Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches

Anderson, Charles R., and Sprenkle, Peter. Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press, 2006. 258 p. Softcover $24.95. ISBN: 978-0-7890-2948-5. Hardcover $49.95. ISBN: 978-0-7890-2947-8.

Purportedly a realistic portrayal of what it is like to interact with patrons on a daily basis, Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches instead provides the reader with a distorted view of reference desk work. Coauthored by Charles R. Anderson, a retired reference librarian with many years of experience in "the trenches," and Peter Sprenkle, a reference librarian in a large public library, this book captures most of the pain and very little of the glory of contemporary reference librarianship.

Each chapter includes several pages of entries from the Ref Grunt blog that lists every reference desk transaction that came to Sprenkle for a year, beginning in May of 2003. Half of these entries are not included in the book due to space concerns. The blog can be found in its entirety at http://refgrunt .blogspot.com. Added to less often since 2004, Ref Grunt is available as of this writing. The authors neglect to say how entries have been chosen for inclusion, but it seems, that although not every daily entry is included, those that are included in the book are a representative sampling and are replicated in an unexpurgated form as stated in the preface.

The daily entries include the full gamut of questions, requests, and complaints a reference grunt might experience serving the public. For instance, on Thursday, July 17, 2003, a sampling of the transactions includes requests for variety of materials, from the penal code to newspapers to nursing career books. Sprenkle listened to a detailed description of problems with microfilm readers, was asked to find books on the dangers of red meat, signed up forty-one people for the Internet, and kicked two kids out of the stacks for running. The printers were behaving well that day: he only had to provide printer advice twice. The inclusion of the transactions that challenge a Ref Grunt's wits, patience, and sanity are essential to a realistic description of reference librarianship. However, because most of the transactions only record the patron's initial request, one is often left wondering how the transaction was completed. Imagine how much more insightful and informative this book would be if Sprenkle had recorded how he handled the request for a book on the dangers of red meat? What did the patron mean by "dangers?" Was a book the best source of such information? Was a book available? Was the patron satisfied? Without such information, readers, including the intended audience of library school students and administrators, are not privy to the factors that contribute to the sense of immense satisfaction or frustration that often accompanies such transactions.

Brief essays based on these transactions and online discussion groups introduce each chapter. Written by Anderson, they are intended to "raise questions for debate rather than answer them" (p. ix). Topics varying from technology's "revenge effect" to the trend in a retail approach to library services are issues that have a direct effect on daily reference work, but Anderson does not raise any issues that have not been debated before and does not offer a fresh perspective. Illustrating his concerns regarding the current state of reference librarianship and the ways changing user expectations and technological advances have affected life behind the reference desk, even Anderson acknowledges that the essays appear to take "a dim view of some trends in public library service" (p. 245). The comments that follow this remark do offer some encouraging words regarding the future of the profession, but in the context of his remarks and observations in the essays, these few words sound like an afterthought.

As someone with five years of recent experience at a reference desk in a large public library, this reviewer can relate to Sprenkle's frustrations with the many "mundane or absurd" transactions he must cope with, as well as the challenges that concern Anderson. The authors state that this book "paints a clear picture of the field for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical support to practitioners, and reminds administrators of what life was like on the 'front lines'" (p. ix). However, the image that the authors have presented the reader is a limited view, and, although it depicts the problems and challenges that those in the profession face, it does not adequately describe the positive aspects of reference librarianship. Current practitioners may find some solace in the acknowledgment of the common challenges reference librarians face and may find some comic relief in this book. However, anyone considering librarianship as a career might be discouraged by the presented view. This is a serious concern in a profession in which many are expected to reach retirement age in the next thirteen years and in which almost half of the librarians under the age of forty-five leave for better-paying jobs in finance, academia, and government [1]. The authors have also missed a unique opportunity to describe to out-of-touch administrators what really goes on at the reference desk.

A number of librarians have blogs that offer potential reference librarians, current practitioners, and administrators clearer pictures of the field. Although the depiction of the challenges of reference librarianship in a public library is useful to those considering reference librarianship in any setting, it would be most appropriate for large collections that provide other works with alternate views of the profession. This book is not recommended for the professional collections of health sciences libraries.

[Reference]

Reference

1. Carmichael A. The changing role of librarians: as new technologies revolutionize job, low pay could hinder growth. Wall Street J (Eastern ed.) 2007 Jan 2:B.8.

DOI: 10.3163/1536-5050.95.3.363

[Author Affiliation]

Patricia L. Mongelia,

pattiemongelia@hotmail.com,

Weill Medical Colkge of Cornell

University, New York, NY