Reference and User Services Association
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is an American professional association for librarians and library paraprofessionals.
History
[edit]RUSA began in 1956 as the Reference Services Division (RSD), and the Adult Services Division (ASD) was created in 1957.[1] They combined in 1972 as the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD).[2] RASD was renamed as RUSA in 1996.[3]
Activities
[edit]RUSA describes itself as a "network to educate, empower, and inspire its members to advance the evolution of the profession and better serve users in a continuously changing information society."[4]
It administers a number of awards including the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, Dartmouth Medal, Sophie Brody Medal, and Outstanding Reference Sources Awards.
It also publishes RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience, formerly Reference & User Services Quarterly.[5]
Sections and interest groups
[edit]RUSA has six sections and six interest groups:
- Business Reference And Services Section (BRASS)
- Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES)
- Emerging Technologies Section (ETS)
- History Section (HS)
- Reference Services Section (RSS)
- Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS)
- Artificial Intelligence in Reference and User Services Interest Group (AIRUS)
- Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Interest Group (FAFLIG)
- Financial Literacy Interest Group
- First Year Experience Interest Group
- Shared Collections Interest Group
- Physical Delivery Interest Group
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Our History | Reference and User Services Association". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ Hansen, Andrew M. (1985). "Current Issues in Reference and Adult Services". RQ. 25 (1): 13–18. ISSN 0033-7072.
- ^ Goodyear, Marilu; Bourdon, Cathleen (1996). "What's In a Name? RUSA is the Future". RASD Update. 17 (1): 1–1. ISSN 0198-8344.
- ^ "About RUSA | Reference and User Services Association". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ "Reference & User Services Quarterly". journals.ala.org. Retrieved 2024-07-22.