CD‐ROM and the academic reference librarian: a review of the literature
| Date | 01 April 1992 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045163 |
| Pages | 219-221 |
| Published date | 01 April 1992 |
| Author | Barbara J. Thornburg |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Brief Communication
CD-ROM and the
academic reference
librarian: a review of the
literature
Barbara
J.
Thomburg
904
Second
Street
SE,
Albany,
OR
97321,
USA
CD-ROM has changed the life and the work day of the refer-
ence librarian in many ways, and with tremendous conse-
quences.
Changes include the amount of time that is devoted to the
continued learning of bibliographic instruction programs, the
areas in which the librarian must now function as a specialist,
the budget impact on collection development, and the pa-
trons'
reaction to CD-ROM. The future ramifications of this
new media for the life of the reference librarian must
be
exam-
ined.
1.
Impact on job duties
CD-ROM has had a major impact on the duties of the refer-
ence librarian. Costs, training of staff and end-users, hard-
ware compatibility issues and software concerns will all need
to be considered (Reese 1990). Other concerns include the
financial impact on the library budget of setting up CD-ROM
workstations.
In 1987-88, questions about CD-ROM outstripped the
traditional requests for directions which most librarians rec-
ognize as taking up a major portion of their day. This new
technology thus affects the amount of time that reference li-
brarians have left for answering reference questions and, un-
less additional staff or para-professionals are hired, there will
be an impact on staffing the reference desk (Reese 1990).
There will be changes in staff patterns and, most likely, staff
assistance will be needed during all hours that the CD-ROMs
are available (Zink 1990).
CD-ROM has also had an impact on the amount of online
searching that takes place in the reference department. Ac-
cording to John Heppner
(1990),
veteran reference librarian at
Blagg-Huey Library at Texas Woman's University, online
searching decreased from 300 searches per month to 60 after
the advent of CD-ROM. ERIC and PsychINFO searches
dropped off substantially after CD-ROM versions were ac-
quired. By contrast, individual CD-ROM searches averaged
2500 per month. This particular statistic was attributed to the
fact that CD-ROM is user-friendly: it is a good alternative to
print indexes, in that it is more speedy, and it is generally
offered to college students free of charge. Online searches
usually have a fee attached to them.
The librarian must now be a different breed to the type that
entered the field previously. The scope of library practice has
broadened in response to technological advances and now
requires higher standards for entry into the profession. Com-
puter literacy is a must, as is the need for the librarian to stay
up-to-date on database and software concerns.
CD-ROM has created new opportunities for librarians to
interact with students and faculty and, in so doing, the libra-
rian becomes more involved in the user's research problems.
As the Graduate Research Assistant in Reference Services at
Blagg-Huey Library, this writer found this to be one of the
most enjoyable parts of teaching CD-ROM usage — becom-
ing more involved in the search strategy and learning some-
thing about
a
variety of subject
areas.
However, user overload
can result if librarians are not there to direct the user
in
the use
of information and research skills.
2.
Impact on users
CD-ROM is an excellent public relations tool. However it is
handled and wherever it is placed, patron reaction to CD-
ROM has been
positive.
They love
it!
The first
time
this writer
used CD-ROM was in conducting a search on academic re-
cruitment strategy, and 250 sources were found at the first
attempt. What
a
difference it was from searching the online or
card catalogue for possible entries in this area. In a matter of
keystrokes, this writer was able to find areas related to the
topic.
Using traditional methods this would have taken hours.
Also,
CD-ROM is generally placed in a location which is
highly visible: this not only deters vandalism but again con-
tributes to the PR aspect. Patrons are well aware of CD-ROM
and it is seen as accessible to all.
The occasional reader might thank the reference staff for
acquiring a certain set of expensive books, but readers daily
thank reference librarians for the wonderful machines and
view CD-ROM as something that the librarians have done for
them (Juhl & Lowry 1990). Users like the speed of retrieval,
the variety of search capabilities, the currency, and the ability
of the system to browse, do keyword searching and then print
the results (Nissley 1989).
The Electronic Library, Vol. 10, No. 4, August 1992 219
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