Photo by Marta Murvosh
Connect
I believe that reference and users services are the points where the foundations of librarianship and my knowledge and skills mesh to connect information seekers and library communities to the resources they need.
I developed the skills to conduct reference interviews, to anticipate user and community needs, and to develop reference collections.
I developed the skills to conduct reference interviews, to anticipate user and community needs, and to develop reference collections.
Best practices
I realized the importance of developing and using best practices for a group of users though a project with my colleagues Serenity Ibsen and Amber Slaven, when we studied reference services to rural communities via bookmobiles. Supported by our research in the peer-reviewed literature and my direct observations and interviews with bookmobile staff, we proposed in the presentation Reference on the Road (below) best practices and methods for reference service in rural communities served by mobile libraries.
In-depth reference needs
While working with a real client, a fiction writer who is writing a historical fantasy trilogy set in both 14th Century Spain and Florida prior to European contact, I learned to focus on a client’s need for in-depth research and to determine the best method to present those resources. I then created an annotated bibliography and a directory of key researchers in the easily searchable, password protected, Medieval Spain website. (Please request access).
Removing barriers
In order to remove barriers to the public's use of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I compiled the best practices of government officials, historians, librarians, and journalists. I've made this information available to the public through Accessing Freedom of Information Act (http://foia-access.weebly.com/), a website that I created.
Reference and User Services:
Retrieve, evaluate, and synthesize information resources to fulfill an information needs assessment; evaluate the usefulness of these resources to the user.
