2019 Charleston Library Conference

What is happening with the use of reference resources? Reference was once a prolific publishing genre and a busy, heavily used segment of every library’s collection. Today much of the library’s reference collection is neglected and many publishers have turned their attention to other areas of scholarly communication. Yet at the same time, there is reliable evidence to suggest researchers at all levels still want, need, and continue to use content that traditionally would have been found in a reference resource held by a library, whether it’s background information, historical overviews, statistical data, short biographies, definitions, etc. Significant changes in how people engage with reference content have made it difficult to formulate a clear picture of actual user demand and preferences. This program will present research on the continuing user need for reference information, how users are filling that need, and discuss how a leaner reference publishing world has evolved (or not) to match those needs. Librarians and publishers will each present their views on the changed nature of reference sources and where they see reference publishing going in the future.