Table of Contents
Module 4 Answers and review - Reference Excellence
Module 4 answers
Suggested answers for Module 4 exercises - Discuss the questions and your answers with your supervisor, trainer or colleagues.
Search strategy overview
- Try one search term in a range of resources, and see what your results look like.
- Compare the results from three (3) different search engines for information about your town or suburb.
- What resources are used by your library to share Community Information?
- Compare the relevance and currency of information available from a database and other resources such as a community noticeboard.
- What resources did you use?
- What differences and what similarities did you notice?
- How relevant or how current was the information?
- Describe what else you noticed?
Information sources
Select five reference resources
- Gale OneFile: Australia and New Zealand or other NSWnet databases you have access to
- An encyclopaedia such as World Book or Britannica - it may be online
- A dictionary
- An atlas such as the Macquarie Illustrated Atlas
- Wikipedia
- TROVE
to use for the following exercise.
For each of the resources look for information about New South Wales.
* List examples of where you can you find New South Wales information in each of the five (5) resources?
- Which resources have the most current information about New South Wales?
- Where else could you find information about New South Wales in your library? List five (5) examples from different sections of the library.
- How many different places can you find New South Wales information in each of the resources? Use the indexes or table of contents to determine this.
- Which resources have the most information about New South Wales?
- In addition to these resources, where else could you find information about New South Wales in your library? For example: genealogy collections, local history collections, map files, Internet, library web site, adult collection, children's collection, fiction, non-fiction, biography, etc.
Subjects and terms
- Use your online catalogue to see how many subject headings there are for bushfires.
- Find out where all those subject headings come from. Look for bushfires as a subject heading in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Cataloguers assign the subject heading to the catalogue records and understanding more about the heading will help your reference work. If you want to know more, talk to a cataloguer.
- Find out where all those subject headings come from? Look for bushfires in the Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Hint: try looking for the term 'wildfire'. What do you find?
Answer: Ask an experienced staff member, possibly a cataloguer, about subject headings.
Indexing
Using five of these reference resources, make sure at least one of them is a book:
- Gale OneFile: Australia and New Zealand or other NSWnet databases you have access to
- An encyclopaedia such as World Book or Britannica - it may be online
- A dictionary
- An atlas such as the Macquarie Illustrated Atlas
- Wikipedia
- TROVE
- A non-fiction book with an index
Examine the subject headings or index terms used in the resources.
- Are the resources arranged by subject heading and is this reflected in the table of contents?
- Do they have indexes?
- How easy are the indexes to understand and use?
- How similar or different are the index terms or subject headings among the books? ie. Do they use the same terms for the same topics?
Answer: Take time to examine the organisation of each source you use.
Look it up
Please answer these reference questions. Cite your source. Make sure you try a mix of sources both in your library and online.
- What is the life span of a mosquito?
- How can you change the colour of a flower?
- What is the origin of the phrase 'pass the dead horse'?
- Do you have a biography of Kath Day-Night and Kim Craig?
Accuracy
Question: Using the four reference books (or others you located) from the exercise on Reference Resources earlier in this module, do the following:
- Search for the information listed below. (Numbered 1 - 5). Use at least two different sources for each topic.
- Is the information the same in the two sources or different? What is the difference and why?
- Look at the date of the information. There could be a difference between the date of the website and the date of the information. Have you located the most current information?
- What is the result for your patron if you use old information?
- What is the result for your patron if you use only one source of information and it is not the most complete source?
- What problems did you encounter in your search? i.e. Is the information being behind a paywall.
1. Look up the population of Australia and the population of New Zealand.
2. How many cars are there registered in NSW?
3. How many sheep are there in Australia?
4. What is the largest lake in the World?
5. What was the hottest day in Australia in 1976?
A: If your patron is only looking for a number, the almanac or atlas would have it, but these may be out of date if relying on older census information. Even the simplest question can have conflicting answers in different reference sources, e.g. for issues on world population. Any information that changes often is seldom accurate. Also consider how difficult it is to determine accuracy and currency for Internet resources.
Citing your sources
Exercise 1. A primary school student has come into the library and asked :- What do frogs eat, and where do they live, and how long do they live for? They would like images showing the life cycle of a frog, and some other information to give a talk to their class about where frogs live. Obtain information from the following resources and record the details of the resources on the Bibliographic Record Sheet.
* a book from the library that you have located using the library catalogue;
* an ebook;
* a journal article from an online database;
* a website.
Create a bibliography for your search results.
Asking experts
- Which resources you've been working with earlier in this module has information on the population of your town, your local government area or the state? Where else might you look?
- Without using ABS resources, how might you discover information about your local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community groups? What language or dialect do they use? What is the name, and where can your contact your local Aboriginal Land Councils?
- What resources might you use to locate a snake catcher or the winner of the local campdrafting competition?
- Is there someone in your library or in your community who would have this information?
A: Whilst the ABS provides easy online access to a myriad of demographic information, there are other places this information can also be found. If you live in a major city, population information will be easier to find, even in entries for the state in some encyclopaedias and in the almanacs. Road atlases usually show city populations for most small towns. Dictionaries often have surprising information in appendices. The local Council or tourist information centre often have demographic information available.
- How might you discover information about a specific population group, eg. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, within your local community? What language do they use? Where are the local Aboriginal Land Council/s?
A: Most Councils employ an Aboriginal or Community Liaison Officer to work with particular cultural groups and these people can provide you with a host of information and resources to better understand a particular local population. Library staff who come from that particular population group can also be helpful in providing key access points for questions like this.
- What resources might you use to locate a snake catcher or the winner of the local campdrafting competition?
A: Being aware of the organisations within your community can take some time if you are new to that community. Being aware of your fellow staff' interests - eg, wildlife care, rodeo - can increase that awareness. Do you know if your local community has a wildlife rescue organisation? Are you aware of a local (or national) campdrafting organisation? Oftentimes, the answers to these questions is “no”. So ask around. Try Council's Customer Service. Try the local veterinary surgery. Try your local newspaper. “Yes, we have a local WIRES”. “Yes. Those results were published in Monday's paper”. This may be the piece of information that points you towards contact details that can then provide the answer to your patron's question.
Information and referrals
1: The library patron would like information on how to grow espalier fruit trees in Canberra / Southern NSW region.
Suggested Referrals
Join a relevant Facebook Group – Gardening on the Monaro
Locate a relevant book in the Library Catalogue:- Gilbert, A ( 2009) Espalier. Melbourne; Hyland House. Use the information in the book to locate a list of experts who have contributed to the publication. Contact a person or organisation mentioned: Orange Research Station, NSW St Kilda’s Blessington Street gardens and staff, St Kilda, Victoria.
Refer to a YouTube video
- Go to YouTube and search ‘espalier’
Search for a Nursery that sells Espalier trees and their support systems such as lattice or wire.
Search for a local garden club – Garden Clubs of Australia
- Locate Canberra City Farm Group
Search TROVE to find: - Additional references relating to espalier
Government Reports – Dept Agriculture
A relevant video – A practical guide to top fruit growing
2. A patron would like to learn how to do Tunisian crochet.
A possible answer: Start with a search in your library’s the catalogue – the keyword crochet brings up 89 records in the Central Northern Regional Library’s catalogue
- Ask your colleagues as they might know about local craft clubs, crochet guilds, craft get-togethers. For example, in Tamworth the library holds a monthly Craft Catch Up where crafters bring their own work and help each other.
- Find YouTube tutorials as some people learn better when they can see how a stitch is made instead of just reading the instructions. Libraries might have their own instructional YouTube videos, for example Central Northern Regional Library has videos for Creative Communities which include crochet, making t-shirt yarn, sewing, making no sew face masks, etc. Creative Communities - YouTube.
- Often craft shops will host craft workshops, so don’t forget about them.
- Online resources such as databases and e magazines can also help.
- Ravelry.
- Faceboook – Virtual groups have become popular when personal gatherings have been restricted.
- Organisations.
Keeping track
- Study the form that your library uses to keep track of reference questions.
- Are there areas on the form for describing the question resulting from the reference interview, listing sources checked, noting when the patron was informed, referral status, and citation of the source where answer was found?
- Does your library keep track of reference questions all the time or at certain times of the year? What are the statistics used for?
Informing the patron
Keep the patron informed every step of the way. Not only does this reassure the patron but it also helps to educate them about ways and methods for finding information themselves (information literacy).
Module 4 review
What have you learned?
Determine the patron’s question before you devise a search strategy. It can also help to know the patron's source – where did they hear about it or read about it? For example a person may ask for some love poetry but is really looking for a poem to read at a wedding.
Searching successfully requires an understanding of library subject headings used in the library catalogue and in the different kinds of databases and indexes used to locate reference resources – whole books, parts of books, articles, or other works or other formats.
Providing accurate and current information is critical, and looking up answers, even when we think we know, is always necessary. When the answers aren't in the library, know when and where to refer patrons or to use inter library loan. Throughout the process, keep track and keep your patron informed.
Determine the patron’s question through a reference interview, then search for answers. Break down complex questions into manageable parts. Look for answers in resources in many formats. Consider all possible index or catalogue terms. Consider asking experts.
Major Point: Use a search strategy that will get you to the most appropriate resources.
All materials in your library are potential reference sources, but the best place to start may be with the patron's original source. For example they may have heard the information on radio or television so knowing which program can help.
To develop a successful strategy for finding the best resources, you must have an understanding of the subject headings and terms to look under in the library catalogue, in the index of the reference resource, or in online sources.
Major Point: Successful search strategies require an awareness of subject terms used in library catalogues and resources as well as knowledge of how search engines work.
Indexes help you locate other resources or locate topics within a resource. Books such as encyclopaedias have indexes, there are indexes to magazine articles (or poetry, plays, short stories), and the computer catalogue is an index to the library's collection. Reliable sites that review and categorise helpful Web sites help you locate appropriate sites.
Major Point: Indexes are finding aids that help you find whole works, parts within works, topics within an individual work, or individual articles.
Do not give opinions even when you think you know. Always look up the answers and cite your sources.
Use appropriate search engines and databases, and more than one if necessary. Citing the source, print or Web, lets patrons determine for themselves the accuracy and currency of the information.
Major Point: Always look it up, even when you think you know. On the internet, look it up with the most appropriate search engines, and cite sources for print or online.
Your search is not complete until you can give the patron the most current and accurate information.
Major Point: To provide accurate information: verify the question; use accurate and current sources; and relay the information carefully.
Your job is to meet the patron's information need in whatever way works best. The best search strategy may be to ask experts in your library or community.
Major Point: It is often as efficient and productive to ask yourself, “who knows the answer” rather than what books or databases contain the answer.
Your search should consider that patrons often have needs that require the services of groups or agencies, for social or health problems as an example. Your library may have a list, directory, or database of these agencies to be used for Information and Referral.
If the answer isn't in your library, you may need to refer a patron or refer the patron's question. Find out about your library's policy on referrals. Types of referral include referral to another library, including the State Library reference services, interlibrary loan or another agency.
Major Point: Patrons may have information needs that your library’s resources alone will not meet. They may need the services of special groups or agencies.
Keep track while working on complicated searches in case you are interrupted or the question needs to be referred later, or if others in your library will be working on the question. Keep track of the number of transactions, according to your library's practice.
Major Point: Keeping track of your search helps others who may work on the search and helps in planning future services.
The reference interview does not end when the search begins. Keep the patron informed throughout the search. Continue asking questions and end with a follow-up question that lets you know the patron is completely satisfied.
Major Point: Continue the reference interview as you search, keep the patron informed of your progress.
Get the patron's question first, then search for answers. Know your library's resources, the resources available in other libraries, and when to refer. Keep the patron informed.
Evaluation
What to do when you finish the module…
When you have completed the exercises for this module, you may want to talk to your supervisor, trainer or colleagues about them.
Please fill out and submit the evaluation form
Other modules for Reference Excellence
Reference Excellence - self paced reference and information services training
Module 1 Overview of the reference process
Module 2 Reference interview skills and question types
Module 3 People skills, reference behaviours
Module 6 Ethics and legislation