ASPECTOS CONCEPTUALES PARA LA INVESTIGACIÓN DE LA LABOR DE BIBLIOTECARIOS Y BIBLIOTECARIAS QUE PROPORCIONAN SERVICIOS DE REFERENCIA

To conduct a library and information science research which takes as its object the activities grouped under the term reference, it is necessary to recognize the complexity of this object and build the right concepts to approach it. With the term reference a complex library activity -that can be addressed, at least from four different perspectives determined by the use of one or more key concepts- is designated. The concept of reference work allows to address the work of the reference librarian in providing service, which provides an important theoretical distinction between functions performed by people and services offered by the institution, and ascribes the activity to a broader notion that appears to be suitable to characterize it: the notion of assisting, which grants a place not only to each of the traditionally recognized reference and information service tasks but also to its creative and productive dimension, which in turn raises the possibility of a qualitative research approach.