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Reference librarians in various library settings are often assigned responsibilities for training students, support staff, or other new professionals, a task for which they rarely have sufficient professional education. This bibliography recommends readings on topics that will assist reference librarians in understanding the philosophy of staff development. The readings listed here cover subjects such as: establishing an atmosphere that facilitates learning, assessing training needs, describing competent performance, writing clear and specific objectives, selecting appropriate training methods, maintaining skills and providing feedback, and evaluating the effectiveness of a training program.

Technology can be both the bane and the boon of bibliographic instruction librarians. While none of us would hesitate to extol the virtues of automation and computerization, it becomes more evident that, in some ways, library instruction is driven by technology. Technological advances give us new classes to teach, but also offer new methods of instruction. Considering what we want to teach, and considering the methods available ten years ago as compared to the present, we've come a long way—but so have our students. This is not to say they are any more knowledgeable of library research methods; but rather, computer and video technology are now second nature for them. Introducing this technology into the classroom means we have the ability to provide library instruction in a way that encourages students to learn—on their own terms.