Table of Contents
Module 1 Exercises Reference Excellence
Review 1
What have you learned?
Reference service is a way for libraries to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Filling individual information needs requires discovering the need behind a patron's first question.
There are four steps in the reference process - outreach, determining needs - the reference interview, filling needs and follow-up.
Do the following to review:
- Review the Answer 1 key
- Review the following main points of Module 2 (use the links to go back to any section you want to look at again)
What is reference and why is it important?
Major point: Libraries meet the information needs of the communities they serve.
What information is needed in your community for products, health, government, how-to, personal enrichment, work and school?
Major point: The one place in the community that can provide various types of information to everyone is the library.
Information needs of individuals in your community are not usually stated in patrons' first questions. The first question may just be a way to find out if you're friendly and approachable.
Major point: A patron's first question may be a way to find out if you are approachable and not an expression of the information need.
Misconceptions about libraries prevent patrons from stating real information needs, even if they've determined that you're an approachable person.
Major point: Patrons don't realize how libraries are organized and shouldn't have to when asking questions.
Sometimes patrons don't express their real information needs. Patrons may be reluctant or unable to express needs of a personal nature or don't have a good understanding of what they really need. Many people have difficulty recognizing that information will help, what information is needed, how to find it or how to apply it once they have it.
Major point: People often don't clearly express their real information needs.
An ongoing reference process is needed to assist patrons in filling real information needs i.e. satisfying a gap in knowledge and solving problems.
Major point: Finding the underlying gap in knowledge or problem to be solved behind the patron's opening question is an ongoing process.
Steps of the reference process
The reference process involves many steps encouraging patrons, finding need, clarifying and verifying the details, finding information and follow-up to be sure needs have been met.
Major point: Reference work is a process that includes mediation and follow-up.
Filling information needs by following the reference process is a role of public service staff.
Major point: The performance of public service staff is critical in meeting a community's information needs. Libraries meet the information needs of the communities they serve.
What to do when you finish the exercises?
When you have completed the exercises for this module take them to your supervisor.
Congratulations on becoming a part of quality reference service in New South Wales.
Please fill out and submit the evaluation form
Module 1: Exercises (Reference Excellence)
Exercises for Reference Services
Write down the answers to the exercise questions in this module and you may wish to discuss with your supervisor or group at the end of module 1.
1. Does your library have a mission statement, general policy or reference policy that describes reference service policies, procedures, goals or mission?
2. Does the reference policy discuss the value of reference service to your community? If not ask other team members what they think is the value of reference service in your community.
Exercises for Community Needs
1. Does the library's reference policy describe the community served, or what makes your library's community special? If this is not part of a written policy, talk to the staff. They know their community, they can help you find the population statistics for your area.
2. Does the reference or collection development policy discuss the information needs of your particular community, i.e. what kinds of information do the users of your library want or expect to find at the library, what topics or subjects and in what formats - books, dvds or other multimedia, online resources, etc.?
3. Does the library's reference policy include serving the community with remote/online services?
Exercises for Misconceptions
1. If you were looking for information about a health issue how many different places in your library could you find that information? Places can include special collections, fiction, non-fiction, audiovisual material and online resources.
2.Thinking like a patron, have a look at your library. How easy is it to find the different health resources in your library?
3. Thinking like a patron, have a look at your library website. How easy is it to find the different health resources here?
4. Do you think a library patron would think of all the places?
5. Describe something new that you think your library could introduce to improve the use of library information resources.
6. Describe something that you personally could do to make patrons aware of the extent of the library reference services.
Exercises for Real Needs
Answer the following questions about your library. If you don't know the answers ask your supervisor or reference staff.
1. How is it possible to allow privacy when assiting a patron?
2. How can you make patrons feel comfortable when working to find answers to information needs?
Exercises for Role of Service Desk Staff
1. Who is involved in reference service in your library? A whole department? A reference librarian? Anybody who's available? Just you? What is your role in the provision of reference and information services? Whether large or small, the reference service provided by the library is critical. Identify everyone at the library who provides reference services.
Exercise for Searching for information
Refer to the scenario posed in Module 1 with a patron coming to the library asking for tomato sauce recipes. List the places you could source information for the patron.
See Answer 1