Reference 2.0A brief primer on reference resources

Part of the Unified Service Model Trainings

ReferenceALA: connections between people and theinformation sources, services, andcollection materials they need

Directional Questions• Where is the restroom?• How late is Collier open? • Where is the Kids section?Reference Questions• Where is the nearest post office?• Do you have the Twilight series?• How do I find an obituary in the

Houston Chronicle? • What is my precinct and early voting

sites in my county?

Sample Questions• Do I have any fines? • Do you have “Wuthering Heights” in

DVD?• Is there a list of new kids books?• Where is the Ideson building?• Where do I pick up my holds?• Can you Google an address for me?• Do you have any Telegu movies?• Do you have wi-fi?• Where are the copiers? • Can you extend my computer time?• I need help with my crossword puzzle.

Traditional vs. Proactive ReferenceTraditional

• Information gatekeeper• Wait until asked approached• Stationed at desk• Customer expects staff to be at desk• Pointing• Useful when staff is limited

Proactive

• Information “partner”• Roving• Hands-on• Seeking customer queries • Escorting patrons• Balance between roaming and desk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/herzogbr/1658397241/http://www.flickr.com/photos/sally_b/2337137475/

Reference Interview• What does the patron really want to know?• Why is the information needed? Caution – never ask this directly!• How much information is needed? In what form will it be useful?• How knowledgeable is the patron on this subject? What information does the

patron already have?• Is there a deadline? • Where did the patron hear about this? What is the source? What prompted the

question?

Examples of open questions:

• What kind of information on () are you looking for?• Would you tell me more about…• Can you give me an example…• What would you like to know about…• When you say (), what do you mean?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/webjunction/144665677/

Reference Interview Role Playing

• Science/history fair project• Looking for a blue book…• Free money, grant information• Looking for an obituary…(need to know name,

date of death, place of death)• What is the British Consulate located in

Houston?• Can I download ebooks from the library, on my

Kindle?

HPL Reference Services

• Face to face• Telephone• Email• Chat• By appointment• Research

Reference Print Sources

• Encyclopedias• Directories• Almanacs• Dictionaries• PeriodicalsCheck WorldCat for periodical print

holdings!

List of Dewey Decimal Classes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes

Reference Electronic Sources• Licensed databases• Remote access• In-Library only• Subject Guides• Articles from scholarly

and popular sources

Some popular database vendors are Gale, Ebsco and Proquest – check Electronic Journal Collections page to find out more.

eBooksFrom the homepage, click on Catalog or Downloads

HPL Catalog • Keyword search• Browsing search• Limit search• New titles• Kids catalog• ILL request

My Millennium•My Reading List (opt in/out)•My Reviews •Saved Searches•Change phone/email•Place items on hold

HPL Catalog Options

• Classic Catalog vs. Encore

• Material Type• Location – limit by

Central Nonfiction• Start with keyword

search

HPL Website

• Homepage• Research• Services• Reader’s Advisory• Kids and Teens• About HPL• Library Locations• Search HPL site via Google

Call Slip Form

From the intranet, click on Reference then “Request Form” ; enter intranet ID to access.

1st page menu

2nd page form: fill it out as completely as possible; use Notes field when necessary.

Sample Catalog Searches• What is the name of the book Mayor White was holding in the

Houston Chronicle insert advertising the Grand Reopening (the only words we could read were "Houston" and "Heart”)

• What years of “American Political Science Review” do you have?

• Do you have “Da Vinci Code” in ebook format?

• Can you tell me if you’ve received the latest issue of Vogue magazine?

• How can I find a list of all of your DVDs?

• I want to read more books like the Twilight series. How do I do that?

Sample Catalog Questions• Who wrote _Shantaram_? How can you find a

review using the catalog?• How can I keep a list of what I read?• What are the dates of _Houston Chronicle_ you

have in microfilm?• How can I find books on children and divorce?• I need to place a hold on a book called

something like “hot and crowded”.• Do you have any James Patterson books in

Vietnamese?

Sample Questions HPL Website• I want to suggest a book for the library. Is there a form online?• How were library locations named?• My friend told me that he gets newsletters about books from y’alls. Where

do I find them?• I want to complain about staff at my local library. Can I do this online?• I really like historical fiction. Do you have a service that will send me similar

titles?• How do I start my family history?• Is there a list of fines?• Do you have a list of new books and movies?• When is Baby Time at Central?• My friend told me about interviews of famous Houstonians on your website.

Where can I find that page?• Where do I find info about ebooks?