An Exploratory Survey of Reference Source Instruction in LIS Courses

An additional approach may be to take the initiative in developing an instructional tool to facilitate reference source instruction. A tool of this sort might be a shared application to provide access to, demonstration, and comparison of print sources through electronic representations of those sources. A prototype version of such a tool was designed by one of the authors for a subject-specific reference course. An expanded version could include a database with multimedia clips illustrating and comparing online search processes in various electronic sources. This tool could build on Richardson Jr.’s typology of reference sources and their characteristics, but would be oriented toward teaching LIS students how to use these sources rather than assisting librarians in finding sources.³¹ To expand this instructional tool beyond source instruction and into generalized reference education, video clips of reference interviews and the question-answering process might be included for instructors to present as case studies for their classes. However, a shared option would require commitment and collaboration among reference instructors from LIS schools and practitioners in a variety of settings, as well as the cooperation of reference source publishers to allay copyright concerns. Pursuing any of these approaches will have repercussions for the reference education of the next generation of librarians. Reference instructors, practitioners, and students must realize that their instructional choices of today will impact the library of tomorrow.

Denice Adkins is Assistant Professor and Sanda Erdelez is Associate Professor, School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, University of Missouri-Columbia. This research was supported by the University of Missouri Alumni Association Richard Wallace Research Incentive Grant. Submitted for review March 3, 2005; revised and accepted for publication July 26, 2005.

References

1. John V. Richardson Jr., “The Future of Reference: The Intersection of Information Resources, Technology, and Users,” Reference Services Review 31, no. 1 (2003): 43-45.
2. Samuel Rothstein, “The Making of a Reference Librarian,” The Reference Librarian no. 25-26 (1989): 321-50.
3. Samuel Swett Green, “Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers (Originally Published in October 1, 1876),” Library Journal 118 (June 15, 1993): S5.
4. Samuel Rothstein, “The Nature of Reference Work in the General Research Libraries, 1896-1916: Policies and Practices,” The Reference Librarian no. 25-26 (1989): 98-117.
5. Samuel Rothstein, “The Library Educator Looks at Reference Education,” The Reference Librarian no. 25-26 (1989): 195.
6. Beverly P. Lynch and Kimberley Robles Smith, “The Changing Nature of Work in Academic Libraries,” College & Research Libraries 62, no. 5 (Sept. 2001): 407-20.
7. Norman Oder, “New Movement for Ph.D.’s to Work in Academic Libraries,” Library Journal 128, no. 11 (June 15, 2003): 16-17; John N. Berry III, “But Don’t Call ‘Em Librarians,” Library Journal 128, no. 18 (Nov. 1, 2003): 34-36.
8. Rothstein, “Making of a Reference Librarian.”
9. Ronald R. Powell and Douglas Raber, “Education for Reference/Information Service: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Basic Reference Courses,” The Reference Librarian no. 43 (1994): 147.
10. John V. Richardson Jr., “Teaching General Reference Work: The Complete Paradigm and Competing Schools of Thought, 1890-1990,” Library Quarterly 62, no. 1 (1992): 83.
11. Susan McEnally Jackson, “Reference Education and the New Technology,” The Reference Librarian no. 25-26 (1989): 541-55.
12. Marsha D. Broadway and Nathan M. Smith, “Basic Reference Courses in ALA-Accredited Library Schools,” The Reference Librarian no. 25-26 (1989): 431-48.
13. Louise S. Sherby, “Educating Reference Librarians: A Basic Course,” The Reference Librarian no. 30 (1990): 35-44.
14. RUSA Task Force on Professional Competencies, “Professional Competencies for Reference and User Services Librarians,” Reference & User Services Quarterly 42, no. 2 (Summer 2003): 290-95.
15. Richardson Jr., “Teaching General Reference Work,” 76.
16. Powell and Raber, “Education for Reference.”
17. Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, “Teaching Online and CD-ROM Resources: LIS Educators’ Views and Practices,” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 38, no. 1 (Winter 1997): 14-34.
18. Rothstein, “The Making of a Reference Librarian.”
19. Ibid.
20. Richardson Jr., “Teaching General Reference Work.”
21. Ibid., 57-58, 60, 68, 70.
22. Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith, Reference and Information Services: An Introduction, 3rd ed. (Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 2001); William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Basic Information Services, 8th ed., vol. 1 (Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2002).
23. Carol Simpson and Yunfei Du, “Effects of Learning Styles and Class Participation on Students’ Enjoyment Level in Distributed Learning Environments,” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 45, no. 2 (Spring 2004): 126.
24. F. William Summers, “Education for Reference Service,” in The Service Imperative for Libraries: Essays in Honor of Margaret E. Monroe, ed. Gail A. Schlacter (Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1982), 157-68.
25. Jackson, “Reference Education and the New Technology.”
26. Powell and Raber, “Education for Reference/Information Service.”
27. Hsieh-Yee, “Teaching Online.”
28. A. Michael Huberman and Matthew B. Miles, “Data Management and Analysis Methods,” in Handbook of Qualitative Research, eds. Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1994), 428-44; Anselm L. Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, 2nd edition (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1998).
29. Benjamin S. Bloom, ed., “Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals, by a Committee of College and University Examiners,” in Handbook I: Cognitive Domain (New York: Longmans, Green, 1956).
30. Richardson Jr., “Teaching General Reference Work.”
31. John V. Richardson Jr., Knowledge-Based Systems for General Reference Work: Applications, Problems, and Progress (San Diego, Calif.: Academic, 1995).

Appendix A. Reference Instructor Survey

The Web-based format of the survey prevents full reproduction of the instrument. Content-related survey questions are listed below.

Course-specific questions:

These questions were repeated three times to allow instructors to describe multiple courses.

1. What is the title for this reference or information sources course?
2. Think about the total time you spend teaching about reference sources in this course. What percentage of your time is spent teaching print sources, and what percentage of your time is spent teaching electronic sources?
3. What instruction method do you use for this class?
   • Completely face-to-face, with regular class meetings
   • Face-to-face, with “lab” sessions in the library
   • Live televised broadcast classes at remote locations
   • Web-based, with some face-to-face meetings
   • Other (please explain)
4. Please rank the methods you use to present print sources to this class. Use 1 for the least frequently used method and 5 for the most frequently used method.
   • The class meets in the library and compares sources directly.
   • I bring several reference books to class and pass them around.
   • I use an opaque projector or camera to present the reference books to the class.
   • I make transparencies or slides of selected pages in the book.
   • I discuss the reference books in general terms and assume students will peruse them on their own time.
   • Other (please explain).
5. Please rank the methods you use to present electronic sources to this class. Use 1 for the least frequently used method and 5 for the most frequently used method.
   • I teach in a computer lab and have students perform their own reference searches.
   • I use a computer and projector to model searching in front of the class.
   • I use slides or screen shots to model stages in the searching process.
   • I discuss searching in general terms and expect students to do searches on their own time.
   • Other (please explain).

General Questions:

1. In a sentence or two, please describe how you compare two or more print sources.
2. What do you find to be your biggest challenge in teaching about paper-based reference resources?
3. What teaching methods or strategies have you found to be particularly effective in teaching about paper-based reference resources?
4. In a sentence or two, please describe how you compare two or more electronic sources.
5. What do you find to be your biggest challenge in presenting electronic-reference resources?
6. What teaching methods or strategies have you found to be particularly effective in teaching about electronic reference resources?

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