The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies of the High‐Tech Reference Desk

Citation

Parry, F. (2006), "The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies of the High‐Tech Reference Desk", The Electronic Library, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 574-575. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470610689278

This is the second edition of a work that was originally published in 2002. It has now been thoroughly updated and contains information on new developments such as blogs and RSS feeds. McDermott works at a “high‐tech reference desk” in the San Marino Public Library and many of the entries in this book first appeared as a result of her other work as the Internet Express columnist for the magazine Searcher.

The book is divided into two distinct parts: part one is web resources for answering patron questions; part two consists of tools to assist librarians to teach internet skills and provide internet facilities to the general public.

Most chapters in the first section begin with short but informative introductory remarks followed by annotated directory‐style listings. They are designed to be consulted on an “as you need them” basis rather than as a straightforward read‐through. The book will be of interest mainly to those working in American public libraries. For its intended market, there is very little missing in this section and all the information is clearly signposted and indexed for ease of reference. It is probably a little lightweight for the academic sector, although there are some exceptions, such as the two chapters on free full‐text resources and quality reference resources. There is also a well‐written section in the chapter on finding people about “who's behind that web page” which encapsulates McDermott's ability to get across sometimes complex information in a concise, easy‐to‐understand manner.

The second section is more discursive and deals with the topics of teaching internet skills, creating web pages, web access for the disabled, computer troubleshooting for those moments of terror when the system goes down, and keeping up with changes on the web. All chapters are written with simple, jargon‐free language and are backed up with extensive relevant links to web resources. This section probably works best as a starter kit for new librarians or as a useful read for refresher purposes. If I have a complaint, it is that there could have been some bibliographic references to add to the well‐researched online resources for further study.

McDermott has a bright and breezy style, which makes this an easy read. She also peppers the text with an infectious humour, such as the heading “quack attack” illustrating the dangers of unscrupulous medical web sites. McDermott quotes from a survey that says that nearly three‐quarters of Americans have home access to online technology. In this context, librarians – particularly those just starting out in reference work – will need a book like this to help demonstrate that there is still a need for their services.