Look it up
From SLNSW
Do the search, verify the answer, and cite your sources.
Contents |
Finding the right information
Even if you are sure you know the answer to a question, look it up. The goal of reference is to find the right information for the client. It is important to verify what you have found. There is a risk of giving inaccurate, or incomplete, information as the result of a hasty one-stop web or database search.
Accurate information is the reference product, but reference sources may not always agree on facts. Two different sources or web sites may have conflicting information, or we may miss the most authoritative source or site completely. The clients should know what source you are using so they can judge the answer, even when you are giving out something obvious like the spelling of a word, or the boiling point of water, or the capital of East Timor. Be sure to preface your answer with something like "I'm reading from the Macquarie Dictionary, and it says that you spell 'catalogue' c-a-t-a-l-o-g-u-e". Always look up the answers and cite your sources. Do a thorough web search if needed, using the most appropriate search engines or subject guides. It is not time consuming to be thorough.
"I found the answer to your question in the World Book Encyclopedia"
One quick web search is not enough. 'Googling it' is now a common phrase, but good reference work is rarely that easy. Not all search engines perform the same way or cover the same number of sites. Sometimes a subject guide, directory site, or a news site is a better place to look it up.
Some government and education sites for sources not indexed by all search engines. Search engines don't all search the same sites or have the same rules for retrieval. Know how a search engine lets you select any words or all words, and how to do phrase searching. This information can be found on the help pages of the search engines. Consult sites or blogs that keep up with news about search engines for changes in the way search engines work, and how they compare. Sites resulting from your search may appear on the list because of the number of sites which link to them, the number of times a keyword was used on the site, or may have been engineered specifically to get hits from search engines. Evaluate sites carefully. Examining resources will provide more information on this.
Helpful guides or tutorials can improve your search skills. NSW.net provides database training courses for public library staff who wish to increase their knowledge of the state wide databases available. When you've looked up the information, be sure the patron knows the source of the information you give. This is especially important when answering a telephone or online request because the patron can't see what you have.
A good practice is to name the source before giving out the information - "I'm reading from the National Guide to Government 2012, and it says...", "I have the latest Guinness book of records and it says...", "I found the answer to your question on the ALIA web site at www.alia.org.au ...". This allows the patron to make the determination about the accuracy and reliability of the information.
Major point: Always look it up, even when you think you know. On the web, look it up with the most appropriate search engines and cite sources for print or web.
Exercises
Real Reference questions (If you want answers, you'll have to look it up. If you search on the web try more than one search engine.):
- What is the life span of a mosquito?
- How can you change the colour of a flower?
- What is the origin of the phrase 'brown as a berry'?
- Do you have a biography of Long John Silver?
