Reference and information services in the 21st century : an introduction

Selected by educators nationwide as the best preparation for students and practitioners alike. Kay Ann Cassell and Uma Hiremath expand on their tremendously successful approach to reference service with this new second edition of their revolutionary text. This practical guide teaches failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources regardless of format. There's a completely new chapter on using cutting-edge technology plus expanded coverage of marketing reference service, and providing chat and IM reference. Of particular value to practitioners is the discussion of staff competencies needed now and in the future. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century is comprehensive in its coverage, with sections on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, special topics in reference and information work (including separate chapters on reader's advisory and youth services written by acclaimed expert Mary Kay Chelton who has added coverage of non-fiction), and developing and managing reference collections and services. Fresh material covers pertinent new topics in reference services and technology, including competencies and training in Web site development and maintenance, database evaluation, RSS feeds, blogs, popular social networking sites such as Facebook, and the ability to provide reference service across multiple formats. Guided by a national advisory board of educators and practitioners, this landmark text expertly combines both practical elements and guiding principles, and is sure to be useful to LIS educators, students, and both novice and experienced reference professionals. Instructors: Adoption entitles you to a free instructional CD-ROM featuring discussion questions, assignments, and PowerPoint presentations for each chapter. E-mail textbook-advisor@neal-schuman.com for more information.

Introduction to reference and information services -- Determining the question : in-person, telephone, and virtual reference interviews -- Finding the answer : basic search techniques -- Answering questions about books, magazines, newspapers, libraries and publishing, and bibliographic networks : bibliographic resources -- Answering questions about anything and everything : encyclopedias -- Answering questions that require handy facts : ready reference sources -- Answering questions about words : dictionaries -- Answering questions about events and issues, past and present : indexes and full-text databases -- Answering questions about health, law, and business : special guidelines and sources -- Answering questions about geography, countries, and travel : atlases, gazetteers, maps, geographic information systems, and travel guides -- Answering questions about the lives of people : biographical information sources -- Answering questions about governments : government information sources -- When and how to use the Internet as a reference tool -- Reader's advisory work / Mary K. Chelton -- Reference work with children and young adults / Mary K. Chelton -- Information literacy in the reference department -- Selecting and evaluating reference materials -- Managing reference departments -- Assessing and improving reference services -- Reference 2.0 -- The future of information service.