Reference and information services are more important than ever for todays young people. By analyzing key features of reference and information services to young people in school and public library environments, including the research behind the trends and issues, librarians can make sure that those services are appropriately responsive to children and teens. Based on standards and evidence-based practice, this book helps you to optimize those resources and services by: providing guidance in assessing youth communities, determining youths information needs and information behaviors, developing and maintaining age-appropriate reference collections (starting with the books core list of print and online resources), optimizing physical and virtual access to reference and information sources, interacting with youth and facilitating their reference and information literacy skills, curating and producing reference and information products, dealing with relevant legal and ethical issues, and planning effective library reference and information services for youth. Chapter sidebar examples provide food for thought.
Reviews
Farmer applies research, professional principles, and theory to provide a sound roadmap to effective reference service for young people. Youth-related topics such as developmental theories, information behaviors of youth, cultural competence, and ethics contribute to a useful guide, particularly for librarians serving this population. -- Jean Donham, Ph.D., Professor, Retired, University of Northern Iowa This practical guide features all the tips and tools needed for reference and instruction work in school libraries. -- Jennifer Branch-Mueller, Professor, Teacher-Librarianship Education University of Alberta, Canada and President, International Association of School Librarianship Farmer presents a dynamic, thoughtful discussion of the future of reference services for youth, contextualizing the topic within the mercurial nature of the historical times in which we are living during this Information Age. Pedagogically, youth-serving librarians and LIS faculty who teach in this area will find this text informative and insightful for expanding librarians theoretical perspectives and improving professional practices. * Journal Of Education For Library and Information Science *
Preface
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: Sources of Information
Chapter 3: Developing Reference Collections
Chapter 4: Life Cycle of Reference Resources
Chapter 5: Access
Chapter 6: Information Behaviors
Chapter 7: Reference Interactions
Chapter 8: Curating Reference and Information Products
Chapter 9: Legal and Ethical Issues
Chapter 10: The Future of Reference for Children and Teens
Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer, Professor at California State University (CSU) Long Beach, coordinates the Teacher Librarianship program, and was named as the universitys Outstanding Professor. She also manages the CSU ICT Literacy Project. She earned her M.S. in Library Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and received her doctorate in Adult Education from Temple University.
Dr. Farmer chaired the IFLAs School Libraries Section, chairs the International Association of School Librarianship Library Education SIG, and is a Fulbright scholar. A frequent presenter and writer for the profession, she won several honors, including American Library Associations Phi Beta Mu Award for library education and the Ken Haycock Leadership Award, the Catholic Library Association St. Katharine Drexel Award, and the AASL Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Farmers research interests include school librarianship, information and media literacy, digital citizenship, and data analytics.
