Crash Course in Reference Review

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(More customer reviews)Reference sections are an essential part of every library - "Crash Course in Reference" is a complete guidebook for librarians in keeping and maintaining a reference collection. Focusing on using resources to find the best and most efficient books on every subject, and information on finding the answer when it continues to elude one's search, "Crash Course in Reference" is a top pick for any librarian trying to make their collection the best possible.

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This introductory book is a basic review of reference services in public libraries. It includes tips on locating resources in both print and online formats, makes suggestions for purchases and maintenance of the reference collection, reviews the ethical aspects of providing information to all patrons, and provides information on how to join a network of reference librarians who can assist you when you cannot find an answer.



A basic explanation of reference services for those with little formal LIS training working in small rural libraries or others who have been working in other areas and wish to brush up on their skills, this author provides an introduction to reference services including search strategies.

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The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently completed my MLIS and used this book as one of many tools to review for my comprehensive exam. I found the text most useful in summarizing and highlighting ethics issues, especially those discussed in the ALA's labyrinthine Intellectual Freedom Manual. Still, if you're looking for depth and substantial context, you're better off using the authors' original works (especially Rubin and Taylor). If you're thinking about going to library school, this is a good overview of what you'll be learning in the core courses. You may find it to be very relevant material, especially if you've never worked in a library before (which, personally, I HIGHLY recommend before you commit to a graduate school program). Overall, I'd recommend checking this book out from the library before committing to buying it at such a steep cover price.

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Developing Library and Information Center Collections (Library and Information Science Text Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This volume by Evans and Sapanaro was a textbook in my collection development class. Given the very pragmatic approach of my instructor, I'm not surprised she selected this book.
First of all, collection development can be a very politically charged responsibility, especially in a public library. While this book may not give you all the nitty gritty details of how to deal with every situation that can threaten your library or your career, it can certainly provide helpful introduction on how to write a comprehensive and useful collection development policy that will guide the selection and deselection process, and insulate your library from a public relations fiasco.
In chapter 2, the authors provide a thorough but not overwhelming chapter on different approaches to assessing the information needs of your patrons, depending on the library you work (i.e. Public, academic, special library). Thankfully, they spare you from the fine grained details of research methods and statistical methods. In fact, they recommend hiring a consultant to help out with such procedures, since it might not always be practical to hire such a specialized staff member full time.
Chapter 4 provides a hefty and substantive overview of how to select materials for your library and how to evaluate these materials. Other chapters discuss the unique issues of evaluating and selectings serials and electronic resources.
While just about every chapter appeared to have very useful information, some noteworthy (personally speaking) chapters address legal issues, fiscal management, and deselection.
If you have been assigned this text consider yourself lucky. If not, it could be a good supplementary text. Professionals new to collection management will probably find this text to be a useful resource. Veterans of the field might not find much in this text, but it could serve as a good refresher to collection development practices.

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