This master thesis concerns the subject of a reference service named Book-a-librarian. The service makes it possible for the library-user to indulge in a subject with the help of a librarian after having made an appointment in advance. The main purpose of this thesis is to study the function of it. The methods used are a mix of literature and empirical studies to be able to comprehend and explain the practical nature of the service as well as placing the service in a theoretical framework. The empirical study is performed by a questionnaire, where librarians working with the service are asked to participate. To evaluate the results of the questionnaire we have studied different scientific views of reference work in the library environment. The purpose is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the way the service is conducted. The weakness that becomes most apparent in the empirical study is the lack of users of the service. However there is a great enthusiasm for this Book-a-librarian service among the librarians. They all believe in a future for the service. To improve and develop this service we believe the solution is to have an active discussion concerning reference work as a whole and the usability of the service and finally to formulate a strategy to market it. In the final chapters we are presenting a set of recommendations for marketing this service, by studying marketing theories and validating these recommendations with professional librarians. By using marketing as a tool for development we are looking at Book-a-librarian from different perspectives, such as the importance of management, the physical atmosphere of the library and the involvement of the staff. Marketing puts focus on the user and we find that crucial for this information-based profession. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This master thesis deals with events, dynamics and problems of mediated information seeking within the context of a new information service called "Book a librarian". The study, based on a survey and interviews both in academic and public libraries and participant observations in academic libraries, has its theoretical base in the cognitive theory of information retrieval interaction. The cognitive view is used to throw light upon the need of an ongoing dialogue during the session in order to detect the information needs of the user and to conduct a successful retrieval of information. The communicative interaction is seen as threepart interaction between the intermediary, the user and the information system, where the current cognitive states of all three participants are involved. The study shows that the cognitive obstacles for a successful mediation and information retrieval are mostly connected to participants current knowledge of the subject and of the retrieval techniques. Obstacles are also shown in the participants differing expectations concerning the retrieval event itself or in communicating the information need. The study shows that the cognitive state of the user and intermediary goes through changes as they both, through interaction, learn more about the subject of investigation and about the new ways of conducting the search. / Uppsatsnivå: D