Reference in library and information science education

Library Trends, Fall, 2001 by Yvonne J. Chandler

ABSTRACT

TECHNOLOGY HAS AFFECTED THE REFERENCE and information culture in libraries. With the increasing scope of information transfer, users have higher service expectations of library and information science professionals. The emergence of a digital information environment has changed the century-old role of the reference professional. After the rise of the Internet, many skeptics foresaw the end of a need for librarians, particularly those working in traditional positions such as reference. Nevertheless, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates an increase in the number of information professionals by the year 2008. Reference professionals are becoming more--not less--essential. Graduate programs must examine the curriculum for reference and information access professionals. Greater access to information sources by users has highlighted the need for reference and information professionals to develop new skills including more technological knowledge, a better understanding of user information-seeking, new instructional techniques, and better communication skills. In addition to live classroom instruction, most schools offer reference and information access courses to a more diverse student body by employing distance-learning technologies.

INTRODUCTION

This is an exciting time to be an information-access professional providing reference services. Abels (1997) broadly defined reference services as "those services that provide access to information through direct or indirect intermediation" (p.136). With the increasing scope and rapidity of information transfer and the many new opportunities opened up by network technology, the pace of information change has accelerated. In response to expectations placed on the information profession, graduate programs must examine reference and information-access training. The movie Desk Set illustrates the fear of replacement that afflicted many librarians after the introduction of the computer. This was one of the first visualizations of the "human versus the machine" debate in the information profession. Although only hired to install a computer to better handle research requests, the presence of the computer specialist causes rampant paranoia as the staff worries about losing their jobs to the machine. Early reaction to the development and growing popularity of the Internet was a sequel to this fear.

On the contrary, the importance of reference librarians is actually growing in this age of the Internet. Keller (2000) reports that the number of reference librarians working at public libraries in the United States has grown from 2,634 reference librarians in 1995 to 4,100 in 2000. In addition, a survey conducted by the Urban Libraries Council in 2000 confirmed that the Internet is not driving people away from libraries. More than three-fourths of the surveyed Internet users reported that they also use libraries. The study found that access to the subscription journals and databases in libraries keeps those users coming back. Crosby (2000) reported in the Occupational Outlook Quarterly that the number of librarian jobs is projected to grow about 5 percent between 1998 and 2008. By 2008, librarians will hold 7,000 more positions than they did in 1998 (p. 9).

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (2000) describes the changes in the information access profession:

   The traditional concept of a library is being redefined, from a place to
   access paper records or books, to one which also houses the most advanced
   mediums, including CD-ROM, the Internet, virtual libraries, and remote
   access to a wide range of resources. Consequently, librarians are
   increasingly combining traditional duties with tasks involving quickly
   changing technology.

The Handbook specifically defines the need for reference librarians:

   Librarians in user services, such as reference and children's librarians,
   work with the public to help them find the information they need. This
   involves analyzing users' needs to determine what information is
   appropriate, and searching for, acquiring, and providing information. It
   also includes an instructional role, such as showing users how to access
   information. For example, librarians commonly help users navigate the
   Internet, showing them how to most efficiently search for relevant
   information.

Information technology is an ever-changing field that has affected the reference and information culture of libraries. Libraries are in the midst of a phenomenal explosion of technological change that began during the 1990s. From high-speed Internet access to desktop hookups for laptops and computers to full-text electronic books,journals, documents, newspapers, and articles, technology offers multiple ways for today's information user to retrieve, send, or receive information. The advent of the electronic library, digital library, data warehouse, or virtual libraries, however they may be termed, has changed society's thoughts on libraries in general. Libraries, such as the Library of Congress with the National Digital Library, provide access to the library's historical collections in schools and homes. Peek (1998) wrote in an essay on library buzzwords, "In a simpler time, we had no problem defining the term library. Libraries were a collection of information, usually databases called books, held in a specific location. The presumption is that this information was intended to be shared--perhaps not shared with the entire world, but available to a specific community" (p. 36). In her definition of a digital library, Peek (1998) identified three similarities between a physical and digital library: "Both own and control the information; Both provide access to information, not merely pointers to it; and Both must have a unified organizational structure so there are consistent points for accessing the data" (p. 36). Traditional print and virtual libraries have a great deal in common. Crawford (1998), a self-described "lifelong technologist," wrote that the future will include "both print and electronic communication.... Both linear text and hypertext.... Both mediation by librarians and direct access.... Both collections and access.... The future means a library that is both edifice and interface."