Reference Service as a Guide in Public Library Organization

Given its importance in library operations and in the profession, reference service should be an important consideration in any library reorganization, regardless of the other factors contributing to the decision to reorganize. But because the conditions prompting a reorganization are often sudden a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reference services review 1987-03, Vol.15 (3), p.89-95
Main Author: Webb, T.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Baltimore County (Maryland) Public library
Free Library of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
Phoenix (Arizona) Public library
Public libraries
Reference work
Reorganization
San Francisco (California) Public library
Services
User services
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Given its importance in library operations and in the profession, reference service should be an important consideration in any library reorganization, regardless of the other factors contributing to the decision to reorganize. But because the conditions prompting a reorganization are often sudden and extraordinary, a library manager may overlook their impact on reference service, reacting instead to the more immediate pressures of budget cuts, staff losses, and other constraints that have been externally imposed. With informed planning, however, even a reorganization begun in a negative context can result in continued good reference service or even place the library in a position to improve reference quality.
ISSN:0090-7324
2054-1716
DOI:10.1108/eb048993