‘‘Going Where the Questions Are’’: Using Media to Maintain Personalized Contact in Reference Service in Medium-Sized Academic Libraries

Different approaches to reference service have been added over the years, but the basic premise of the service has not changed–the desire to assist and educate users in locating information. As new technologies are added, such as desktop conferencing and web access, it is important that the personalized contact which is the heart of reference service be preserved. The human touch in the reference process is very important to the success of the reference transaction. Media can be useful in assisting reference librarians in ‘‘Going Where the Questions Are’’ while still maintaining the personal element in creating real-time reference transactions in a technological environment