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Module 1: Exercises (Reference Excellence)
Exercises for Reference Service
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.
See Answer 1
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?
See Answer 1
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.
See Answer 1
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. Is it possible to allow some privacy for working with a patron with a very personal question?
2. What do you do, or see others doing, to make patrons feel comfortable when working to find answers to information needs?
See Answer 1
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.
See Answer 1