Reference in library and information science education

Library Trends, Fall, 2001 by Yvonne J. Chandler

The KALIPER researchers stated in the Executive Summary (2000) "the importance of consolidating the LIS core and clearly delineating what makes LIS distinct--as a knowledge domain--from other disciplines." The researchers found that most schools emphasize a user-centered perspective, and that core curriculum revisions by LIS programs incorporated instruction in information-seeking from the cognitive level to the role of information in society. These factors are and must remain included in the curriculum of reference or information access courses at graduate institutions. The researchers concluded that the focus on users makes library and information science distinct from other fields that play a role in the creation, organization, management, accession, and dissemination of information. In other words, graduate programs must prepare information professionals to have a client-centered perspective--to be able to design or adapt information products and services that are responsive to user needs, rather than trying to adapt users to the services.

Barron and Blessinger (2000) reported that the size of the core curriculum for schools ranges from six to 48 hours of courses in master's programs on the semester system and from 24 to 32 hours for those on the quarter system. The average among schools on the semester system is 19 hours. My recent analysis of the core curriculum for all library schools found that the majority of schools still require a reference course. Marco (1994) found that reference was one of only two courses from the traditional core curriculum required by most accredited U.S. schools (p. 183). My examination of the core requirements in 2000 found that 45 of the ALA-accredited schools required a course covering the knowledge and skills associated with reference services or information access provision.

PREPARATION OF REFERENCE AND INFORMATION ACCESS PROFESSIONALS

Historically, reference professionals have played an important role in the transfer of knowledge and ideas by providing people with access to the information they need and want. Among the major functions in librarianship--collecting materials for a particular constituency, organizing those materials on the shelves and creating public records, circulating materials, and assisting users to retrieve materials and information--reference service was the last to develop, in the late 1800s. Green (1876) outlined the four general responsibilities of reference librarians as instruction, satisfying inquiries, collection development, and public relations and library promotion (pp. 78-79). Over the years these roles have changed only in the methods and techniques used to meet them. Mardikian and Kesselman (1995) identified five "rationales that have changed reference and information services":

1. Increasing access to resources beyond the library (networked resources including the Internet),

2. Lack of geographic constraints for users ("users may no longer need to come to the library to obtain information"),