Offer your patrons the cutting-edge reference services they demand

In the past, a reference librarian needed to develop a command of a few reference works, master the skills of the reference interview, and interface with library users in person or via telephone. Today's reference librarian is faced with much, much more. New Technologies and Reference Services suggests ways you can tame the information explosion and take advantage of new technologies.

This comprehensive volume recounts the ways reference librarians have adapted traditional services to deal with the changes...

Extensive data on the theoretical and practical aspects of electronic reference services
Digital Reference Services provides an overview of electronic reference services and software, and explores the opportunities that real-time digital reference services can offer in a variety of library settings. Experts in the field convey numerous opinions and theory about the growth of this new approach to answering reference questions. This book teaches librarians new methods and techniques for offering technologically advanced reference services to the public.
The first half of Digital...

This collection of scholarly articles traces the history of book illustration from its first notion in cave art to the early 20th century. It is arranged chronologically with the first section covering the beginning of illustration; the second moves from the illuminated manuscript to the advent of printing; the third and fourth takes the reader from the earliest woodcut illustrations to the beginning of the 20th century; and the final part is concerned with children's books. An annotated bibliography follows which will lead the reader to additional delights and discoveries. The contributors...

From cave paintings to computers, this overview of the history of books and communication is written for the layperson and student. It provides clear information on how books shaped and reflected major social, political, and literary developments. As a general guide, it moves from the earliest writing in the Middle East and Egypt to Greece, Rome, and early Christian contributions to book production and literacy. Major sections discuss publishing during the Middle Ages and how the invention of printing drastically changed and improved the distribution of knowledge. Later chapters take the...

Provides a brief history of how reference works developed, but concentrates on how they reflect attitudes of their particular period of publication. Each chapter focuses on a basic reference form and highlights the major titles in its evolution.