94 REFERENCE SERVICES
orders what, how often the collection is
weeded and by whom, etc.), and access
guidelines (physical arrangement of the
collection, restrictions on its use, security
procedures, etc.).
By now it should be fairly obvious
that a reference policy is a useful docu-
ment to have on hand. William A. Katz set
out the fundamental reasons for having a
reference policy:- The drafting or modification
of a policy requires some
appreciation of the overall
goals, purpose, and direction
of reference services. The
systematic analysis of service given, or not given, helps to
formulate these necessary objectives. - Standards are established, not only for service but also for such
things as building the collection, handling of interlibrary loan
materials, and preparation of correspondence. - A better view of the audience served (or not served) is achieved
by considering objectives and standards. Obviously, neither can
be analyzed without a careful study of library patrons. - Levels of service must be considered, that is, just how much
assistance is to be given to help the user in finding information or
in actually finding the information for the user. - Without a view of the world beyond the scope of the reference
desk, services may become less than ambitious, locked more into
routine and daily expediency than addressed to long-range needs
of the individual and community the library hopes to serve. - Policy statements are developed to resolve controversies such
as why the microforms staff cannot do all the threading of
film readers or why the advance notice of a class assignment is
necessary.
Bill Katz and Anne Clifford, eds.,
Reference and Online Services
Handbook: Guidelines, Policies
and Procedures for Libraries
(New York: Neal-Schuman, 1982);
and Bill Katz, ed., Reference
and Online Services Handbook:
Guidelines, Policies, and
Procedures for Libraries, Volume
II (New York: Neal Schuman,
1986) offer numerous examples
of policies as well as general
guidelines and discussions of
related issues.http://www.ebook3000.com