Description
As classrooms and universities strive to adapt their instructional methods to an ever progressing technological age, it is imperative that academic libraries also revisit the ways in which reference and instruction services are organized and implemented.
Library Reference Services and Information Literacy: Models for Academic Institutions not only advocates for a more intentional integration of reference and instructional services, but it also provides organizational background, staff objectives, and various successes and challenges that have already been experienced by real institutions. This publication is an important reference source for librarians, practitioners, and university leaders who wish to maximize the current utilization of their resources.
Reviews and Testimonials
The target audience of this book reads as librarians practicing in the profession as well as support staff and students about to embark on their own careers. As noted in its subtitle, this book is intended for those working or seeking to work in academic institutions. While librarians may find some difficulty implementing some of the ideas mentioned in the book due to the nature of their own particular libraries, the variety of case studies presented in chapters five through eleven make it likely that some practices presented will suit anyone reading the book. This book is recommended for reference service and information literacy librarians.
– Jennifer Wright, Owensboro Campus Librarian, Western Kentucky University
Cordell advocates that reference and instruction are the core services in academic libraries with a single purpose of integrating information literacy (IL) with the institutional curriculum. [...] This volume provides current and future trends of the core library instruction services and is recommended for academic libraries.
– Ma Lei Hsieh, American Reference Books Annual
The aim of this book is to discuss two core aspects of academic librarianship: library reference
services and information literacy. The book traces the history of these areas of service, the
relationship between them, and the way in which libraries in academic institutions are performing
these roles/services in a rapidly changing arena. [...] Although academic in its nature, the layout of the book, the division of sections and tone of writing result in a book that is easy to read. The content is instructional and informative from a professional learning point of view, although I do think its audience will be limited to the academic library sector or a student of librarianship undertaking research.
– Cindy Bissett, TAFE Tasmania, Australian Library Journal, 63 (3)
Author's/Editor's Biography
Rosanne Cordell
Rosanne Cordell is the Associate Dean for Public Services at Northern Illinois University where she supervises reference, instruction, document delivery, reserves, circulation, and collection maintenance services. Previously, she was the Head of Reference Services at Indiana University South Bend, where she had also served as Head of Library Instruction. Her interests include intellectual freedom, privacy, reference services, and information literacy. She was the chair of the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy Digital Literacy Task Force and is currently the co-chair of the Reference & User Services Access to Information Committee. She remains active in the ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table and the Freedom to Read Foundation.