Summer Camp by the Lake: Basic Reference

Dates: August 4 - 8, 2008
Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Room 225, The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706
Fee: $575 (includes breaks and lunches)
CEUs: 3.0

Note: This course partially satisfies the requirements for Wisconsin and Indiana public library director certification.

Course Description

This comprehensive reference course is intended for staff working in small or medium-sized public libraries. We will begin with a focus on planning a basic reference service, understanding the importance of the library as an information resource in the community, learning to set policy guidelines, and conducting a reference interview. The remaining sessions offer an overview of specific reference sources in many subject areas, and conclude with an overview of future trends and issues in reference service.

Topics

  • The reference process; history of reference services; resource sharing
  • Reference service: Planning, policies, procedures, evaluation
  • The reference interview I: Approachability formula: interviewing techniques and skills, reference interviews with children
  • The reference interview II: The electronic environment and search strategies; telephone reference and interlibrary loan interviews
  • Collection development, material selection, evaluating print, online, and electronic resources
  • Gaining access: indexes, bibliographies, directories
  • General reference materials I: Encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks
  • General reference materials II: Biography, geography
  • Consumer, education, and career information
  • Medical and legal information, science and technology
  • Business and investments, sports and recreation, literature and writing, readers' advisory, popular arts, multicultural sources, history
  • Patron privacy, e-mail and virtual reference, continuing education, marketing, library & web 2.0 tools

Expectations

Students will be required to complete course readings, participate in classroom discussions, and submit written assignments. At the end of the course, students will be required to explore and present on assigned reference sources.

Textbook:

Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. Reference and information services: an introduction. Library and information science text series. Englewood, Colo: Libraries Unlimited. 2001. Students are responsible for obtaining a copy of the textbook.

Instructors:

Jean Anderson is the Continuing Education/Multitype Coordinator for the South Central Library System in Madison, WI. Tana Elias is a Reference Librarian and Web Resources Coordinator for Madison Public Library.

Lodging

Rooms are available under group code "LBS" at the Doubletree Hotel, 525 W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53703. Please make reservations by July 4, 2008; rooms will be released after that date. Call 1-608-251-5511 to make reservations. The hotel is approximately 5 blocks from the Pyle Center and a hotel shuttle is available, if necessary. Rooms are not included in the course fee.

Parking

If you are staying at the Doubletree Hotel, parking is included with the room. If you need a parking pass for the Pyle Center, you may purchase one by calling 608-262-1122. Please call at least three weeks in advance to ensure a space

Accessibility

The Pyle Center conforms to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities code specifications. However, if you need additional modifications to the facilities or have specific questions, please contact Anna Palmer (608-263-4452 or ahpalmer@wisc.edu) as soon as possible.

Meals

Please notify Anna Palmer (ahpalmer@wisc.edu or 608-263-4452) with dietary restrictions as soon as possible.

To register:

  • ONLINE registration - Fill out a form on the Web, pay by credit card, or have your institution billed
  • Call the Pyle Center Registration Office: (608) 262-2451
  • Print out a registration form and return by fax or mail - instructions on form