Examining resources
From SLNSW
Contents |
Review
Reference service meets the information needs of the community with an ongoing Reference process of outreach, conducting Reference interview to determine needs, filling needs, and following-up. Model Behaviours increase the chances for a successful interview to answer the basic question of what the patron really wants to know.
Criteria for Evaluating Print and Web Resources
Once you have verified the patron's question, you need to find the answer. There is no substitute for knowing the reference books you have in your collection or sources available for remote users. In fact, you should think of all the resources in your library and beyond as potential reference sources, and be able to evaluate their usefulness!
Evaluation criteria for paper-based resources:
Author, Date of Publication, Edition or Revision, Publisher, Title, Intended Audience, Coverage, Writing Style.
Evaluation criteria for web resources:
Author, Content, Domain Name, Date of Last Revision, Objectivity, Authority, and Accuracy.
Evaluating Web Resources
Purpose, authority, scope, audience, and format are considered when evaluating Web resources as well as print resources. Unfortunately many web sites fail to provide the information. A few useful things to consider in evaluating a site:
- What can the URL tell you? Is it from an .edu, .org, or .gov site, or is it somebody's personal page (indicated by ~).
- Scan the perimeter of the page, looking for links to About, Background, etc.
- Look for last update.
- Look for indicators of quality information, i.e. who is responsible for the content of the page and are sources documented?
- Are links well-chosen and organized?
- What do others say? Look the page up in a reputable directory that evaluates its contents for example Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply Questions to Ask, in Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial, UC Berkeley, Teaching Library Internet Workshops, 2005.
Examining the Print Resource
In order to use a reference tool, either one that you have seen but have not had occasion to try or a newly purchased one, you must approach the tool with an open but critical attitude. Don't take it for granted that because a reference book is in the library it is good, correct, or up-to-date. Libraries strive for that, but each tool has its shortcomings as well as strengths. Only by actually handling the book can you get a good sense of its usefulness.
Parts of a Book
How can you quickly learn to evaluate and use new or unfamiliar titles? First of all, it helps to understand parts of a book.
- Author
- Title
- Volume
- Edition
- Series
- Place of Publication
- Publisher's Name
- Date of Publication
- Foreword or Preface
- Introduction or Instructions for Use
- Table of Contents
- Text
- Appendix
- Glossary
- Index
How Will the Resource Be Useful?
When examining a resource that's new to you or in a new edition or format, consider the following aspects carefully.
- Purpose: Why was the book written? What is it intended to do? Does it really do that? Use the title, foreword or preface, introduction, table of contents, and an examination of the text itself to help you determine the purpose.
- Authority: Is the author qualified to write the book? Is the publisher reputable?
- Scope: What does the book really cover? Does the dictionary cover only words currently in use, or does it contain obsolete words, too? Does the biographical dictionary include only dead people?
- Audience: Who is the book written for? Is the medical book meant for the lay person or for a doctor? Is the encyclopedia for a child or for an adult?
- Format: How is the book arranged? Does it have an index? Is it easy to use?
If time permits, it can be beneficial to examine one or two reference books in your collection each day. At the very least, you need to examine each new reference book you receive.
Major Point: There is no substitute for knowing the value of reference sources in your collection or on the Web. To evaluate and use a resource effectively, you must carefully examine all parts of a print resource and learn to recognize indicators of quality for Web sites.
Write down the answers to the exercise questions in this module and keep them to review with your supervisor at the end of the module.
1. Use a print almanac or similar ready reference book from the library collection. Print the Book Examination Checklist to carry with you. Examine the book and identify each of these parts:
- Author, Title, Volume, Edition, Series, Place of Publication, Publisher's Name, Date of Publication
- Foreword or Preface, Introduction or Instructions for Use, or Table of Contents
- Text
- Appendix, Glossary, or Index
- Special features such as charts, graphs, photos
2. What would you say are the purpose, authority, scope, audience, and format of the book?
3. Choose another reference book, one you haven't used before, and answer questions 1 and 2 for that book.
