3A: Print Isn't Dead!! and Other Reflections

I really enjoyed delving into my natural environment — the library — during class last week. Actually being in the physical space, surrounded by a vast array of books and electronic resources, made me reexamine the debate on the future of reference services. Considering the complexity of M Library and its multitude of collections, I cannot really see why a random human being wandering through one of nineteen library locations on campus would not need OR want a reference librarian to help them as they sort through the millions and millions of materials at their fingertips. The effort alone in maintaining this giant collection of information is remarkable. I remember one moment in the reading room of Hatcher where I was looking at the reference books and I realized just how much detail must be involved in organizing and displaying these sources that are full of specific information and guidelines for researchers. Who knew my appreciation for libraries and librarians could rise even more?

Later on, as I worked with my group members Alyssa and Sarah on identifying and utilizing reference sources, I came to another important conclusion: PRINT ISN’T DEAD!1!!1! Print sources are still useful and necessary, especially pertaining to topics that require a great deal of specificity. For researchers that only need a basic assessment of a given field (i.e., most undergrads and the average patron), online reference is still the way to go. Indeed, a few of the web tools we were using left me awestruck, like the Proquest Statistical Abstracts for example, and rendered the print versions archaic in comparison. Still, other web tools left much to be desired, with information that was either indistinguishable from the printed text or hard to access (the American National Biography comes to mind). Although, I learned much more from this exercise than simply the advantages and disadvantages of print and web reference tools. I also learned about my group members, Alyssa and Sarah, as they talked about how the subjects we were researching related to them. The class objectives we were supposed to be adhering to sometimes drifted into a social event, and that was honestly one of the best parts of this learning experience. Yes, bonding in class leads to better group projects later on in SI, but I think this activity was also a great model of how librarians build professional relationships. By weaving our personal lives into this professional context, we were able to demonstrate how building trust and collaboration skills truly benefit the field of librarianship.