We start this semester with high hopes and new technology. We finally have wifi for students – something most college libraries have had for years. Who knows, maybe we will actually give them email accounts sometime soon.
I just read a letter in Library Journal from a librarian who feels irrelevant who says “there is little or no real reference work anymore.” I think we need to change our definition of “real reference.” For all the students who needed to know how to print out their schedules in the new Banner system, or complete their vehicle registration forms on the College website, these are “real reference” interactions. Are we doing scholarly searching this first week- no, but we are providing students with information they need. We are connecting them to content that has meaning now. If students are coming in to use Facebook, they recognize the Library as a positive place with helpful people.
Yesterday I booked an instruction session with a Professor who wants her students to research an ancestor, using genealogy sites and Ellis Island.org. This class will benefit from a librarian’s expertise in knowing the web, selecting and evaluating its sources and presenting them in a clear way. This is not traditional reference, but an outgrowth of the information continuum.
