KINDS OF INFORMATION SERVICES

A Module

Presented to:

Dr. Angelina Resurreccion

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Education – Graduate Studies

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Subject

MLS 603 Advanced Reference and Information Sources and Services

By:

Charisse Jane J. Cayabyab

July 06, 2019

MLS 603 KINDS OF INFORMATION SERVICES

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define the Information Service.

2. Identify and understand the Kinds of Information Services.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING

By reading this module you will understand that:

1. There are three kinds of information services.

1.1. Answering Reference Questions: Ready reference questions, Research questions
and bibliographic verification.
1.2. Reader’s Advisory Service the quest to put the right book in the hands of the
right reader.
1.3. Information Literacy is often referred as User Instruction, showing an individual
how to use the library’s online catalog and basic print reference sources to formal
classroom sessions about conducting research in the library.

ESSENTIALS QUESTIONS

1. What is Information Service?

2. What are the different Kinds of Information Services?

ESSENTIAL LEARNING

For all its contemporary relevance, the concept of reference service is more than a century
old. In 1876, Samuel Green, librarian of the Worcester Free Public Library in Massachusetts,
developed the idea of having librarians assist the user in the selection of books to suit their
needs. This served a dual function, increasing the use of his library’s collection and thereby
demonstrating the need for the library. Green saw the role of the public library as one of
welcoming users by having a pleasant and cultivated female staff.

Information service, in the most general sense, is the process of assisting library users to
identify sources of information in response to a particular question, interest, assignment, or
problem. Sometimes referred to as reference service, the Reference and User Services
Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association defines reference transactions as
“information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use
information resources to help others to meet particular information needs” . These reference
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transactions can take place in person or via the telephone, e-mail, or virtual reference
technologies. Librarians are also creating Web sites, answer archives, and links to answers to
“frequently asked questions” all designed to anticipate user questions and help people find
information independently. Traditional reference desk service continues to be highly valued by
library users in many settings, but the newer forms continue to grow in popularity.
Consequently, it is all the more important that librarians understand the range of inquiries that
can be expected, allowing them to provide a full and ready answer, regardless of the form in
which the query arises.

KINDS OF INFORMATION SERVICES

1. Answering Reference Questions

In light of the immense diversity and range of possible questions, being approached
by a patron with a reference need can seem like a daunting prospect. Indeed, much of
the difficulty of information services arises from uncertainty about the kind of service or
breadth of information called for by a given question. Categorizing reference questions
by type is a useful way to make sense of such concerns. Three common types of
information service are ready reference questions, research questions, and bibliographic
verification.

A. Ready reference questions

Can be readily answered using one or two general reference sources. The
librarian may be tempted to tell the user the answer to simple ready reference
questions. Yet here the old saying that “giving a man a fish feeds him for a day while
teaching him to fish feeds him for a lifetime” is proven true. No matter how simple
they seem initially, ready reference questions provide the possibility of teachable
moments. Whenever possible, librarians should lead users through the process of
looking up the information rather than simply providing the solution. Librarians who
assist users with ready reference inquiries on a regular basis sometimes choose to
create a “ready reference” section of the most commonly used resources either in
print or on the library’s Web site to answer quick questions. Typically, such sections
include a general all-purpose encyclopedia, dictionaries, almanacs, and handbooks.
Care must be taken to keep the sources up-to-date and to avoid depending so
heavily on this subset of the collection that other sources are overlooked by library
users and librarians. Librarians may find that ready reference questions have
diminished due to the ease of answering basic questions through online information
portals such as Google. Nevertheless, ready reference remains a cornerstone of
information services, and librarians should be primed to provide it at any time.
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B. Research questions
More complex, may take much longer to answer, and typically require multiple
sources of information. These questions often require the user to consider a variety
of sources and viewpoints and to subsequently draw conclusions. Sometimes
questions that initially seem like ready reference questions are far more complex as
previously hidden facets of the user’s inquiry are revealed. Here, the variety of
possible sources increases with the complexity of users’ questions. Librarians should,
for example, guide the user in the use of bibliographic sources, citations, and the
back-of-the-book bibliographies. Likewise, users with complex questions may need
to be taught how to find or request the full text of articles for which only citations
are given in a search of electronic databases, allowing them to move beyond cursory
surveys of the literature.
Different types of libraries tend to have their own standards for how long
librarians should spend with users on research questions. Many public libraries
recommend that users be given five or ten minutes of personal assistance and then
asked to return if more help is needed. A university library may have a similar
standard, or depending on the institution, may be able to invite the user to make an
appointment for more in-depth research assistance. Some libraries may suggest that
users call or e-mail ahead of their visit so the librarian can be prepared to offer the
best possible assistance. Other libraries, including special libraries, may only be able
to provide a basic level of help during the first visit. Libraries may refer users to
other libraries with more specialized materials in the area of the user’s research or
may offer to call back if additional information is found.

b. Bibliographic Verification
When the user/s has already obtained the information needed but must verify the
sources. Sometimes this service is a matter of fact checking, whereas on other
occasions users may have completed their research but lack full citation information.
As users increasingly depend on electronic databases for information, compiling and
formatting bibliographic citations becomes easier. Verifying and citing material
found on Web pages is more difficult since the information needed for the citation is
not always easy to find.

2. Reader’s Advisory Service

The quest to put the right book in the hands of the right reader. Librarians are
increasingly expected to provide an answer to the dreaded question, “Can you help me
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find a good book?” Fortunately, as demand has increased, so too has the ease of
providing this service. Although there is no substitute for one’s own knowledge or
experience, many new technologies serve to make the reader’s advisory far easier than
it was in the past. Many online databases, for example, have functions that
automatically recommend other books for those who like a given title. Others have
searchable lists of works by genre, helping readers match their favorite books to others
like them. As always, however, remember that reader’s advisory, like other reference
work, is predicated on the interaction between librarian and library user. Asking
directed questions, listening carefully to the users’ responses, and tailoring assistance
accordingly is the basis of excellent, truly helpful service.
The reader’s advisory service is generally associated with public libraries and tends to
be employed primarily by those looking for fiction. In academic libraries, it is far less
common as users rarely come in searching for a mystery to read. Even so, reader’s
advisory may be needed to help lay researchers looking to deepen their knowledge of a
particular field. Successful reader’s advisory librarians are skilled at asking users
questions that enable them to assess users’ reading level, language, or educational
background.

3. Information Literacy
User instruction, which is now usually referred to as information literacy, may range
from showing an individual how to use the library’s online catalog and basic print
reference sources to formal classroom sessions about conducting research in the library.
The basic component of information literacy includes demonstrating how, when, and
why to use various reference sources in an integrated way that will capture the user’s
attention at the teachable moment.
In today’s educational settings, the ease of using electronic resources often results in
a failure to teach more traditional research strategies. While finding superficial
information has grown easier, in-depth information has become increasingly obscure for
many students. In the library too, approaches to instruction may vary and librarians
often question whether to simply answer questions posed by users or to teach users
how to employ the available resources. This may be contingent on the mission or
purpose of the library. Academic institutions may call on their librarians to help students
understand how to engage effectively and independently in the research and
information evaluation process. Public librarians, by contrast, may try to teach users
about reference sources in a more informal manner as they lead users to the answers
they seek. Thus, while instruction is always an important part of reference work, the
degree to which they go about providing it is highly contingent on the circumstances. In
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any case, all reference librarians must be skilled at helping users find information and
answers quickly and be ready to teach users how to use the reference sources that are
available. The best reference librarians develop an intuition for when to be information
providers and when to be bibliographic instructors. In some libraries, only specific,
designated librarians are charged with conducting library instruction courses.
Nevertheless, an increasing number of librarians are required to participate in their
libraries’ bibliographic instruction program, and library school graduates are expected to
be capable of teaching basic classes on the use of library resources.

ASSESSMENT TASK

I. Multiple Choice
Direction: Choose the best answer.

1. The process of resolving information needs of users in response to a particular question,

interest, assignment, or problem and building positive relationships with users.
a. Information Service
b. Answering Reference Questions
c. Information Literacy
d. Research Question

2. It is more complex, may take much longer to answer, and typically require multiple
sources of information.
a. Information Service
b. Bibliographic Verification
c. Research Questions
d. Information Literacy

3. When the users have already obtained the information needed but must verify the
sources.
a. Reader’s Advisory Service
b. Information Literacy
c. Research Questions
d. Bibliographic Verification
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4. Demonstrating how, when, and why to use various reference sources in an integrated
way that will capture the user’s attention at a teachable moment.
a. Information Literacy
b. Research Questions
c. Ready Reference Questions
d. Information Service

5. The quest to put the right resources in the right reader’s hands.
a. Information Service
b. Reader’s Advisory Service
c. Information Literacy
d. Research Questions

II. Essay

1. Enumerate and discussed the Kinds of Information Service.

ANSWER KEY:

I. Multiple Choice
1. A
2. C
3. D
4. A
5. B
6.
REFERENCES

1. Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. 2001. Reference and Information Services: An
Introduction. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
2. Kinds of Information Services. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2019, from
http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/downloads/file/sample_chapters/Cassell%20-
%20Ch%201.pdf
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