This third edition of a most comprehensive book on reference and information services by two well-known library professionals is a welcome addition to the professional literature. The authors, Kay A. Cassell, Director of the MLIS Program at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers University, and Uma Hiremath, Executive Director of the Ames Free Library in Massachusetts, are high-profile librarians who need no introduction in professional circles. A National Advisory Board that included Marie L. Radford, Anita Ondrusek, Cheryl Knott Malone and Stephanie Maata guided the development of the book.
The book consists of four parts. Part 1 (“Fundamental Concepts”) contains an introduction to reference and information services, a discussion of a reference interview and an overview of the basic search techniques. Part 2 (“Introduction to Major Reference Sources”) is the largest part of the book and provides an overview of sources necessary for finding answers to the most common types of reference questions. Among them are questions about publications, facts, events, questions related to health, law and business, places and travel, biographies and the government. Part 3 (“Special Topics in Reference and Information Work”) includes chapters on the use of the Internet as a reference tool, reader’s advisory services (by Cindy Orr), reference services to children and young adults (by Meghan Harper) and information literacy in the reference department. Part 4 (“Developing and Managing Reference Collections and Services”) contains six chapters that discuss the selecting and evaluating of reference materials, ethics in reference (by A. Ecklund), managing reference departments, assessing and improving reference services, Reference 2.0 and the future of information services. Each chapter contains recommendations for further reading and a list of cited works.
Different groups of readers will use the book in different ways. The comprehensiveness of its content may help new instructors to define the scope of a course on reference services, clarify the content of the course sections and design assignments. Library school students will benefit from reading the book cover-to-cover, and the most diligent of them will remember it as an important component of their education. Library practitioners are most likely to see the publication of a new edition as evidence of the continuing importance of reference services and, depending on their experience, will appreciate the concrete sections on answering reference questions, the discussion of reference practices in the technological context and some of the philosophical issues related to the reference librarian’s work. The book is an irreplaceable source that can be recommended as an essential item for any library’s professional collection.
