Providing Reference Services

John Gottfried is a faculty librarian and associate professor at Western Kentucky University. He is the Reference Services Coordinator and Business Librarian for WKU Libraries.Katherine Pennavaria is a faculty librarian and professor at Western Kentucky University. She is the Coordinator of the Visual & Performing Arts Library (VPAL) for WKU Libraries.

• Chapter 1. What Is Library Reference Service?Chapter 2. Reference Collections TodayChapter 3. Putting Reference Service into PracticeChapter 4. Managing Staff for Reference ServicesChapter 5. Oversight and Administration of Reference ServicesChapter 6. Marketing and Collaboration for Reference ServicesChapter 7. The Future of Reference Services

The thirty-second title in Rowman & Littlefield’s Practical Guides for Librarians series is a thoughtful review of reference services. Its seven chapters sketch the history of reference services, assess today’s reference collections, outline the basics of reference practice, address reference staff management and administration, examine marketing and collaboration efforts, and consider the future of reference services. Each chapter includes a summary of key points and a list of references. Newly minted reference librarians, seasoned practitioners, and reference supervisors and administrators working in public, academic, school, or special libraries, along with LIS students, will find much to ponder in these pages. The authors are both librarians and professors at Western Kentucky University.