Training Paraprofessionals for Reference Service, Second Edition: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Pamela J. Morgan

$72.00

ALA Member:

$ 64.80

Item Number:

978-1-55570-643-2

Published:

2009

Publisher:

ALA Neal-Schuman

Pages:

205

Width:

8 ¹⁄₂"

Height:

11"

Format:

Softcover

Description
About the Author
Reviews

Using paraprofessionals to answer reference questions is a great way to expand your library’s reference reach while getting the most value out of your staff. But how do you begin training them? What training materials should be used? What skills should be taught? How important is the reference interview for paraprofessionals? What are the pros and cons of using paraprofessionals in this manner? Morgan answers these and other questions in a new edition of this bestselling book.

Revised and updated to include basic and advanced skills using both print and electronic resources, this volume includes modules on government information, international and corporate information, statistics, medical and health information, and more. This guide will help you prepare paraprofessionals for the issues frontline library staff face on a daily basis. Once you’ve trained them, you can turn again to the book for tips and strategies on evaluation and supplemental training. If your library has catalogers, students, newly hired staff, or other staff members with untapped potential, this book is for you.

Pamela J. Morgan

Pamela J. Morgan is currently a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Vanderbilt University with over fifteen years' experience as a professional librarian. Prior to this she was a Reference Librarian/Information Consultant at the University of Alabama. Previously, she worked in a variety of professional positions: cataloging and indexing, running a small corporate library, and nearly a decade of reference experience at a large urban public library (including Government Publications and Business Science and Technology) before making a career switch to academic librarianship. She is an active member of the American Library Association, in particular the Association of College and Research Libraries' Instruction Section, and the Library Instruction Roundtable's Teaching, Learning, and Technology Committee. She has also served in the Reference and User Services Association. Her committee work includes the Catalog Use Committee, Management of Reference, and Business Reference in Public Libraries.

"This is a very practical book which contains many useful exercises, checklists and examples of forms ... I recommend this book as a very helpful guide for anyone developing and implementing training programs within libraries."

--Australian Library Journal

"A very comprehensive training guide that may even offer some tips for the professional librarian ... This timely guide would be a good choice for all librarians that use paraprofessionals to staff their reference desks. It might be especially useful for small libraries, which often do not have the resources to maintain large professional staffs."

--Reference and User Services Quarterly

"The clear, concise format of this work adds to its value as a book ... it serves not only as a practical guide for training paraprofessionals, but also as a resource that can be consulted again and again by professional librarians."

--Journal of the Medical Library Association

"Highly recommended for libraries."

--Catholic Library World

"This book is an excellent, time-saving resource for those with training responsibilities for paraprofessionals. All libraries, including those owning the first edition, will find the new edition useful."

--Public Services Quarterly

"Even those libraries who will not be training paraprofessionals specifically for reference service can benefit from selected chapters and training ideas."

--ARBA

"A comprehensive nuts and bolts guide to integrating paraprofessionals into professional library staffs."

--Reference and Research Book News

Also of Interest: