Information Resources and Services

Course aim

To provide students with the skills to offer customer-centred information services and utilise information retrieval skills for clients in a variety of contexts. 

Course content

• Customer centred reference and research services, including information seeking behaviour, reference interviews techniques and service design/delivery across the broad information services spectrum with reference to library, archives and records contexts
• Search strategies: unstructured vs. structured searching including Boolean logic, web technologies including the semantic web, metadata, and identification and analysis of search failures in library, records management, and archival contexts
• Evidence based research
• Ethics and legal liabilities of information provision; information professional roles and responsibilities
• Service delivery (virtual and ‘face to face’ environments) across the library and information management spectrum, including special groups; indigenous issues; disability issues; schools; family history
• Information literacy
• Identifying and evaluating key types of reference resources including databases, finding aids; biographical, business, geospatial, government, statistical, health; customised current awareness/alert services
• Managing and designing information services, challenges and implications
• Trends in reference and information service and service delivery

Textbook(s)

Cassell, Kay Ann, and Hiremath, Uma 2018, Reference and Information Services: An introduction, 4th, ALA Neal-Schuman, Chicago

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Continuous assessment, Project, Report

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 1)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.