Reference value revisited.(Reference Assessment and Evaluation)(Book review)

Diamond, Tom, and Sanders, Mark, eds Reference assessment and evaluation. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2005. 200p price not reported soft cover ISBN 13:978078903194 5; ISBN 0 7890 3194 9 (also published as Public Services Quarterly vol 2, nos 2/3)

Reference librarians are feeling the pinch and are increasingly anxious to find scenarios to justify their existence. Does the impact of technology reduce reliance on reference librarians? Should reference work be more one-to-one? What about adding value, such as with chat reference (horrible term-is there an alternative?)? Much of the research in these areas is emerging from US university libraries, and this collection …