Reaching Diverse Audiences with Virtual Reference and Instruction

Reaching Diverse Audiences with Virtual Reference and Instruction: A Practical Guide for Librarians is designed to help new and experienced librarians with practical advice for teaching and serving diverse audiences using a mix of new technologies and old-school librarianship. Just as today’s library users come from different backgrounds and experiences, and range from the tech-averse to internet-savvy, there’s no one-size-fits all method for effectively teaching information literacy or providing reference and research assistance! The guidebook aims to provide a range of options that can be adapted for your community’s needs, and includes advice for reaching many kinds of learners with virtual technologies for reference and instruction. Topics covered include how to:

Identify and assess the needs of diverse communitiesMake the most of online reference servicesImplement and incorporate online teaching tools into your practiceDevelop and evaluate goals, objectives, and outcomes for teaching & services

Though this book is predominantly aimed at the academic librarian, other sections on identifying and assessing community needs, managing virtual reference, and evaluating the effectiveness of library services are applicable for librarians in public, school, academic, and all types of libraries! In short, this is a one-stop shop for librarians who are seriously considering how to leverage new technologies to meet their community’s needs―this guide walks through planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating teaching and reference services, and teaches the skills required to meet the needs of a diverse range of library users.

Meredith Powers is a reference and instruction librarian at York College, part of the City University of New York and one of the most ethnically diverse urban areas in the world. Previously she worked in young adult services at Brooklyn Public Library, where she developed programs, taught technology workshops, and provided library services for incarcerated populations. She received her MS in Library & Information Science from Pratt Institute, where she focused on user experience and information experience design. She specializes in information literacy, young adult services, and online library resources and services.

Laura Costello is the virtual reference librarian at Rutgers University. She formerly served as the head of research and emerging technologies at Stony Brook University Libraries and as the head of library materials and acquisitions at EdLab at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin and BA in English literature from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include emerging technologies in content and service, education technology, and designing digital and physical library learning spaces.