In the past a librarian’s role has been to assist patrons in the form of reference service. Library staff would provide information, to the best of their ability, for the questions their patrons are asking. Today, with digital resources and the use of the Internet, the role of the library staff has evolved. Now library users have the ability to self check-out items and conduct their own search of materials and answers to questions. Thanks to the proliferation of powerful technologies, however, many individuals now attempt to seek information on their own first, in a vast morass of websites, social media, apps, blogs, wikis (including Wikipedia), videos, podcasts, and more, all vying for eyeballs. (Miller).
With the amount of information available, it can be an overwhelming task for students to sort through it all and find reliable information. More often these days library staff provide students and other patrons support by guiding them as they learn to navigate a search. This has become a more common practice in place of simply providing answers. Academic libraries have transitioned away from reference desks and towards consultation models, embedded librarianship, peer learning, learning commons, the physical and virtual structure of reference practice has evolved to support student learning and inquiry (Miller). We must continue to document and demonstrate the powerful link between student success, educational enrichment, and well-supported school libraries (Neal).
Miller, Robin E. "Reference consultations and student success outcomes." Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 58, no. 1, 1 Sept. 2018, pp. 16-21. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, doi:10.5860/rusq.58.1.6836.
Neal, Jim. "Fight for School Libraries: Student success depends on them." American Libraries, 1 Mar. 2018, pp. 4+. EBSCOhost.
Shaw, Marie K. Library Technology and Digital Resources; An Introduction for Support Staff. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016, p. 4.
"Thurgood Marshall Middle School - The Library is the Heart of the School." youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKwePnkjGgM.
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