What Is the Best Model of Reference Service

Abstract

REFERENCE SERVICE IS BASED UPON A SET of core functions that have remained valid since the earliest days of the public library movement.Inherent in those functions is a set of core values, including accuracy, thoroughness, timeliness, authority, instruction, access, individualization, and knowledge.Models of reference service that emphasize different aspects of those values take very different forms.In determining the best model for a specific library, the values of the community that the library serves must be taken into account.No one model is best for all libraries.For anyone using libraries today, reference senice is a standard feature.Regardless of the type of library, the size of its collections, or the demographics of its users, patrons expect to get help with everything from complex research projects to finding materials in the collections.Service has become almost synonymous with libraries.This was not always the case.Reference service is a relatively recent development in library history, and the methods in which reference services are provided are still evolving.Administrators and reference librarians alike struggle to develop the most efficient and effective means of providing reference service to their users.During a time when change seems to be the only constant, librarians are seeking new models for providing service to their users.Beginning around 1980, a number of innovative methods for providing reference service began to be created and promoted in the literature.