US libraries in search for a standard model of reference services

Abstract

The article is about the evolution of reference service models in US libraries, starting with the development of a theoretical concept in the first half of the nineteenth century and ending with innovative models of today. The author’s object is to consider the main approaches to the organization of reference services, to give the description of the most common models, and to describe examples of their practical implementation in public and university libraries in the USA. The article reveals how reference librarians are trying to rethink, re-equip and modernize reference services with the help of experiments and initiatives for information interaction with users. The reference desk in the article is marked as the main “stumbling block” on the way to an ideal SBO model. A number of researchers believe that with the increase in the volume of available information and technological innovations, the previous organizational model hinders the effective use of library staff. The development of a reference service concept capable of providing an innovative competitive position that meets the future expectations of reference services users continues to be a key problem in the era of digitalization.