My Knowledge Portal

Citation:

Lipow, A. (1998). Reference service in digital age. Reference and User Services Quarterly. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C34%29internet+implications+to+libraries%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28AC%2CNone%2C8%29fulltext%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&searchId=R1&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=phdiliman&docId=A54467211&docType=IAC&contentSet=IAC-Documents

Abstract

So much studies have been made about the implications of the internet to the reference services in libraries. In fact, many users are still asking if reference service is still needed since the presence of one-box-then-click seach engines are emerging and very popular. This article of Lipow underscored the immediate concerns of librarians as well as their dillema in confronting these problems in the digital age.

Lipow enumerated different scenarios in libraries which tends to show that reference service is declining due to proliferation on the usage of internet. From Lipow's words, for example, nowadays, we've expanded our area of service concern to those who use the library from afar, and we call them "the remote users" (as opposed to the walk-in user). But we've got it wrong. In fact, it is not the user who is becoming remote from the library; it is the library that is becoming remote from the user.

3 Things I Learned

1. Empowering the librarians through proper education in the utilization of the internet is a must to strengthen reference service.

2. Internet is not a barrier in reference service, but a tool and a big help for librarians to cater the information to the users in the easiest and fastest way.

3. We need to refocus our mindset regarding reference service. If the users see face-to-face interaction not that cool, we must think of ways to promote them even make us, information professionals, available to the users.

Application

Internet is a powerful tool meant to be used to make our job easier. As a librarian, it is imperative that I must equip myself with the proper use of it and take advantage of it.