Information and Referral in the Academic Library: |
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| Abstract: | Information and referral (I & R), since its introduction as a concept of library service in the late 1960s, has received wthied eim apttoerntatinocne Ionf tIh e& pRu balisc a l ivbiraab ? e' sceotnticnegp.t Soifm aiclaard ermeciocg rneifteiorenn coef service has not occurred. Reasons for this may be linked to an attitude that "the public library serves and the academic library instructs." As the complexity of new information technologies engulfs the academic library, primary reliance on an instructional attitudc toward reference service is no longer adequate. The experience of I & R in the public library offers a more appropriate reference service model based on the direct provision of information that is often "value-added" to meet specific information needs of the user. Such lessons from the successful practice of I & R in the public library can provide a framework for academic library reference services as librarians reevaluate themselves in a changing academic library context. |
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