NOTE: To change the image on this slide, select the picture and delete it. Then click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. Prepared by: Valerie Rock

The Beginning The Birth of Reference Service Prior to the 1800’s there was no need of reference service since education and knowledge were reserved to the elite of the society. After the mid 1800‘s with the spread of democracy, public education was more common and community members started using libraries. Users started being acquainted with libraries and the services they offered. reference-service/

By late 19th and early 20th centuries several factors contributed to the rise of reference work. Mainly the increase in information resources, leading to a complexity in these resources and thus, making it harder for people to find information. In addition, with the increase in the number of the educated populace in the society there was an increase in the diversity of people looking for resources giving rise to a more sophisticated reference service. The Birth of Reference Service historical-development-reference-service/

Definition of Reference Service A reference Transaction can have the following nuances:  Involves the knowledge, use, recommendations, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources.  Includes information and referral service.  Covers printed and non-printed material; machine-readable databases, catalogs, e-resources, and other holdings records.  Referral services include other libraries and institutions and people inside and outside the library that may be sources of information.  Request may come in person, or by phone, fax, mail, or electronic mail from an adult, a young adult, or a child.

Four Functions of Reference Service: 1.Instructing the reader in the ways of the library: To help newly educated public take advantage of the knowledge in the books and e-resources. 2.Assisting the reader with his queries by answering user questions. 3.Aiding the reader in the selection of good works: by helping readers in selecting good works that are most relevant to their needs. 4.Promoting the library within the community: The library is part of the greater community. Being available to the public, librarians will be better appreciated and understood. p.5

The Development of Reference Service More than a century has passed and the functions of reference service still apply to today’s service, but what makes the service unique is that the librarian is personally involved in each function and the service is personalized for each user. Personalizing the service will promote the library within the community. reference-service/

Modern libraries focus on the users. Reference Service and information is provided on personal basis. While at the beginning libraries focused on preserving the documents they contained and only the librarians needed to know how to find these documents, modern libraries evolved from internally focused institutions to externally focused institutions. Reference Service is constant but the difference exists in the tools used. Today’s librarians use tools other than the library catalog. Telecommunications and the internet are used to help patrons. The Development of Reference Service historical-development-reference-service/

As librarians now are externally focused they need to serve the community not only in the library but wherever they are, at home, at work or travelling the globe, and here comes the role of technologies. In order to succeed in their service, librarians need to identify the necessary tools and adapt them to their needs which include the development of electronic resources software, the same way OPAC was implemented to meet the needs of users. The Development of Reference Service historical-development-reference-service/

Reference Service will remain part of libraries. Communities are in constant need of information and the role of reference librarians will be always needed but with a change in some features although, other features will remain constant. Libraries offering their service to the community in selecting and accessing information on a personal basis will remain part of the constant features. The Future Does Reference Service Have a Future? reference-service/

Changes in Reference Service Technology has spread and the information environment is dominated by the internet with more data bases and search engines. Speed and storage capacities will continue to rise and cheapen. With the speedy rise in technology there will be technological access of high and low quality of information. The role of librarians would be to select from among the resources what is qualitatively best to serve the community with information needs. This would not be an easy task for academic librarians to be able to obtain good resources with minimum cost. …

Reference work will stay in place-based but no longer place-bound. With the rapid growth and spread of technology, information could be remotely accessed by using screens, or the library’s web site. Users are more assured they will find the information they need with less time and even from the comfort of their homes. Changes in Reference Service historical-development-reference-service/

Bethlehem University Library Bethlehem University Library is a model for the development of libraries. Since its establishment in 1973 (more than forty years now) the library progressively developed its collection and services. The library moved from using the traditional card catalog to using the electronic catalog and the internet.

Bethlehem University opened in A new era originated in 1977 with the construction and opening of the new library building. The modern era came in 1995 with the creation of the electronic card catalog. A major transition applying automation occurred in with the conversion to a new library management system, LibSys.net. Bethlehem University Library

In more ways than one, the new technologies have contributed to an enhancement of Reference Services as Well. Recently, BUL has embarked on new projects:  Digitization Project  Library Refurbishment Project  For more information on the projects you can click on the links below Bethlehem University Library

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