Hanem Ibrahim -Changes 1

Changes in reference work

Compare and contrast

Submitted by
Hanem A. Ibrahim
ILS 504 S70-1

Fall 2009
 Hanem Ibrahim -Changes 2

Reference work basic concepts will remain without change as long as library is

still there, but the way we look at the library could change, and the importance of the

library will stay as a source of all information resources and as a physical entity

collecting all kind of information services and tools beside the actual library collections

of books and other types of information media used for pleasure reading, entertainment,

or research. The library will not be only information center as Archie Rugh (1976) stated

in his article criticizing the guidelines created by the Standards Committee of the

Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD)of the American Library Association,

which refer to the responsibility of libraries as a source of information rather than books,

Rugh was defending the importance of the library as provider of reading for pleasure

rather than a place where user only could seek information about a book, he stated that

technique of reference work is essentially psychological rather than bibliographical; he

also stated that it is a mistaken idea that technology has altered the traditional technique

of reference work.

On the other hand, a recent article in Reference & user Services Quarterly, Neal

Wyatt, (2008–09 President of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)),

was discussing the history of (RUSA) which revised the definition of reference services

developed by RUSA, the Readers' Advisory Research and Trends Forum, RUSA’s

guiding principle focus on the user, and much of their work is designed

to help librarians working on the front desk or managing a department.

We could notice here the differences between the point of view of both articles

towards the library and the reference work through the reference guidelines (RASD), in

the seventy’s they was trying to change the traditional concept of the reference work at

the library by focusing only on the library as an information center, they was looking at
 Hanem Ibrahim -Changes 3

the library only from the outside appearance just to create a new look for the library, but

the recent reference guidelines was focusing on the user and much of their work is

designed to help librarians working on the front desk or managing a

department .

The author in the first article was mad because he look at library from his old

traditional concepts, he refused the idea of ignoring the importance of the books as a part

of the services which provided by the library to their users, he was right about the

importance of giving patrons not only the information about the book, but also the book

itself, but he was not trying to accept the fact that the library also not only for reading

books for pleasure, there are also different kind of library services. Also using new

technology doesn’t mean the library will be a place for only information data as adopted

by the old reference guidelines(RASD) which was ignoring the task of book advisor as

part of reference work which is one of the important service within the reference work at

libraries now, and it was adopted by RUSA guidelines as well as the other reference

policies which focusing in assisting the user and librarians working them for

better reference services..

Work cited :

1- Rugh, Archie G. (1976) Reference Standards & Reference Work Library Journal; 7/1/76,
Vol. 101 Issue 13, p1497, 4p. Full Text Available: Database: Academic Search Premier
http://0search.ebscohost.com.www.consuls.org/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=5995726&site=ehost-live
2- Neal Wyatt, (2008) A History of Innovation and a Future of Possibility.
Reference & User Services Quarterly, Winter 2008, Vol. 48 Issue 2,
p116-117, 2p
Full Text Available (AN 35665033) Database: Academic Search Premier
http://0-search.ebscohost.com.www.consuls.org/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=35665033&site=ehost-live