Thesis (M.L.S.)--University of Michigan, 1950. / "Library Science 392." eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (M.L.S.)--University of Michigan, 1950. / "Library Science 392."

The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine the virtual reference service Ask the Library [Bibblan svarar] from a postmodern perspective. Ask the Library is a Swedish online reference service that is run by the country’s public libraries. The postmodern theories of Jean-François Lyotard are used to study how information is managed and transmitted within the service. From this point-of-view three aspects of the reference service are studied; how the information is affected by the virtual environment, the librarian’s role within the service and finally how the content of the service is managed. The methods for extracting data are a blend of qualitative interviews and online observations. The data is then analyzed from a theoretical viewpoint. The result shows that there are several postmodern tendencies in Ask the Library. Namely the service shows a number of indications toward plurality. This can be related to Lyotard’s theory of the downfall of the grand narratives since postmodern theories celebrate the idea of plurality and diversity. Ask the Library is complex and dynamic in the sense that it adapts its services to the users. In addition to a multilingual service, Ask the Library also offers the users reference help in the form of social network sites like Facebook and Twitter. This makes the service more varied but also deeply complex. The reference service also emphasizes on the librarian’s individual competence and promotes personal knowledge and expertise. In Lyotard’s postmodern theories there is a rejection of absolute and objective truths and this falls in line with the subjectivity that the reference service celebrates. Ask the Library has two different agendas; providing qualitative reference service to the users and also promoting the librarians and their skills. The information, or content, in the service is still organized and under examination by the librarians. Critique of the sources is an important skill for a librarian within Ask the Library to have. These traditional ideas of objective truth are balanced with the new virtual environment that often promotes collective construction of information and knowledge. This study is a two years master’s thesis in the academic field library and information science.

In 1995 a survey was made at six public libraries in the county of Ostergotland in order to examine the reference service and the use of reference collections. In this paper the methods of the survey are described and the results from two libraries in Norrkoping and Linkoping are being analysed. In the survey several methods were used. During a fortnight observations were made of the use of reference books by the visitors in the reference section. The books were listed. The librarians work at the information desk were also observed at the same time and the librarians wrote all their transactions down as well as their use of reference tools. Two questionnaires were distributed, one to the visitors at the reference section, one to the visitors at the information desk. The results in short: The collections of reference books were extensive, old and not so well used. The visitors used these collections more than the librarians (6-7% versus 1-2%). The location of the reference books means much to the use. The users of reference books are mostly students. There are many questions asked by the visitors and often queus are formed at the information desk . Most questions are simple to solve and depending on diffculties of the visitors to find the books on the right shelves. Both libraries have small assets and shortages in the collections make requested books and subjects hard to find for the visitors. At the information desk there are a lot of other transactions than reference questions like selling, reservations, Pc-help and so on. The librarians used the library catalogue in nearly half of the questions but that was the only reference tool which was used more than marginal. The visitors at the reference desk were mostly students but there were no big differences between students frequency and the general public. Finally the survey shows that the quality of the reference service can and must be improved. There are needs for organisational changes as well as further education of the staff. The libraries in the survey need to focus on the customer's quality more to improve their reference service.