Reference
Photo courtesy of SAA-UW
Providing reference service is an important element of the work of any archivist, history librarian, or museum professional. The purpose of reference is both to provide useful information, and also to take the opportunity to educate the requester about search strategies, novel approaches, and other subjects of potential interest. While I have worked at a traditional reference desk in a public library, even more of my reference interactions have involved providing education, outreach, and information in public arenas.
I have provided and evaluated reference services as part of my coursework, most especially in LIS 521: Principles of Information Service. Here are the responses I provided to emailed user questions asked through the Internet Public Library, as well as my evaluation of a print reference source for an earlier class:
- Internet Public Library reference questions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- My evaluation of a printed reference source
All uncredited photos on this site were taken by Gabriel Chrisman
All material copyright Gabriel Chrisman, 2010
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