Educational Aspects of a Teletype Reference Service Staffed by Students

STUDENTS in the advanced reference course in the School of Library Science at the University of Iowa staff a teletype reference service available to all public libraries in the state through regional library systems, and available to college and university libraries who belong to the same teletype network Iowa Library Information Teletype Exchange. The purpose of the network is threefold interlibrary loan communication, general interlibrary communication, and communication of reference questions. It is the last mentioned function which is provided by the students. The service began in March, 1971, and is currently answering in excess of 2,500 queries per year. The present discussion treats the educational aspects of the program. The service aspects of the teletype reference service are to be found more fully described in previous literature.1» 2> 3 To consider the service as a contribution to the preparation of library school students its relationship to reference and bibliographic instruction in library schools generally, and to the curriculum at the University of Iowa specifically, should be examined. This article will not analyze and evaluate alternate philosophies and methods of reference and bibliographic instruction. The pages of the Journal of Education for Librarianship have often carried presentations of the various camps.