Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: LeMaistre, Tiffany, Embry, Rebecka L., Van Zandt, Lindsey L., Bailey, Diane E.
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ976395
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867181491019055104
author LeMaistre, Tiffany
Embry, Rebecka L.
Van Zandt, Lindsey L.
Bailey, Diane E.
author_facet LeMaistre, Tiffany
Embry, Rebecka L.
Van Zandt, Lindsey L.
Bailey, Diane E.
LeMaistre, Tiffany
Embry, Rebecka L.
Van Zandt, Lindsey L.
Bailey, Diane E.
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Role Reinvention, Structural Defense, or Resigned Surrender: Institutional Approaches to Technological Change and Reference Librarianship LeMaistre, Tiffany Embry, Rebecka L. Van Zandt, Lindsey L. Bailey, Diane E. Public Libraries Academic Libraries Reference Services Librarians Technological Advancement Library Science Users (Information) Interviews Computer Peripherals Computers In a comparative field study of ten libraries, we show how technological advances in electronic and digital resources have led to an onslaught of technology questions at the reference desk while prompting new and challenging work away from the desk. Libraries in our sample varied in their approaches to dealing with technological change, with institutional factors appearing to strongly shape their choice. Large, four-year academic libraries adopted a role reinvention approach that reduced reference librarians' desk hours and permitted librarians to follow creative, often technical, pursuits. Small, four-year academic libraries took a structural defense approach that maintained the sanctity of the reference desk as the locus for substantive reference questions. Two-year academic and public libraries followed a resigned surrender approach where reference librarians staffed busy desks and were inundated with patron requests to aid with computer equipment. We discuss the implications of each approach for the work of reference librarians. (Contains 8 figures, 5 tables and 5 footnotes.)
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ976395
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2012
record_format eric
spellingShingle Role Reinvention, Structural Defense, or Resigned Surrender: Institutional Approaches to Technological Change and Reference Librarianship
LeMaistre, Tiffany
Embry, Rebecka L.
Van Zandt, Lindsey L.
Bailey, Diane E.
Public Libraries
Academic Libraries
Reference Services
Librarians
Technological Advancement
Library Science
Users (Information)
Interviews
Computer Peripherals
Computers
Role Reinvention, Structural Defense, or Resigned Surrender: Institutional Approaches to Technological Change and Reference Librarianship LeMaistre, Tiffany Embry, Rebecka L. Van Zandt, Lindsey L. Bailey, Diane E. Public Libraries Academic Libraries Reference Services Librarians Technological Advancement Library Science Users (Information) Interviews Computer Peripherals Computers In a comparative field study of ten libraries, we show how technological advances in electronic and digital resources have led to an onslaught of technology questions at the reference desk while prompting new and challenging work away from the desk. Libraries in our sample varied in their approaches to dealing with technological change, with institutional factors appearing to strongly shape their choice. Large, four-year academic libraries adopted a role reinvention approach that reduced reference librarians' desk hours and permitted librarians to follow creative, often technical, pursuits. Small, four-year academic libraries took a structural defense approach that maintained the sanctity of the reference desk as the locus for substantive reference questions. Two-year academic and public libraries followed a resigned surrender approach where reference librarians staffed busy desks and were inundated with patron requests to aid with computer equipment. We discuss the implications of each approach for the work of reference librarians. (Contains 8 figures, 5 tables and 5 footnotes.)
title Role Reinvention, Structural Defense, or Resigned Surrender: Institutional Approaches to Technological Change and Reference Librarianship
topic Public Libraries
Academic Libraries
Reference Services
Librarians
Technological Advancement
Library Science
Users (Information)
Interviews
Computer Peripherals
Computers
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ976395