Lyn McCullagh

Macquarie University

Email: lmcculla@library.mq.edu.au

Reference librarians as a group of professional staff are facing an uncertain future. The position of subject librarian in the 1960’s & 1970’s was designed to actively exploit and promote the library, its services and collections. This traditional knowledge-based role as the gatekeeper to library resources is under threat from many directions.

Libraries are looking to redesign their traditional service delivery models in order to:

• optimize financial and human resources
• respond to an increasing focus on flexible learning delivery
• collaborate with other learning providers
• downsize traditional services to free up resources for new priorities
• transform themselves into learning resource centres to cater for student centered learning

As long ago as 1993, the Fielden Report in the UK warned that Library management and service concepts needed to adapt to changes in teaching and learning methods, to the increasingly complex needs of "networked learners", to the emerging situation of multiple information providers on campus and to the many challenges presented by the Internet.

Since that time there has been a rapid growth in Web based teaching for delivery both on and off campus and the support requirements for such a learning environment have severely tested traditional organisational structures.

Students are more familiar with the opportunities offered by the information society than ever before. The multi-functional networked computer is already in many, if not most, homes. From their workstations students can communicate using email, write papers using word-processing software, analyze and manipulate data using spreadsheets, retrieve references from bibliographic databases, organize their references, download full text from journals, order documents, use computer based learning materials, develop a high quality audio visual presentation and surf or search the Internet.

To remain relevant and to provide access to this wealth of information in electronic form libraries must cater for the needs of their customers by acquiring large numbers of workstations and not rely solely upon their print and audiovisual collections.

If this view is accepted and the Library’s traditional role is expanded to embrace the concept of being an important node in the networked learning environment, this will have a number of implications for the role of library staff who are required to support a whole raft of new activities in the online learning environment. Convergence of academic support services is the way some institutions are looking to resolve this dilemma.

The Internet can be regarded as the solution to the problems of the universe or the modern day equivalent of the yo yo.

Reference librarians face the challenge of sifting through the miriad of information there to provide fast and convenient access to the best available resources. By combining them with the Library’s collections customers can have access to a seamless interface to all available information, regardless of format, to assist their learning and research processes. Reference librarians need to contribute to the design of an interface that is logical and simple to use, and to acquire the skills and expertise to provide advice and support when it is required.

Librarians are just as likely also to be asked to provide advice on the merits of a particular ISP, the use of a Web browser, how to discover discussion lists and subscribe to them, and what are the best search engines and how to use them, as more traditional reference enquiries. Online and email enquiries are standard practice. It is important to develop a process allocating responsibility for answering such questions and the customer to know what types of questions can be asked and how soon a response can be expected. Frequently Asked Questions fact sheets can be posted on the Web page to provide an effective and cost efficient response.

The development of web based units and increasing use of resource based learning require libraries to provide better support for flexible learning programs, and more discussion with academic staff, and on university committees on as to how to meet students’ information needs.

Increasingly academic staff are utilizing multimedia to enhance the learning process. They and their students, in many instances, are struggling with the new technologies. It is important to ensure that users can access all relevant resources by exploiting the capabilities of IT. To do so, it is necessary to create strategic partnerships between academics, librarians and course designers with expertise in Web design. Librarians are potentially important contributors through the identification of key information resources, in the training of staff and in helping students acquire information skills and utilise appropriate technologies.

Although this may appear a costly process, appropriately targetted, it leads to the development of high quality generic programs relevant to a large number of students, which can be customized as required to make them attractive to particular user groups.

Quality assurance and relevance can be maintained through the administration of surveys, observation, sharing best practice and bench marking. At Macquarie, we have placed a high priority on quality of presentation and delivery and all library presenters have attended formal accreditation courses and reached the Certificate 2 level. It is an objective to have accredited trainers (to Certificate 4 level) offering courses, which have been accredited by VTAB.

Because of the range of skills required to support a high level of service, in an increasingly complex environment, no one person will be able to deliver everything, and isolation is a great risk which may make reference librarians vulnerable. The possibility of polarizing the library into two virtual communities, one based upon print and one upon electronic resources and IT skills, must be strongly resisted.

Staff in the reference area must work together to share their knowledge and acquire new skills to deliver an integrated service.

The solution of staff working in self-managed teams based on the 3 College structure adopted at Macquarie has many advantages.

Working in a team eliminates duplication and provides an opportunity for academic outreach librarians to share knowledge and involve less experienced staff in the outreach program. Frequently new graduates or staff with library technician qualifications have more IT expertise and can participate or lead projects such as adapting bibliographic instruction programs from paper based format to the Web, or in preparing and delivering online information skills tutorials.

Many decisions to acquire new products are no longer the province of an individual reference librarian because the ramifications of such a decision are so profound. Strategic decisions to acquire large databases are usually made by senior management after extensive consultation with a number of library departments and academic staff. Issues such as license agreements, best possible price negotiations, impact on the acquisition of other resources are major considerations. Reference librarians have a critical role to play in the evaluation, marketing and implementation of such products, but they cannot be the sole arbiters of a particular acquisition.

Similarly when such products are marketed in the university community there are advantages in developing a generic presentation, which can be customized depending upon the audience being addressed. This method has been used very successfully at Macquarie in the cases of IDEAL & ScienceDirect.

Specialists will always be required, but they are now more usually sought in areas of perceived strategic importance such as Web design and coordination, database coordination, IT customer service support, systems design and network administration. However, it is imperative that staff appointed to such positions collaborate closely with the reference staff as they have a direct link to staff and students who will be using the library’s services and resources. All organisations are seeking to enhance their profile on the Web and reference librarians/teams play a crucial role in making relevant information resources and enquiry type information available.

Most projects require collaboration and the contribution of staff from a range of areas with a variety of skills, which may be found within the Library or across the university. For example, the development of an information skills course in a flexible learning environment requires the collaboration of academics, web designers, and a librarians with detailed knowledge of appropriate resources.

Reference librarians have a great opportunity to play a constructive and valuable role in the learning process, as they now have a huge array of resources at their disposal to ensure that the information needs of staff and students are met.

To meet the challenges of the new millenium reference librarians must be:

• multi-skilled
• technologically literate
• capable of moving beyond traditional information constructs
• flexible and creative
• adept at promoting and marketing library policies and services
• capable of sharing their knowledge and experience with other members of a team
• skilled in identifying opportunities to collaborate with staff across the library and elsewhere in the university
• capable of inventing themselves

Service levels and their quality are key concerns of staff and management. To maintain and enhance service librarians should consider:

• the adoption of deliverable service level agreements
• determining acceptable levels of service for flexible delivery programs and balancing the effort put into this service against meeting the needs of users at service desks
• utilizing user surveys and needs analyses to assess service quality and assist in service planning.

Reference librarians must be conscious of the shift in focus from teaching to learning and the huge changes in information production and organisation which increase the challenges we all confront. There is no single panacea, which will provide the perfect response – each library must react and plan taking into account particular local circumstances.

Encouragement of staffing policies which include all staff working in the reference area will equip staff to move confidently into the next century. Successful and relevant information service delivery no longer depends simply upon subject qualifications and associated knowledge, but on sophisticated communication skills, information technology skills, and ability to cope with change. A team based structure offers the opportunity to offer a consistently high level of service, irrespective of the substantive gradings of individual team members. To achieve this outcome, knowledge should be shared across the team. Customers are "referred up" if necessary, but the objective is to empower every member of the team and utilize staff to their maximum potential.