Thomas Ottaviano SUNY Geneseo

Transcription

1 Thomas Ottaviano SUNY Geneseo

2 The Role of Support Staff is evolving! Not too long ago, librarians handled almost all cataloging and technical services Now support staff handle many of those responsibilities. Is the same thing happening in reference? Image from walrus.wr.usgs.gov

3 The Challenge : Support Staff typically have not received the formal training Librarians have. Have no fear! Successful reference interactions require just a little experience and perhaps a little guidance. Image from njlibraries.com

4 Types of reference questions Specific item questions (citations or partial citations) Topical questions Mixed! Books vs. Articles which to use! Reference Books Search Strategies The quality of resources Making Recommendations The Reference Interview

5 Directional Finding Specific Books and Articles Based on of a full citation (this requires the understanding of a citation) Based on part of a citation Accessing Specific Books and Articles Finding and using Special Collections Finding Library Forms and/or Services Using Library Forms and/or Services Getting additional information about Library forms and/or Services Technology related questions Recommendations Resource Analysis Ready Reference Topical Reference Questions In-Depth Reference Writing Citations Many questions will be a mix of several of these!

6 Understanding citations! Formal citations can be found in dozens of different formats. These formats may look different, but most provide the same pieces of information. It s important to know what type of resource you re looking at, because you search for different types of resources in different locations. Users may not know what they re looking for!

7 Book Title Author Publication Date Publisher Place of Publication Article Journal Title Article Title Author Volume Issue Date Format Pages

8 Book Basic Format Author Last, F. M. (Publication Date). Title. Place of Publication: Publisher. Article Basic Format Author Last, F. M. (Publication Date). Article Title. Journal Title, Volume, Pages.

9 Author Last, F. M. (Date of Publication). Title. Place of Publication: Publisher. Hemingway, E. (1940). For Whom the Bell Tolls. New York, NY: Charles Scribner s Sons.

10 Author. (Date of Publication).Title. (Edition) Editor. (Ed.) Place of Publication: Publisher. Shelley, M. (2003). Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus. (Rev. Ed.) M. Hindle. (Ed.) London, England: Penguin Books.

11 Author Last, F. M. (Date of Publication).Article Title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Pages. Retrieval Date from Database. Markowski, P. M., Straka J.M. & Rasmussen E.N. (2003). Tornadogenesis Resulting from the Transport of Circulation by a Downdraft: Idealized Numerical Simulations. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 60(6), Retrieved August 25, 2011 from Academic Search Complete database.

12 What types of resources are these? O Connor, A. (2011, Mar. 13). Nuclear Emergency is worst in decades. New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2011 from LexisNexis database. Nolen, J. & Primavera E. (1998). Raising Dragons. San Diego CA: Silver Whistle. Madison, J. (1975). Federalist No. 49. In J. Cooke. (Ed.) The Federalist (pp ). Middletown CT: Wesleyan University Press. Toothman, Jessika. (2011, June 15) "Five Factors in Tornadogenesis." Discovery Channel. Retrieved from HowStuffworks.com. Habib, B. (2010). Rogue Proliferator? North Korea's Nuclear Fuel Cycle and its relationship to regime perpetuation. Energy Policy, 38, National Film Board of Canada., & White Pine Pictures. (2008). Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma. Montreal: National Film Board of Canada.

13 A user wants to read the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but it is currently checked out of your library. The user would like to read the book as soon as possible. What are some options they might have?

14 Accessing specific books is relatively easy Search for the book in your catalog. Options if you do not own the book Google Books Hathi Trust Multi-library catalogs + Interlibrary Loan WorldCat.org

15 This depends on what you re library has available to you. Journal Finder Ulrich s When in doubt, there s always Google! Searching in the databases for a specific article should be a last resort UNLESS you know or have a strong reason to believe the article is indexed there.

16 Google Scholar PubMed (Medicine) USA.gov (Government Information) ERIC (Education) ALL New York libraries should have access to the NOVELNY package :

17 A user wants the article Can Bankruptcy Filing Save Kodak ; can you find it? If not, can you find out anything about the article that will make it easier to find? A user wants the article Exploring the Social Bases of Home Gardening ; can you find it? If not, can you find out anything about the article that will make it easier to find?

18 What are reference materials? What types of reference materials can typically be found in a library? Encyclopedias Dictionaries Foreign Language Dictionaries Directories Others may vary from library to library, but may include atlases, statistical sources, legal sources and many others.

19 How long is the Nile River? How many people died at the Battle of Antietam? What is the French word for Peanut Butter? Who has been a member of the Rolling Stones?

20 Some Questions will need additional inquiry to determine whether or not they are reference questions. I need some information on Cirrhosis of the Liver. I need some information about Che Guevara.

21 Is Print Reference Dead?

22 I need some historical uses of the word Emancipation

23 This is very often overlooked, but very important to research, because you do typically search for books and articles in different places. Issues that can help you determine which to use: The date range of the event/topic The level of specificity The type of content (Would books be written on the Government Program Cash for Clunkers? )

24 Some will be relatively easy: I need a biography for Teddy Roosevelt. I d like to find some information on how Tim Cook is doing as the CEO of Apple.

25 Others will be more challenging: (please note that you are not limited to just Books and Articles) I need some Information on the Arab Spring. I need some information on mollusks. My Child has autism I d like to get some ideas on how I can help him. What is the value of a 2009 Suburu Forrester? Does a teenager s level of self-esteem have an effect on the amount of alcohol they consume?

26 Many searches will not work the first time you try them. There are some strategies that can help improve your chances for success. Breaking Down a Research Topic Boolean (AND, OR, NOT) Truncation (*) and Nesting ( ) Subject Headings vs. Keywords

27 I d like some information on the environmental effects of Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale (New York State).

28 KNOW YOUR USERS! Don t be afraid to ask them exactly what they need. You don t want to direct a judge to a children s book on Civil Rights legislation. Scholarly vs. Popular In academic and school libraries, scholarly resources are often a requirement. Primary Sources Special Collections Chilren s Books Local collections Archives Rare and valuable materials

29 How do you know that you re looking at a scholarly resource? Author Format Abstract Bibliography Additional sections Content Research Opinion Current Events Purpose Make Money Inform Intended Audience Editors Other notable differences Images Advertisements Image from cartoonstock.com

30 What are some examples of primary sources?

31 One of the more common types of questions in a public library. If you read a LOT, these will usually be pretty easy but not everyone is an extensive reader. LibraryThing LibraryThing is great, but it does de-personalize the recommendation

32 Why are users reluctant to ask questions?

33 How to identify potential questions Most patrons will show some visual cues when they are not sure what to do or where to go. Avoid adding to patron confusion during the reference interview. Keep it slow and simple!

34 Know your limitations. You don t need to know the answers, you just need to know where to go or who to talk to in order to find the answers.

35 Approachability Interest/Comfort Identifying the True Information Need Clarification Verification Filling the Information Need Follow-Up

36 What can you do to be approachable? What are some Verbal cues? What are some nonverbal cues? Borrowed from It-is-law.com

37 How welcoming is your workspace? What can be done to make it more welcoming? Borrowed from utahvalleybusinessblog.com

38 How can we keep the user comfortable with the reference interview? Show Interest in their topic! Borrowed from images.hayneedle.com Listen! Listen! Listen!

39 Stay engaged! Be curious! Borrowed from Theage.com.au

40 Patrons rarely initially ask what they re truly hoping to find. We have to discover and piece together all of the appropriate components to complete the puzzle Borrowed from Wrapables.com

41 Components we may need to fill the information need What type of information is needed? How much information is needed? How will the information be used? What is the user s level of expertise? When is this information needed? How long does the user want/expect to spend finding this information? How did the user find out about this information?

42 Open-ended Questions Can you tell me more about your topic? What types of resources do you need? Where have you tried searching so far? Using Closed Questions early in the reference interview can lead the user into answering incorrectly, and forces the librarian to make assumptions Borrowed from

43 When we believe we have discovered the patron s real information need it s time to make sure we re right.

44 Paraphrase, or even repeat the question back to the patron. Clarify important but uncertain bits of information. What format do you prefer for this resource? Is it ok if we can only access it online? How recent does this information have to be?

45 Use this opportunity for a teaching moment! Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish, feed him for life! Borrowed from fine-anon.blogspot.com

46 Never assume that you re done answering a question, let the patron tell you that they have what they need. Ask them Does this Completely Answer your question? and Is there anything else I can help you with? If they seem uncertain about whether they found what they need, offer them contact information and let them know How, Where and When to find more assistance.

47 The same rules that you use for in person reference hold true for Phone, E- mail and Instant Messaging Reference.

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