Reference and Information Services : An Introduction

This new edition of the classic text Reference and Information Services has been thoroughly updated to reflect current information in the field.|This revised and updated sixth edition of Reference and Information Services continues the book’s rich tradition, covering all phases of reference and information services with less emphasis on print and more emphasis on strategies and scenarios.|Reference and Information Services is the go-to textbook for MSLIS and i-School courses on reference services and related topics. It is also a helpful handbook for practitioners. Authors include LIS faculty and professionals who have relevant degrees in their areas and who have published extensively on their topics. ||The first half of the book provides an overview of reference services and techniques for service provision, including the reference interview, ethics, instruction, reader's advisory, and services to diverse populations including children. This part of the book establishes a foundation of knowledge on reference service and frames each topic with ethical and social justice perspectives. ||The second part of the book offers an overview of the information life cycle and dissemination of information, followed by an in-depth examination of information sources by type—including dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, and abstracts—as well as by broad subject areas including government, statistics and data, health, and legal information. This second section introduces the tools and resources that reference professionals use to provide the services described in the first half of the text.|

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• Reference and Information Services is a recognized textbook for information retrieval courses and updates the previous edition
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• Editors and contributors are experts in the field
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• Activity boxes engage readers and invite them to reflect on what they are learning and to practice skills through real-life exercises
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• Conscious integration of critical theory and social justice perspectives offers critical reflection on the standards and practices of the field and encourages readers to consider alternate perspectives
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Melissa A. Wong has been an online instructor for the University of Illinois since 2001, teaching courses in reference, instruction, management, and academic librarianship. Previously, she worked as an academic librarian for 14 years, including 6 years at the University of Southern California and 8 years as library director at Marymount College Palos Verdes. She earned her master's degree in library science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Laura Saunders is associate professor at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, teaching in the areas of reference, instruction, and academic libraries. Prior to earning her PhD, she worked as an academic reference librarian and in circulation at a public library. She earned her master's of library and information science and her PhD at Simmons University.