num_pages: 274
description: A daily diary of actual interactions between a reference desk librarian and his patronsReference Librarianship documents a year in the life of a young librarian working in the “trenches” at a library in the Midwestern United States. This one-of-a-kind book provides a daily diary of every librarian/patron transaction―no matter how mundane or absurd―to demonstrate not only how advances in technology have affected the reference librarian’s job, but how the public’s expectations have changed, as well. The book also includes observations by a now-retired reference librarian on the current state of the field based on these unedited interactions.Over the past two decades, the job of reference librarian has seen many changes. But in many ways, reference desk work hasn’t changed a bit, with its mix of odd, humorous, routine, and ridiculous requests that capture what it’s like to deal with patrons day after day. Reference Librarianship paints a clear picture of the field for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical support to practitioners, and reminds library administrators of what life was like on the “front lines.”A sampling of the daily transactions documented in Reference Librarianship :Monday, May 19, 2003: Reference Librarianship is an enlightening, educational, and entertaining look at the real world of reference desk work. It’s an essential read for reference librarians (both public and academic), library administrators, and library school students, as well as anyone who works with the public.
language: English
title: Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches
titlecomplete: Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches
genres: Reference
ratings_count: 27
publisher: Routledge