Technology, cluelessness, anthropology, and the memex: the future of academic reference service Available to Purchase

The future of the academic library and the future of reference service are inextricably interdependent. These include information technology, the role of the library as place, users’ values, and users’ naïveté about the complexity of information. Significant user values include immediacy, interactivity, personalization, and mobility. In order to develop services that respond to users’ need, librarians need to develop an anthropological understanding of their user communities. They also need to play a significant role in developing information systems. These need to provide personalized service. These ideas are not new; however, information technology has advanced to a point where they can be applied both practically and effectively. As librarians take a larger role in adapting information technologies to meet users’ information needs in ways that respond to their values, reference service must remain user‐centered; high‐tech and high touch are equally important.