Is the need for mediated reference service in academic libraries fading away in the digital environment?

Abstract

Purpose Academic libraries are experiencing numerous changes in their services due to high demands for digital resources and changes in users’ information needs and expectations. Many academic library users give preferences to Google, Google Scholar and other search engines on the internet when they search for information. As reference transactions are decreasing in many academic institutions, this paper aims to investigate the continuing need for mediated reference services in the technology-driven environment in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach The authors have conducted a literature review to document and analyze the current trends in reference services in academic libraries. They have examined the relevant published literature through a series of reflective questions to determine whether the demise of mediated reference services is imminent in academic libraries. While this literature review is by no means an exhaustive one, the authors have provided a fairly comprehensive representation of articles to synthesize an overview of the history, evolution, and current trends of reference services in academic libraries. Findings This paper clearly demonstrates the importance of human-mediated reference services in academic libraries. It reinforces the need for skilled, knowledgeable professional librarians to provide effective and efficient reference services in a digital environment. Practical implications This paper provides a comprehensive overview of current trends in reference services in academic libraries and analyzes the merits and demerits of these trends to establish the need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. The arguments used in this paper will be useful for library and informational professionals as validation for the need to hire skilled, knowledgeable reference librarians to provide reference services in a digital environment. Originality/value This paper critically looks at the current trends and practices in reference services through the published literature to determine the future need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. It offers important insights to demonstrate why professional librarians’ skills, knowledge and expertise are essential to provide efficient reference services in the digital age.

EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) Usage in Israeli Academic Libraries

“…Therefore, searching instruction is either not available or not desired. Contradicting their results, other studies [27] have found that information search interfaces including Google Scholar and discovery tools very often retrieve a large number of records in response to a simple query, which requires search expertise to manipulate the results to find adequate information. Users need librarian's guidance in order to find and retrieve information.…”

Evolución del concepto producto y servicio en la biblioteca: organización orientada al servicio e intensiva en conocimiento

“…Además, la biblioteca tuvo un desarrollo estable durante el siglo XX, porque ofrecía el acceso a la información, cuyo soporte era el impreso, y que durante tres siglos no tuvo modificaciones sustanciales; sin embargo, con la inclusión de las Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación (TIC) en los soportes de información y procesos de la biblioteca en el siglo XX, el servicio bibliotecario y de información ha tenido transformaciones radicales. Esas modificaciones son visibles en nuevos servicios, como la biblioteca digital o los repositorios institucionales (Bandyopadhyay y Boyd-Byrnes, 2016).…”

“…En las bibliotecas, el mejor ejemplo es la búsqueda de información, antes regularmente el usuario se dirigía al referencista para que le apoyara en la resolución desde dudas básicas, como numeralia de múltiples tópicos, hasta muy complejas, como las diferencias entre posturas filosóficas. Mientras que en la actualidad los usuarios con acceso a recursos de información en línea responden sus preguntas generales de manera autónoma, y solo en caso de dudas especializadas en las que su capacidad de búsqueda está limitada recurre al referencista (Bandyopadhyay y Boyd-Byrnes, 2016).…”

Engaging with Our Communities: Future Trends and Opportunities for Reference Services

“…Reference desks have traditionally been the place where librarians connect users to collections and services. Regardless of the wealth of digital information freely available for users to find independently, Bandyopadhyay and Boyd-Byrnes (2016) argue that there will always be a need for human-mediated reference services and reference librarians are in the unique position of being able to provide contextual information to cater to their client's problem-solving needs. Buss (2016) recommends an approach that evolves reference services rather than abandoning them.…”