on the Net". As librarians we know that this is not the real
truth. If you think that you found what you searched for, there are
still lots of pitfalls, one of which could be summarized into one word:
Quality. The Internet explosion entails besides many new aspects, like
access and availability, due to complicated copyright restrictions. We
also must recognize, reorganize and adapt our services in order to meet
with the new virtual needs. In this respect I am referring to both
digital and physical environments, as both virtual and physical patrons
form our user community today.
These are just a few reasons for claiming that
traditional reference librarian skills will continue to be valid and
will continue to provide a good foundation for the sector, together
with new skills such as interpersonal ones, technology, pedagogical
skills, and probably skills that we yet cannot identify. Traditionally,
the mission of reference librarians is to retrieve, structure and
evaluate information, but will this be unique to us in the future? One
important aspect is, that we are facing competition from other
information providers on the net and how do we handle that? Will
libraries be the place where we will work in the future? Which
organization will best fit future needs? Cooperation will be even more
important, and how do we best organize collaborative reference service
between libraries world wide? The technique is here, but how do we use
it in the most appropriate way?
It is extremely important that these matters are
treated, discussed and considered on an international level, and IFLA
is an excellent and vigorous forum of great importance for the library
sector in many fields.
Up to 1997 there was no forum within IFLA addressing
specifically Reference Work. At the Copenhagen conference, I took the
initiative of starting a Discussion Group on this topic. The Section of
Document Delivery and Interlending (Division V, Collections and
Services) agreed to affiliate the group. The number of participants has
increased every year from 40 for the first meeting, more than 100
librarians attended the Bangkok meeting, and 150 reference librarians
participated in this year's discussions in Jerusalem. With respect to
the importance of assessing this field of librarianship and considering
the great interest with which this Discussion Group has been met, it is
my hope and desire that Reference Work will continue to be addressed
within this organization on a permanent basis. I will give a short
background and a brief overview of the work of this group until today.
Start-up meeting, Copenhagen 1997
The scope of the Discussion Group was
discussed, and defined to include all aspects of reference work in all
types of libraries in all regions. The importance of the new electronic
environment should be emphasized, and also the fact that a change is
taking place in reference work. The future role of reference work
should be an important issue as well as the quality aspect. It was
generally agreed to cover the following important topics:
- Organization
- Ethics
- The impact of electronic materials
- Reference collections
- Continuing education of reference librarians
Procedures
Discussions have mainly been based on
discussion papers, submitted in advance and available on IFLANET to
permit browsing before the conference. Reports from meetings are also
posted on the Discussion Group's web page.
1:st Official meeting, Amsterdam 1998
The topic of the first official meeting was The Organization of Reference Services.
In order to find out if there were any differences in the organization
with respect to library type with regard to the reference department,
reference services etc, the following four library types were
identified: National Libraries, University and Research Libraries,
Public Libraries and Special Libraries. From each of them a coordinator
conducted, and reported on a survey based on three questions:
- Where in the organization is the reference department found?
- Which services are offered, and are there different levels?
- What are the positive and negative effects?
The substance of the discussion which followed was
that it is not always the organization itself that is important but
rather the needs of the users and what they expect from reference
librarians. However, as a result of information technology, a change in
the organizations can be expected in a foreseeable future. Another
issue was how we can serve the users in the best way, whether physical
or virtual - this is really the focus point and highlights the
importance of defining reference work. Which services are we going to
provide in the future? How do we adapt our library organization to meet
with future needs?
2nd Official Meeting, Bangkok 1999
The theme of this year's Disscusion Group on Reference Work was The New Definition of Reference Work in a Changing Reference Culture.More
than 100 people attended the meeting from different parts of the world.
There were eight papers submitted and four of the authors were present
at the meeting. Two of the papers referred to surveys based on the
questionnaire from previous year. The two surveys assess the changing
nature of reference work. One of the challenging facts which came up
was, that if reference librarians cannot uphold a good standard, users
will try to obtain their answers from other reference service
providers. The conclusions highlight the changing relationship between
reference librarians and users.
Among other issues scanned from the papers was Roving
Reference, in which reference librarians rove around with the potential
of answering questions, and can also rove around the collection with
wireless communication. The point is that users want help and
information where they are, that is, in front of the computer
catalogue, the CD-databases etc., and do not want to leave the
computers to walk up to the reference desk. The concept of the "virtual
reference interview" or how to make the computerized reference service
more human, was also discussed as well as declining statistics
regarding reference desk questions.
3rd Official Meeting, Jerusalem 2000
The theme A Space Odyssey: Building Bridges Between Virtual and Physical Reference Services
attracted more than 150 reference librarians. The meeting room was
quite crowded and many people were listening to the session from an
adjacent room. Five discussion papers were briefed, giving input for
the following discussion. The user, the physical patron, was addressed
in many aspects as well as the new possibilities of serving remote,
virtual users. A model for evaluating and developing reference services
on the Internet was also described. Several interesting ongoing
projects from the US were reported on, such as the Collaborative
Digital Reference Services promoted by the Library of Congress. Aspects
and solutions to problems with regard to reference services within
special collections such as European Document Information, which is an
typical example of fields where both printed and electronic material is
used, were presented. Changes in the physical reference environment and
the abolition of the traditional reference desk in favor of roving
librarians were lively discussed. The changing role of reference
librarians, and the willingness or unwillingness to change attitudes
and methods of working were taken up as well as the generation shift
and the importance of acquiring young professionals for reference
service. Finally, real-time digital service was mentioned, such as
chatting with an expert, a theme that certainly will be highlighted in
future discussions.
For further information, please visit the Discussion Group's web page:
http://archive.ifla.org/VII/dg/dgrw/index.htm
or contact: annsofie.oscarsson@ub.umu.se
Last update: 5 October 2012