Why We Need Reference Services





(Banks 2017)

As I am writing this post, our world is still trying to deal with Covid-19 and its many mutations. There seems to be a move towards categorizing it as “endemic” rather than a “pandemic”. In other world news, Russia is bombarding the Ukraine and trying to take it while NATO leaders have been meeting to discuss strategy. Also, Indigenous, Metis and Inuit leaders have been meeting with Pope Francis in Rome to discuss the history of residential schools in Canada and have just received an apology from the Roman Catholic Church. Within the school calendar, we are entering the month of April, with Ramadan starting, Easter on the horizon, Earth day/week coming up and poetry being inspired by the spring weather.


(Eckstrand)

How do teachers try to help students make sense of it all? We all have a lot of questions and want to know where to look for the answers in order to figure out what the future may look like. Knowing the difference between fiction and non-fiction in this age of digital manipulation as well as having access to trustworthy reference sources and services is essential (Banks 2016). This only makes the role of the LLC more important (Banks 2017).




(Green)


This is where the reference librarian “comes to the rescue” as the “search engine” for the community to provide age-appropriate, relevant and current (Riedling and Houston):

  • links to reputable news sources;
  • online links along with print atlases to share with classes so that they locate where the current events are happening and historical borders;
  • print and digital dictionaries and thesauri for their definition, pronunciation and spelling questions; and,
  • historical information about the people and issues being discussed in the news in encyclopedias, biographies.

This does not mean that the only role of the reference librarian is to locate the requested information to answer various queries. A vital component of the reference librarian’s job description in the school environment is to teach information literacy to the community members so that they can independently find and evaluate the information that they are looking for - in print and online (Oxley). “School librarians do not have the luxury of not providing proper, complete training regarding the basic sources and services of the school library. Indeed, it is time consuming; however, without it, little time is available for other services necessary for the school” (Riedling and Houston 112).



(Bradley)


While I may be looking at the calendar to help me decide upon which reference resources need to be highlighted next in the LLC, I am also watching the news to help me anticipate what reference services are going to be needed next. Taking courses like LIBE 467 helps me to learn how to create a physical and digital LLC space that supports inquiry learning for everyone. In the end, I am trying to help create a space that matches what Libba Bray believes the library should be.

"The library card is a passport to wonders and miracles, glimpses into other lives, religions, experiences, the hopes and dreams and strivings of ALL human beings, and it is this passport that opens our eyes and hearts to the world beyond our front doors, that is one of our best hopes against tyranny, xenophobia, hopelessness, despair, anarchy, and ignorance."

– Libba Bray (Blocker and Collins)


Works Cited

Banks, Marcus. “Fighting Fake News.” American Libraries Magazine, American Library Assoc., 27 December 2016, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/12/27/fighting-fake-news/. Accessed 2 April 2022.

Banks, Marcus. “Ten Reasons Libraries Are Still Better Than the Internet.” American Libraries Magazine, American Library Assoc., 19 December 2017, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/12/19/ten-reasons-libraries-still-better-than-internet/. Accessed 2 April 2022.


Blocker, Simini, and Suzanne Collins. “50 thought-provoking quotes about libraries and librarians.” Ebook Friendly, 21 January 2022, https://ebookfriendly.com/best-quotes-about-libraries-librarians/. Accessed 30 March 2022.

Bradley, Phil. Library warning poster. Poster picture. 2012. flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/philbradley/8073524689/in/album-72157625923493122/. Accessed 30 March 2022.

"Tatyana Eckstrand, The Librarian's Book of Quotes Quotes." Quoteslyfe.com, 2022. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022, https://www.quoteslyfe.com/quote/In-the-nonstop-tsunami-of-global-information-258705.

Green, John. “Who Can You Trust? Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #4.” YouTube, Crash Course, 29 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o93pM-b97HI. Accessed 2 April 2022.

Oxley, Kristie. “Lesson 6: Managing the Reference Collection.” LIBE 467 63D 2021W2 - Information Services I. University of British Columbia, Feb. 2022, canvas.ubc.ca/courses/92354/pages/lesson-6-managing-the-reference-collection?module_item_id=3951841. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. Fourth ed., Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2019.






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