Clinging to Traditional Reference Services: An Open Invitation to Libref.com.

ities (as a part of our overall public services) and determine at what level to fund them for the next year. Making this assessment is typically difficult, since the circum stances of reference are increasing ly complex and ambiguous. The complexity derives both from the continuing digitization of pub lished knowledge and the advent of distance learning (which has begun to separate the reference librarian and the user). I admit that making an assessment is also diffi cult because I intuitively believe that reference service is important but find it increasingly out of touch?so the assessment process is a struggle between my heart and my head. What I will share with you here is my current view, as an administrator, of reference services in an academic library setting. A Current Assessment of Reference