Reference Service - Nature, Scope, Need and Purpose

 

 ‘Reference service’ represents an area of study in library science which has evolved over the period of time. No one definition can precisely define reference service, as it comprehends a whole range of activities that promote the use of books/documents and the information contained in them.

According to the American Library Association Glossary of Library Terms,

 

"Reference Service is that phase of library work which is directly concerned with assistance to readers in securing information and in using the resources of the library in study and research".

Ranganathan defines Reference Service as

 

`Personal service to each reader in helping him to find the documents answering the interest at the moment pin-pointedly, exhaustively and expeditiously.' It is also, he says, at-tempts "to provide the right book for the right reader, in the right way and at the right time, in the right personal way."

Margaret Hutchins defines `

 

Reference Services' as those that include "the direct personal aid, within a library, to persons in search of information for whatever purpose and also various library activities specially aimed at making information as easily available as possible."

Donald Davinson says that

 

it is “not just answering questions posed by readers. It is also about the maintenance of the resources banks from which answers to questions are provided for selection, and the associated development of close awareness of sources of supply of needed materials is another aspect of the reference librarian's work which needs to be given attention.”

William Katz views 'Reference Service' as

 

"the behind-the-scene activities of the reference library in the selection, acquisition and maintenance of library stock and its careful recording and administration."

All the above definitions of ‘Reference service’ imply the following functions: 

• Personal assistance to readers in the use of the library and its collection.
• Answer questions that readers ask or give the right sources that provide answer   to such question;
• Build up a good reference stock knowing users' needs., build up reference tools, maintain Reference Service and administer them properly;
• Reference Service Provide all these services with speed and efficiency without any bias, meeting the exact needs of users.

Almost every modern library provides these services. However, their nature and scope may vary according to the classes of users. For instance, most of the users of academic and special libraries may have definite purpose seeking information/library support as against what may be in a public library.

Nature and Scope

By nature of reference service, we mean the wide spectrum of services offered to different classes of users, in response to requests or in anticipation of them. These services may include meeting simple requests for documents; finding answers to straight forward fact- finding queries or to complex questions demanding prolonged search through a wide range of reference sources.

By scope, we refer to the depth and coverage of the subject about which the question is asked and the precision that is required in answering such a question. The nature and scope of reference service offered in a library are generally determined on the basis of the following factors;

• Categories of users: Children, students, teachers, researchers, professionals and such others;
• Types of libraries: Public, academic and special;
• Quality and level of service sought: Location of specific documents in the library, help in the use of the library catalogue and such other tools, or help in consulting reference books, assistance advice in selecting documents for the study undertaken;
• Types of questions: Fact findings, literature searches, questions relating to a specific area of research, industrial or business activity, and similar others;
• Reference and bibliographical tools maintained for effective use,
• Persons visiting the library personally, or enquiring via telephone or seeking assistance through post or other means.

Reference service in most public libraries would be in the nature of assistance to readers in seeking books for study or recreation, answering simple fact-finding questions or enquiries relating to public utilities and so on. Most users of public libraries may not be engaged in any serious pursuit of study or research or investigation and their collections are also not geared up to this type of requirements. Of course, there are exceptions for example, large public libraries of the West. In university and special libraries, the reference service usually would be of an intensive type. In fact, most modern documentation and information services have evolved and grown in the context of serving specialized users, such as researchers, academicians, writers, industrial and business experts, planners, executives and management specialists. From what has been discussed so far about reference service, it should be clear that reference service incorporates a number of different functions and a precise definition does not seem to be so essential. It should, however, be noted that all these services can be offered only by trained, experienced and competent staff. A number of different techniques and tools have been developed to provide these services. But, before we discuss these aspects, let us examine the need and purpose of reference service in libraries.

Need and Purpose of Reference Service

 As you know, historically, libraries have been a part of social milieu. Most of the human activities- education and training, research and development, socio-economic growth, industry and business, trade and commerce, politics and international relational, arts and culture, government administration, need active support of libraries. In fact, modern innovative information services which are considered as an extension of reference service place emphasis on intensive user –oriented, need based reference services? In other words, we shall study the need and purpose of reference service. We shall do so from the following angles:

• Users’ information needs and demand for intensive services; Growth of libraries in all dimensions and their complexities;
• Modern tools and techniques developed for library and information services; Volume and variety of documents, both print and non –print; and Impact of information technology.

 

 References and Further Reading

Davinson, D. (1980). Reference Service. London: Clive Bingley.

Egyankosh (n.d). BLIS-06 Information Services (module).

Katz, W.A. (1982). Introduction to Reference Work. In: Reference Services and Reference

Processes: 4th ed. Vol. II. New York McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Krishan Kumar (1996). Reference Service. 5th ed. New Delhi: Vani Educational Books.

Ranganathan, S.R. (1961). Reference Service. 2nd ed. Bombay: Asia Publishing House.

Ranganathan, S.R. (1963), Documentation and its Facets. Bombay: Asia Publication.