Historical development of reference service

1. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF REFERENCE SERVICE
Universal Education and Public Libraries

2. 19 CENTURY IDEALS
• Universal Education and Public Libraries (2 movements)That reference service was
developed
• Universal education was the concept that all children in the United States, no matter
what class, race, or religion would be able to receive free public education
• Business Leader– create better worker
• Labor Leader—a way for people to move up in society
• Religious leader—a way to make it possible for more people to read the Bible
• Politician—way to create a single national identity to immigrants

3. RESULT OF UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
• Literacy rate in the United States rose significantly
• 1850—1870 literacy rate had risen to 88.5 percent
• Concept of free public library was being established

4. BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
• The question is not what will be brought about by a few individuals of
indomitable will and an ardent thirst for improvement, but what is most for
the advantage of the mass of the community. In this point of view we
consider that a large public library is of the utmost importance as the means
of completing our system of public education

5. MARCH 20, 1854
Boston public library opened
it’s door to the public—It was
an instant success

6. WHAT DOES THE DEVELOPMENT OF
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION AND PUBLIC
LIBRARIES HAVE TO DO WITH
REFERENCE SERVICE ?

7. •Reference Service came about as a direct
result of these two innovations
►Universal Education taught the public to
read, and
► public offered materials to read

8. MELVIL DEWEY
•The school teaches them to read; the library must
supply them with reading which will serve to
educate, and so it is that we are force to divide
popular education into two parts of almost equal
importance and deserving equal attention: the free
school and the free library

9. 1876 BORN OF REFERENCE
SERVICE
•The newly literate members of the society knew
how to read, but not how to use a library. They
came into the library in ever-increasing numbers
but did not know what they wanted to read.
Naturally, they asked the librarian for advice. By
1876, the idea of reference service had been born

10. SAMUEL SWETT GREEN AND THE
FOUNDING OF REFERENCE SERVICE
• The 1st discussion of any type of direct service by librarians to help library users was
a paper presented by Samuel Sweet Green at the first conference of the American
Library Association in Philadelphia. His paper, “ Personal Intercourse and relations
between Librarians and Readers in Popular Libraries, outlined the concept of the
librarian interacting with and assisting the reader; he did not use the term “reference
service” because that term had not yet been developed
1st volume of Library Journal---1st professional discussion of what we now call
reference service

11. ACADEMIC LIBRARY POSITIVE
REACTIONS
• Otis Robinson – University of Rochester heartily endorsed
the concept
• Reuben Guild – Brown University described the availability
of librarians to the public at is University
• Columbia College – Dewey 1st to establish a team of
librarians to provide personal assistance to users
• 1st to use the phrase “reference department”

12. ORIGINAL FUNCTION OF REFERENCE
LIBRARIAN
What exactly does a reference librarian do?
1. Teach people how to use the library and its resources.
Some know, some unfamiliar. The first function of the librarian
providing personal assistance to readers was to teach them how
to find things in the library. Green States, “Give the as much
assistance as they need, but try at the same time to teach them
to rely upon themselves and become independent.”

13. ORIGINAL FUNCTION OF REFERENCE
LIBRARIAN
• 2. answer reader’s question. ( provide source that will answer all of
these type of question)
• Types of queries----a. Simple factual queries
b. in-depth research project.
3. Aid the reader in the selection of good books
serves as a readers advisor.
People wanted to read but did not know what was worth reading

14. ORIGINAL FUNCTION OF REFERENCE
LIBRARIAN
• 4. promote the library within the community
if you help them, they will come---and provide money! Greens
concept that by being personally available to members of the
community, the librarian would generate support from the
community, which of course would lead to more use of the library
and greater financial support.

15. CHANGES SINCE 1876
• Much has changed since 1876. The area that is most obviously
different is the technology used in libraries. Whereas in Green’s
time had essentially two formats, books and periodicals.
What type of resources use today?
What cause these transformation?

16. CHANGES SINCE 1876: DIVERSITY
• 19th century English and many dozens of languages
• Incorporate immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America
• Adult and children, teens, senior citizens, veterans, PWD, students,
teachers, business community, unemployed and virtually.
• WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF DIVERSITY TO REFERENCE SERVICE?
Creating need to respond to those demographic changes

17. FUNCTIONS OF THE REFERENCE
LIBRARIAN TODAY
1. Assistance and instruction (formal or informal in the use of library
2. assistance in the identification and selection of books, journals and
other materials relevant to a particular information need.
3. Provision of brief, factual information of the ready reference variety

18. RESEARCH WORK
What is Reference transaction
What is Reference work
What are the styles of reference service
What are the types of reference service? Describe each
Who is Samuel Rothstein
Who is James Wyer
What are the models of reference service?
What is reference interview