BOHDAN S. WYNAR Reference Theory: Situation Hopeless . But Not Impossible

After summarizing the historical background of reference theory, the author describes the neglect of reference theory by reference librarians and the library profession in general through analysis of periodical literature 1954-1964. The survey reveals: (1) some consensus on the nature of reference; (2) consistent emphasis on articles describing spe­ cific reference operations; and (3) absence of articles discussing theory. Virtually unnoticed by librarians is the growing movement among re­ searchers in areas other than librarianship to study general processes of information use and exchange.

IT IS PROBABLY not without justification Samuel Green's "Personal Relations be­ that librarians are often reminded of tween Librarians and Readers," a report Emerson's admonition that "a foolish on pioneer Green's Worcester library ex­ consistency is the hobgoblin of little periment in personal service to patrons. minds." The burden of this message As early as in 1876 Green insisted that might be particularly applicable to the furnishing readers with catalogs and ref­ spectrum of our writings on the subject erence works was insufficient; instead, he of reference services. The existing situa­ advocated the need for personal guid­ tion was well summarized in an editorial ance and interpretation of library tools in Library I ournal. to the public. Yet, the librarian's direct ... it is a curious anomaly that reference assistance in providing information rath­ work, which so many librarians regard as er than the furnishing of a source was the highest form of library service, not the most frequently cited expansion should remain the most ill-defined and of reference services in the years follow­ poorly recorded area of our work and ing Green's recommendations. The cus­ service.1 todial concept of librarianshi p was to From history we know that reference stay in American libraries for at least service was not the traditional function one more decade, with the gradual im­ of the library. It began in the late eight­ provement of understanding of the main een hundreds with the public library's function of the library as a "centre of desire to justify its tax basis. In historical educational influence." Professor Otis sketches we quite frequently refer to Robinson of the Rochester University li­ brary2 went so far as to say that the li­ 1 "Future Directions in Reference Service," Library brary would accomplish much if it could Journal, LXXXV (April 15, 1960), 1540.

Mr. Wynar is Director, Division of Li­ 2 Otis H. Robinson, "College Libraries as Semipublic brary Education, State University College Libraries; Rochester University Library," Library Jour­ at Geneseo. nal, II (October 1877), 58.

I 337 338 I College & Research Libraries • September, 1967

attract students and make it easy for The earlier-mentioned theories of Dana, them to do good work. In 1878, Justin Bishop, and McCombs fell, according to Winsor of Harvard referred to the store­ Wyer, into the conservative class which house concept of libraries, preserving all contended that the prime function of a the materials and discarding "nothing library is not to find answers to ques­ that is printed, no matter how trivial at tions or to interpret the material to the the time, but may be some day in de­ patron, but to organize its material effec­ mand-helpful to significant results."3 He tively and to teach patrons to "help also noted that he preferred giving a themselves." Wyer, however, felt that reference to a book instead of a direct at the time many libraries overstepped answer because he wanted to inculcate the conservative theory and approached the students with the habit of looking at a moderate theory, providing more than reference books and learning how to mere instruction in the use of books. use them intelligently.~ This concept of Wyer did not consider this moderate reference service was also supported by theory to be adequate. He proposed a John Cotton Dana with a thesis that the liberal theory which would "assume that chief duty of the library was not to an­ every library desires to give the fullest swer the reference question, but to in­ possible attention to demands made on struct the inquirer in the use of material its service; that it will wish to find or thus enabling him to secure the answer create ways and means to satisfy every for himsel£. 5 In 1915 this theory was fur­ questioner. The only tenable, impreg­ ther reinforced by William Warner Bish­ nable theory of reference is that which op. who contended that librarians could frankly recognizes the library's obliga­ never master enough subject background tion to give this unlimited service."8 to be of expert help to scholars. He rec­ It should be noted that since Wyer's ommended, instead, concentration upon time there have been occasional attempts skills in library methods.6 to discuss the theory of reference service . Charles F. McCombs also felt that the mainly emphasizing the degree of as­ librarian should not be concerned with sistance which should be given to pa­ the study itself, "when once the books trons, e.g., by Pierce Butler, Margaret needed are identified or placed at the Hutchins, Louis Shores, Jesse Shera, and disposal of the reader, or with the in­ Samuel Rothstein. Recently it has be­ • terpretation of utilization of the facts, come quite evident that certain aspects when once they are found or the sources of information service are also discussed of information pointed out."7 In 1930, by researchers in several disciplines, " James I. Wyer in his Reference Work notably in sciences. Of interest to ref­ identified three distinct concepts of ref­ erence librarians are studies on intellec­ erence service. These he termed as "con­ tual processes in information storage and servative," "moderate," and ''liberal." retrieval, information use, patterns of information exchange and information­ flow channels, and many other aspects of modern concepts of information sci­ 8 Justin Winsor, "College and Other Higher Li­ braries," Library Journal, IV (November ·1879), 400. ence.9 4 Justin Winsor, "Library Questions and Answers," Herbert Menzel in his article on "The Library Journal, III (June 1878), 159. 5 John Cotton Dana, "Misdirection of Effort in Reference Work," Public Libraries, XVI (March 1911), 109. 8 James I. Wyer, Reference Work (Chicago: Anleri­ e William F. Bishop, "Theory of Reference Work," can Library Association, 1930), p.ll-12. Bulletin of the American Library Association, IX (July 9 Cf. William J. Paisley, The Flow of Behavioral 1915), 135. Science Information. A Review of the Research Litera­ 1 Charles F. McCombs, The Reference Department ture. (Stanford: Stanford University, Institute for . (Chicago: American Library Association, 1929), p.2. Communication Research, 1966) . Situation Hopeless But Not Impossible I 339

Information Needs of Current Scien­ of reference services, an interesting sur­ tific Research"10 indicates three sets of vey of periodical literature was con­ assumptions that have underlain the di­ ducted by Betty Hinton, at the sugges­ rections of efforts toward improving sci­ tion of this author, covering articles in ence-information services in the past fif­ library periodicals from 1954-1964.12 Sev­ teen years. eral questions were asked in terms of content analysis. Are the librarians and 1. The guiding slogans must be the library patrons aware of the poten­ speed, efficiency and comprehensive­ tialities of reference service? Are any ness. The overriding aim, in other particular aspects of reference service words, is to bring information to the emphasized? Has the emphasis on any scientist promptly, to bring him all aspects of reference services changed that is relevant, and to bring it to him during the period studied? Are the de­ with the minimum of waste motion, velopments in automation being applied especially on the scientist's own part. to reference service? Do the articles con­ 2. The prototype activity is exhaus­ tribute meaningfully to the problems of tive search. This means the delivery reference? It was hypothetically assumed to the scientist of all documents satis­ that: (a) periodical literature reflects fying a fairly small set of criteria that trends within reference service; (b) ar­ he has well defined in advance. ticles are usually related to practical 3. The achievement of these goals problems and are seldom concerned with lies along the roads of greater system­ the development of theory or definition atization, greater streamlining, great­ of reference work; and (c) the majority er mechanization of information proc­ of articles are written by reference li­ essing and dissemination.11 brarians. For the purpose of this study, refer­ It is self-evident that especially now, ence service, which has no established with the strong emphasis on the infor­ definition, was considered to be any ac­ mational needs, the traditional reference tivity related to providing information, role of the library should be carefully as well as guidance and instruction in re-examined. Librarians need to evalu­ the use of library resources ( a necessary ate their traditional "status quo" and de-­ compromise). To obtain pertinent ma­ sign new methods for dissemination of terial seven indexes to periodical litera- information if we want to improve in­ formation service along the channels 12 Betty Hinton, " A Study of Articles on Reference described by Menzel. The question that Service, 1954-1964, Accompanied by a Selective remains to be answered is quite simple. Bibliography." Denver, 1966 (unpublished paper). Are we dissatisfied with the present sta­ tus; are we trying to change the content TABLE 1 as well as the technique in library ref­ 1954 21 erence service? 1955 19 The answer to this question can be 1956 17 easily illustrated by a survey of our pro­ 1957 18 fessional literature. In order to answer 1958 18 some questions about the current status 1959 18 1960 21 1961 25 1o Herbert Menzel, "The Information Needs of Cur­ 1962 19 rent Scientific Research," Library Quarterly, XXXIV 1963 . I ' 30 (January 1964), 4-19. 1964 l . 21 u Ibid., p.5. . 3401 College & Research Libraries • September, 1967

TABLE 2 sume that there is some consensus on SoURCEs the nature of reference service in rela­ tion to public, academic, and special li­ Number of Name of Journal Articles Per Cent braries. The type of service provided in a public library seems to meet Samuel Library Journal 0 0 57 25.1 Wilson Library Bulletin 18 8.0 Rothstein's definition of reference service College and Research as .. the perspnal assistance given by the Libraries 15 6.6 librarian to individual readers in pursuit Special Libraries 0 0 0 15 6.6 14 Library Association Record 13 5.7 of information." None of the articles

Library Trends 0 0 11 4.8 disputed this definition, although com­ News Notes of California ments were made that the small libraries Libraries 9 4.0 All Others 89 39.2 could not accomplish even this. Aca­ demic libraries added to this definition the thought that .. reference librarians ture under eighty-three subject headings are there to teach people how to use were consulted.13 There were originally the library as well as answer specific 332 articles found through the indexes, questions."15 Special libraries gave the but fifty-six were duplicates that ap­ most extensive service of any of the li­ peared in two or more indexes, and braries. Mary Anders said that the dif­ forty-nine were not available or proved ference between reference service in unrelated to the study. The 227 finally special libraries and other libraries in­ chosen occurred in fifty-four different volved six factors on the part of special periodicals, and it is interesting to note libraries: a lack of emphasis on teaching that the breakdown by years did not the use of the library, a greater partici­ reveal a great variation in the number pation by librarians in a search of in­ of articles published (Table 1). Al­ formation, the emphasis on information though with the exception of Louis rather than tools, the time pressure, a Shores no one writer contributed heavily better relationship between librarians to literature about reference service, sev­ and users, and the use of subject spe­ eral journals carried a large number of cialists .16 articles (Table 2). The authorship of the Second, as to the theory of reference, 227 articles had the following break­ there seems to be none. Samuel Roth- down, as in Table 3. It is interesting to note that reference librarians did not write the majority of H Samuel Roth~ tein, "Reference Service: The New articles, and out of the total of 126 ar­ Dimensions in Librarianship," Wilson Library Bulletin, XXXVI (January, 1963), 412. ticles written by practicing librarians 15 William H. Jesse, "Facing the Sixties: Readers' Services in the College Library," Kentucky Library As­ only sixty-three were written by persons sociation Bulletin XXVIII (July, 1964), 17. designated as reference librarians. 16 Mary Edna Anders, "Reference Service in Special Libraries," Library Trends, XII (January, 1964), To determine existing trends the ar­ 390-404. ticles were divided into several broad categories (Tables 4 and 5). An overview of all the articles re­ TABLE 3 vealed certain trends. First, we can as- AuTHORSHIP

Practicing librarians 0 126 56% Administrative librarians 21 9% 1 3 The indexes consulted: Reader's Guide, Public Library school faculty 17 7% Affairs Information Service Bulletin, Library Literature, Non-librarians 20 9% Library Science Abstracts, Social Sciences and Human­ ities Index, Education Index, and Monthly Catalog. Unknown 43 19% Situation Hopeless But Not Impossible I 341

stein's two articles called for the con­ TABLE 5 sideration of a theory, and a few refer­ CoNTENT ANALYSIS: TYPES OF ARTicLES ences were made in survey articles about Practical . 225 the lack of a theory. Librarians now as Theoretical . 2 fifty years ago seem unaware of a need News items . 23 for a theory offering, for better or worsel. "How we do it" . . . . llO Broad problems of librarianship 60 a description of specific operations with­ Outside views of the library . 20 in a given library. As a result most of Other 14 the articles clustering in a rather nebu­ lous heading .. reference work and serv­ ice" were repetitive of "how we do it in these new concepts in information han­ our library" or simply were news reports dling and incorporate them in the whole of how the library dealt with a specific spectrum of "traditional" curriculum. problem, with no attempts at any kind They often exist side by side, sometimes of generalization. not even on speaking terms. In the This is true in relation to more recent meantime several academic programs in developments, as for example, regional science engineering have started outside concept of reference service, or automa­ the library profession, producing not tion. It seems that if we must tolerate only computer technicians but informa­ certain "new trends" (everybody is talk­ tion specialists as well. As was men­ ing about it), we prefer to discuss them tioned before, there is also a growing as some sort of artificial entity which will movement among researchers in areas not effect our traditional "know how." other than librarianship to study general Our psychological complex might be processes identified with the successful illustrated even in the area of library systems of scientific information ex­ education. So, for example, not very long change, that is, the generic identifica­ ago a new descriptor "information sci­ tion and origination of information, its ence" appeared in the titles of some li­ transmission, storage, and use. How brary schools along with new separate many reference librarians, however, even programs and new degrees, emphasizing discuss the impres.sive studies of the such specialization. Most library schools, Project on Scientific Information Ex­ however, are quite content with adding change in Psychology, the recent projects a few courses in documentation and in­ on information problems in linguistics, formation retrieval. But it seems that or the numerous pilot projects on scien­ neither . approach attempts tb assimilate tific communication among engineers and scientists? There are even some retrospective bibliographies in this area TABLE 4 which are probably little known to our CONTENT ANALYSIS: SUBJECT BREAKDOWN profession.17 Many other questions can be raised. Reference libraries, special . . 40 Reference libraries, academic . 25 It seems that librarianship now, more Reference libraries, public . . 5 than ever before, with its lack of internal Reference librarians and training 17 coordination, is likely to tumble to the Cooperation, regional systems . 18 Automation . . . . 15 empirical ground where it will remain, Extension of services . 31 and, according to some, should remain. Statistics ...... 6 If librarianship is to develop a theory of Reference in relation to other library activities . . 8 Reference work or service ( general) <',. 62 17 Cf. William J. Paisley, op. cit. ~ l 342 I College & Research Libraries • September, 1967 reference, there first must be agreement try store principles, keeping a list of within the profession that theory is a everything in stock and retailing it to a proper concern of librarianship. With an regular clientele, taking care of little 1 interdisciplinary approach there still is emergencies, and developing enough a hope that we can emerge from present good will to keep the customer· return­ isolation. If not, then as Neal Harlow ing. He could even do business within a has cleverly indicated, "Melvil Dewey's somewhat more modern concept, that of craftsman might step out of the 1880's the service station, with its limited stock into the pres.ent day libiary and do very and routine services, and its simple ob­ well by reading the news-of-the-week jectives to keep the line of patrons mov­ and becoming acquainted with the re­ ing and the operator gainfully em­ cent 'titles,' that is, his point of view ployed."18 • • as a librarian would not be much out 18 Neal Harlow, " Who's Afraid of Melvil Dewey," of date. He could still operate on coun- PNLA Quarterly, XXXI (October, 1966), 14.