Designed to complement every introductory library reference course, this is the perfect text for students and librarians looking to expand their personal reference knowledge, teaching failsafe methods for identifying important materials by matching specific types of questions to the best available sources, regardless of format. Guided by a national advisory board of educators and practitioners including Eileen Abels, Anita Ondrusek, Marie L. Radford, and Steven Tash, this text expertly keeps up with new technologies and practices while remaining grounded in the basics of reference work. Chapters on fundamental concepts, major reference sources, and special topics in reference provide a solid foundation, plus fresh insight on new issues, including

New chapters on ethics, readers advisory, and reference services for children and young adults
Website development and maintenance
RSS feeds
Social networking
Delivering reference services across multiple platforms

As librarians experience a changing climate for all information services professionals, Cassell and Hiremath provide the tools needed to manage the ebb and flow of changing reference services in the 21st century.