Types of Reference Services

Smith (2010, p.4487) points out different types of reference service, such as ready reference service, reader’s advisory service, research consulting, instruction, and bibliographic verification and interlibrary loan. He notes that a reference librarian may perform all of these tasks or he may specialise in any specific activity, such as reader’s advisory service or instruction. Cassell and Hiremath (2009, p. 4) categorise information service into three types: ready reference; research and bibliographic verification.

Proponents of reference service had different views regarding the nature and extent of reference service provided to users. Academic librarians were of the opinion that the users should only be instructed to become independent users of library resources. This is referred to as the ‘conservative’ philosophy of reference service. Librarians of special libraries argued that the reference librarian should find the information himself and provide it to the inquirer. This is often referred to as the ‘liberal’ reference philosophy. The majority of public and academic librarians adopted the ‘moderate’ philosophy, which balances the

14 desire to provide assistance to the users keeping in view the capacity of the library staff, in terms of time and training, to do so. The supporters of the above three philosophies ultimately agreed that the users’ needs vary at different times. Therefore, reference service should consist of information, instruction and guidance keeping in view the needs of a particular user at a particular time (Bunge, 1999, pp. 187-188). Bunge and Bopp (2001, p.6) observe that reference service has three basic types: the provision of information; instruction in the use of library and its resources; and guidance in the selection of materials. These three types of reference service are different in theory, but in practice they may be performed together. It may be possible to conduct elements of all three types of reference service during an interaction with one user at a given time.

2.2.1.1 Information Services

Bunge (1999, p.193) states that libraries provide information services to users on their request in order to meet their specific needs. Bunge and Bopp (2001, p. 7) point out that information services have different forms. They may range from provision of merely an address or telephone number to supply of documents on a specific topic. Information services include the following types.

2.2.1.1.1 Ready Reference Questions

Answering ready reference questions is one of the basic forms of information services. A ready reference question is a request for factual information, such as an address, the spelling or definition of a word, a date or place of an event. It could also be a request for brief information regarding an organisation. It can be answered quickly by consulting one or two reference sources. A wide range of reference sources, such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, yearbooks, biographical and geographical sources are used to answer ready reference questions. The majority of reference questions received at most reference desks in academic and public libraries fall under the category of ‘ready reference questions’ (Bunge and Bopp, 2001, p.7).

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2.2.1.1.2 Bibliographic Verification

Bibliographic verification is another form of information services, which is offered in most of the libraries. It is concerned with the provision of information about specific publications. It involves searching of bibliographic tools to verify the user’s information about a particular information source (Bunge and Bopp, 2001, p. 7).

2.2.1.1.3 Research Questions

Research questions are complex and take more time as compared to ready reference questions and bibliographic verification. These questions require a reference librarian to consult a wide variety of information sources to provide an answer (Cassell and Hiremath, 2009, p.5). Katz (2002a, P. 18) states that “A research query is usually identified as that coming from an adult specialist who is seeking detailed information to assist in specific work”. He notes that the research request is often made by a professor, a scientist, a business executive or any other person who requires information for a particular decision or solution of a problem. Research questions are asked in most of the academic and special libraries, and in large public libraries as well.

2.2.1.2 Instruction

Instruction is considered a main component of reference service in almost all types of libraries. It is carried out with individual library users as well as users’ groups. Instruction consists of three basic forms: (1) to teach how to use the library; (2) to suggest strategies for finding and assessing information; and (3) to instruct in the use of particular information sources. Instruction has sometimes been considered as an alternative to information services as it emphasises the need of teaching users to find information themselves instead of finding it for them. However, instruction is considered complementary to information services in a broader context. Information sources are increasing so rapidly that it is very difficult for users to know the extent of information available on a topic of their interest. Users also do not know about the existence, content and organisation of various information sources. Therefore, all types of libraries are required to

16 provide instructions to the users in the use of information sources (Bunge and Bopp, 2001, p.14).

2.2.1.3 Guidance

Guidance or reading guidance is concerned with suggesting appropriate materials to the particular users for reading. It was started in the 1920s in the form of ‘reader’s advisory service’ in order to deal with a number of requests for advice on best books from users (Bunge, 1999, p. 191). Bunge and Bopp (2001, p.12) report that the concept of reader’s advisory service was given by Samuel Green in his 1876 article, in which he laid emphasis on assisting users in the selection of books suitable to their needs and intellectual levels. Another form of guidance is ‘term-paper counseling’ or ‘research consultation’, which is provided in academic and school libraries. The reference librarian assesses a student’s information needs and provides him with guidance as to which library tools should be consulted to find appropriate sources of information on the student’s research topic, keeping in view the student’s understanding of library use and search strategies (Bunge and Bopp, 2001, p.13).