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This informative volume is filled with valuable insights on the reference librarian's role as a connecting link between information seekers and the resources that provide answers to their questions. The Reference Librarian and Implications of Mediation helps librarians become successful mediators by teaching them the best approaches to providing resolutions or guidance to the appropriate resources. Chapters focusing on reference skills, communication abilities, accuracy in responding to specific inquiries, and sensitivity to various groups such as paraprofessionals and nontraditional patrons teach librarians how to become more effective mediators. This provocative book encourages librarians to go beyond merely providing answers or resources to helping clients better understand the physical surroundings, the social or educational context, and the ethical, political and economic climate in which the process takes place.

A broad selection of chapters interpret mediation and explore diverse topics including traditional mediation, the impact of information technologies, the need for a human context, and an increasingly diverse group of library patrons requiring mediation services. The Reference Librarian and Implications of Mediation shows librarians how to develop a full understanding of an inquiry, ferret out what a client really needs, and ultimately pursue an appropriate response. Specific chapters cover a wealth of mediation topics including: a call for a return to client-oriented mediation electronic reference services information paraprofessionals the academic librarian's role in the educational process relationship between composition teachers and reference librarians predicting mediation accuracy from user impressions the influence of a shrinking information economy academic librarians and mediation in controversial scholarly communication