Toward a Definition of Service: Academic Library Reference Policy Statements

In March 1971, as part of an effort to im prove the public services of the University of Massachusetts library system, the university librarian appointed an Ad Hoc Committee on Reference Service. This committee was asked to study the present operation of the reference department and to suggest ways in which the work of that department might be improved. One result of the committee's work was to be an outline of a reference service policy state ment. This outline would be developed by members of the reference department into a document which would greatly expand and largely supersede the collection of assorted memos previously gathered together in a note book labeled "Reference Staff Manual." At first the committee was not sure what should be included in the service policy state ment of a reference department in a univer sity library. When examining pertinent ar ticles listed in Library Literature for the past ten years and scanning the major books on reference service and university library ad ministration did not provide any leads to model policy statements or advice on how to develop one, the committee decided to con tact reference departments in libraries sim ilar to the University of Massachusetts li brary. On March 29 letters were sent to the other seventy-six academic library members of the Association of Research Libraries explain ing briefly the purpose of the Ad Hoc Commit tee and asking them to send copies of reference service policy statements, both those prepared solely for the use of the reference staff and those prepared for publication to the public. While waiting for answers the committee continued to consider what should be includ ed in the reference service policy of a large state university library. It was decided that this document should answer both philosoph ical and practical questions. It would cover such basic matters as: Do we find informa tion or show others how to find it? Are we concerned only with curricular needs or do we consider the extracurricular needs of our patrons? What is our responsibility to per sons not formally affiliated with the univer sity? It would also cover such practical mat ters as: How do you decide whether or not to let a patron borrow a reference book? What do you do when a patron asks you to recommend a dictionary or encyclopedia for purchase? How long will you keep a telephone line open while you search for the informa tion requested by a patron? Members of the committee were convinced that the reference staff should consider these and related ques tions, formulate the many unwritten policies which existed in the minds of senior mem bers of the department, critically examine these and the already existing written policies, and produce a document which would guide present and future members of the reference