Reference Reviews, an international journal reviewing new and updated print and electronic resources of value in a library reference setting, is seeking new review contributors. Published by Emerald Group Publishing in print and electronically 8 times per annum, the journal carries 40+ reviews an issue.
Reviewers are sought across all subject areas and for all types of reference related material, especially gratis websites and subscription electronic resources. Previous reviewing experience is not a prerequisite, but those who have not published reviews may be asked to write a trial review which will be used in the journal of the required standard.
The RSS Marketing and Public Relations for Reference Services Committee needs your help! Last semester we conducted a survey where we asked participants to share their thoughts about their challenges in marketing reference services. Results indicate most libraries struggle to communicate the impact of their reference services and need more assistance in doing targeted marketing a well as reaching new populations. When asked about preferred format, the overwhelming majority of participants indicated they would prefer toolkit-type materials they can adapt for their own institutions and we are in the process of developing a prototype utilizing a Google Folders approach in order to keep things as simple and streamlined as possible and ensure ease of updating.
A librarian is looking for some help identifying a book for one of her patrons. If you can identify it for her, send us an email and we will pass your info along!
“I had a patron in this morning looking for help finding a book she read as a child – This book would have been published roughly 50+ years ago. I think it would be a jFic but cannot be sure. Here is what we have to go on: The book focuses on a group of young boys. There is an older man they interact with. They are somewhat fearful of him and he serves them sassafras tea. There was possibly a tree involved in the story at some point – maybe the boys hid in it?”
Students should always have access to a reference librarian when they need help. One school librarian cannot possibly help all students all of the time, right? A smart, strategic Rochester school librarian (Ellen Range) has done a fantastic job of putting together a post on AskMN for her teachers to learn about the service and tells them how to introduce students to this wonderful resource.
Ellen has produced a video and helpful step-by-step information about how to use this “24/7 chat with a librarian” service. Take a look to see what Ellen has shared.
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
