Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Reference and Information Services: An Introduction

Rate this book
Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, this is the perfect text for students and librarians looking to expand their personal reference knowledge, teaching failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources, regardless of format. Guided by a national advisory board of educators and practitioners including Eileen Abels, Anita Ondrusek, Marie L. Radford, and Steven Tash, this text expertly keeps up with new technologies and practices while remaining grounded in the basics of reference work. Chapters on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics in reference provide a solid foundation, plus fresh insight on new issues, including New chapters on ethics, readers' advisory, and reference services for children and young adults Website development and maintenance RSS feeds Social networking Delivering reference services across multiple platformsAs librarians experience a changing climate for all information services professionals, Cassell and Hiremath provide the tools needed to manage the ebb and flow of changing reference services in the 21st century.

ebook

Published November 20, 2012

23 people are currently reading
13 people want to read

About the author

Kay Ann Cassell

13 books1 follower

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
10 (18%)
4 stars
26 (49%)
3 stars
16 (30%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Emily.
2,033 reviews36 followers
December 12, 2020
Like most of the textbooks I rate here, I didn’t read it cover to cover, but over the course of this semester, I read most of it, and it was a valuable combination of instruction about reference service and lists of resources to consult for the different questions librarians receive. The fourth edition is fairly recent, and when I compare it to other scholarly research we read in class, and to my 12 years’ experience working in a public library, I think it provides a solid overview and helpful tips for the different types and formats of modern reference service.
I own this on kindle, which worked well for me as a student, but I recommend the print version as an excellent resource to keep at reference desks to provide a quick, easy way to find good sources to help with reference questions. Many of the chapters are much more conducive to this use than as fascinating word-for-word reads.
44 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2021
One of the best textbooks I’ve ever had to read. I read this for a class on reference services in public libraries and it’s the Ike textbook I can remember where I didn’t hate what I was reading. Even if you’re not going for a MLIS degree, knowing about reference service and how it has evolved over the last hundred or so years is highly interesting. Great book, great class!
Profile Image for Casey.
484 reviews3 followers
July 17, 2020
Yes, I count my textbooks as books read in the year. This one is very informative, and I like how the chapters are quick reads. It really feels like I could use it in the future as a librarian, so I'm not sure I'm going to sell it back. I read the 2018, paperback edition.
Profile Image for Amber.
44 reviews
August 16, 2024
Good introduction to reference services. Many resources listed though a few are already out of date.
Profile Image for Sen.
205 reviews6 followers
Read
April 23, 2025
Adding my grad school textbooks because they're all I have time to read nowadays💀
Profile Image for Jessica.
155 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2023
There is a lot of good information here, but I also fell asleep a lot of times while trying to read this.
Profile Image for Keke Davis.
78 reviews4 followers
December 15, 2023
My papers and discussions were enhanced from reading this book! Very enjoyable read this semester!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.