Reference and Information Services: An Introduction (Library and Information Science Text Series)

This revised and updated sixth edition of Reference and Information Services continues the book's rich tradition, covering all phases of reference and information services with less emphasis on print and more emphasis on strategies and scenarios.

Reference and Information Services is the go-to textbook for MSLIS and i-School courses on reference services and related topics. It is also a helpful handbook for practitioners. Authors include LIS faculty and professionals who have relevant degrees in their areas and who have published extensively on their topics.

The first half of the book provides an overview of reference services and techniques for service provision, including the reference interview, ethics, instruction, reader's advisory, instruction, and services to diverse populations including children. This part of the book establishes a foundation of knowledge on reference service and frames each topic with ethical and social justice perspectives.

The second part of the book offers an overview of the information life cycle and dissemination of information, followed by an in-depth examination of information sources by type―including dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, and abstracts―as well as by broad subject areas including government, statistics and data, health, and legal information. This second section introduces the tools and resources that reference professionals use to provide the services described in the first half of the text.

• Reference and Information Services is a recognized textbook for information retrieval courses and updates the previous edition
• Editors and contributors are experts in the field
• Activity boxes engage readers and invite them to reflect on what they are learning and practice skills through real-life exercises
• Conscious integration of critical theory and social justice perspectives offers critical reflection on the standards and practices of the field and encourages readers to consider alternate perspectives