Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines and Procedures Handbook

Whether you are considering adding new services and want good policies, or you already have expanded service and would like to see if another library has a better solution to problems you encounter each day, this book is for you. Reference service is the lifeblood of your library and in order to be effective you must have a structure in place with the ability to change and adapt to growing needs and new technology. Rebecca Brumley, author of the cirtically praised Public Library Managers Forms, Policies, and Procedures Handbook, now provides this book and CD-ROM with solutions, new ideas for service in your library, and comparisons to measure your policies against. At your fingertips, you will find tested and proven policies from public and academic libraries across the country covering both traditional and expanded service areas. The work is broken down into seven subjects:

• The Reference Program
• People in the Reference Program
• Reference Collections
• Special Procedures and ILL
• In-Person Patron Assistance
• Virtual Reference
• Special Policies for Unique Libraries

Within these seven areas are 20 sections that address every issue involved in providing proper reference service to users, including what is successful in many libraries. Some of the contributors are small; some are large research centers; all contain solutions to common everyday problems.