Editing Reference desk (section)

==History==
Reference services did not become commonplace in libraries until the late 1800s. These services initially began in public libraries.<ref name="Evolution of Library Reference">{{cite journal|last1=Deng|first1=Liya|title=The Evolution of Library Reference Services: From General to Special, 1876-1920s|journal=Libri: International Journal of Libraries & Information Services|date=September 2014|volume=64|issue=3|pages=254–262}}</ref> At first librarians were hesitant to offer reference services because many libraries did not have a large enough staff to provide the services without other duties being neglected.<ref name="Evolution of Library Reference" /> Beginning in 1883 with the [[Boston Public Library]], libraries began to hire librarians whose primary duty was to provide reference services.<ref name="Evolution of Library Reference" />

One of the earliest proponents of references services was [[Samuel Swett Green]]. He wrote an article titled "Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers" which had a large impact on the future of reference services.<ref name="Evolution of Library Reference" />
Utor (2008) defined reference services as a direct personal assistance to readers seeking information through direct contact between the reference librarian and the user.

Reference desks changed dramatically with the emergence of [[information technology]]. During the 2020 pandemic, there was a surge of virtual information desks. It has been found that chat, email, and web conferencing formats have become adequate substitutions for in-person conversations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buss |first=Stephen P. |date=October 2016 |title=Do We Still Need Reference Services in the Age of Google and Wikipedia? |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02763877.2015.1134377 |journal=The Reference Librarian |language=en |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=265–271 |doi=10.1080/02763877.2015.1134377 |issn=0276-3877|url-access=subscription }}</ref> AI chatbots are also being used in academic libraries to address typical information inquiries, although their use is still being tested<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rodriguez |first=Sharesly |last2=Mune |first2=Christina |date=2022-01-01 |title=Uncoding library chatbots: deploying a new virtual reference tool at the San Jose State University library |url=https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-05-2022-0020 |journal=Reference Services Review |volume=50 |issue=3/4 |pages=392–405 |doi=10.1108/RSR-05-2022-0020 |issn=0090-7324|url-access=subscription }}</ref>