Swiss Army Librarian » reference

Library in Action

December 8th, 2009 Brian Herzog

This photo from the Manchester (NH) City Library is almost a year old, but I love it:

Tags: computer, helping, instruction, librarian, libraries, Library, patron, public, reference

What’s In Your Ready Ref?

September 1st, 2009 Brian Herzog

I’ve been working on an answer to Debbie’s comment about a guide to ready reference, but am sorry to say I haven’t been able to find one.

Searches on the web found a lot of great ready reference lists of websites, but not print books. Amazon lists some, but I don’t have them to review. I remember having such lists in my library school text books, so maybe that’s the best place to look.

But as I thought about this, and looked at what’s on the ready reference shelf at my library, I concluded two things:

To be effective, the ready reference collection needs to be tailored to the library and its patrons. My current ready reference collection is very different from the one we had behind the desk of the Kent State University Library when I worked there, but they are equally appropriate
The best thing to do might just be to ask other librarians which print ready reference resources they like and use

So in the spirit of the second one, here’s an overview of resources on the ready reference shelf in my library. If you’re so inclined, please share what you’ve got on your shelf - I’d really be curious to know.

For staff to help answer computer questions:

Things that don’t really get used but I feel we should have:

American library directory (2 volumes)
Literary market place (2 volumes)

Quick Facts & Referencey books (for annual resources, we keep the current year in ready reference and move past years to the reference collection):

Old farmer’s almanac
Guinness world records
Time almanac
The world almanac and book of facts
CQ’s state fact finder
The 50 States
The complete zip-area code directory
Chase’s calendar of events (where many of our book display ideas come from)
Roget’s international thesaurus
Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (update with all the pages)
Slang and euphemism dictionary
Consumer Reports magazine & buying guide
Cite right: a quick guide to citation styles
A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations
The Gregg reference manual
NADA car values

Government Information:

Business Directories:

Local Information:

Massachusetts municipal profiles (this one is invaluable)
The Massachusetts political almanac
Massachusetts municipal directory
Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE)
The Massachusetts state building code
Commonwealth of Massachusetts fuel gas and plumbing codes
Chelmsford alphabetical and street list of residents 17 years of age or more
Various local history books, with information on town timeline, buildings, people, etc., with many
Textbooks for the Chelmsford middle schools

Shelved right next to the desk

Granted, many of these only get used once or twice a year, if that, and almost all have online versions (or equivalents). But I really like being able to answer a question just by grabbing a book within reach, showing a patron how to look it up, and then let them sit at a table absorbing the information. I don’t know, it feels more tangible and satisfying than relying on Google for everything.

Tags: collection, libraries, Library, print, public, ready, ready referemce, readyref, ref, reference, Resources

Reference Readiness : A Manual for Librarians and Students

August 13th, 2009 Brian Herzog

I was weeding the reference collection when I came across Ready Reference : A Manual for Librarians and Students. It was published in 1984, so I flipped through it thinking the viewpoint of ready reference from 25 years ago might be humorously outdated.

I was wrong. I was 10 when this book was published, but I still use many of the resources author Agnes Ann Hede recommends.

Each chapter in the book is devoted to different types of resources, and describes the best books in each area. As you would expect, most of the book focuses on print:

Dictionaries: 31 pages
Encyclopedias: 23 pages
Indexes, Serials and Directories: 26 pages
Bibliographies: 32 pages
Computer Sources and Services: 5 pages

I did get a laugh from the page comparisons, but it was certainly appropriate for 1984.

However, when I read the Computer section, I was amazed by how relevant it still is. There was no “computers are a difficult fad we just need to humor” mentality. In fact, the language she used is exactly what is commonly used today. She speaks of “getting into” databases, and casually refers to online searching (not on-line searching or “online” searching).

And her characterization and advice concerning balancing print and online resources is as true today as it was then:

[T]o be today’s “compleat librarian,” you must add to those [print] sources the increasingly abundant resources offered through computer technology.

The sad part is that this advice, 25 years later, is still not being fully embraced by the profession.

I debated, but ultimately weeded this book. As much as I liked it, it certainly was outdated, even though we do have the current copies of many of the print resources it recommends. But take a look to see if your library has this book. And weed your reference collection!

Tags: book, computer, libraries, Library, online, public, reference, reference readiness, Technology, weeding

Tests for Hiring and Training

July 30th, 2009 Brian Herzog

One of my coworkers and her husband run Gibson’s Bookstore, in Concord, NH. When hiring new employees, each applicant is given a knowledge of literature test to see how well they’ll do at reader’s advisory.

Their opinion is that bookstore staff are first and foremost reading advisers, and cashiers and stockers second. The test questions cover a broad scope of literature, just like the questions of customers (and library patrons):

2) Name five characters invented by William Shakespeare.
13) What is Ender Wiggin famous for?
14) James and the Giant ________ by Roald _______.
23) Why do some Sneetches feel superior to others?

To get hired, applicants must get at least half of the questions right. Perhaps libraries could implement something similar? Perhaps they already do.

I also have a list of reference questions and tasks I give to reference staff after they’ve been hired, to help with training. It is based on something my director found (can’t remember what or where), but I tailored it to get new staff familiar with the type of questions we get, our collection, our policies, basic tech support, and reference in general. They get it as a Word document, and work on it for their first few months.

Some people like tests and some don’t. But each in their own way, I think these tests are valuable to make sure that the people interacting with the public are really able to help the public.

Tags: bookstore, gibson's, hire, hiring, libraries, Library, public, questions, quiz, quizzes, ra, readers advisory, reference, test, tests, train, training

Reference Dept. Goals for FY10

June 9th, 2009 Brian Herzog

Another year has passed, which means another round of staff reviews and setting goals for the next fiscal year. Bleh.

In contrast to past years, I was encouraged to be brief. So this years goals are a bit more quantifiable, and a bit less “well, that’s part of the job description anyway.” You know, the way goals should be.

GOAL #1: Improve access to information resources and library services

Weed the reference collection, refine the ref standing order list, and reevaluate how the reference shelving area is used and begin to develop a plan for alternate uses¹
Work with Tech Services to refine standing order list and evaluate reclassification of subjects to better group similar topics together
Continue with staff-assigned sections for weeding, straightening and order suggestions

GOAL #2: Expand and improve the library’s technology offerings

Work with web committee to migrate website to new content management system²
Add more website subject guides to tie together print and electronic resources, and link to expanded offerings of BPL and other MVLC libraries³
Work with IT staff towards expanding technology offerings, such as wireless printing and loaning laptops
Review current offerings utilizing new technologies, prioritize those needing ongoing maintenance, and document procedures to support maintenance by other staff

GOAL #3: Maintain and/or support web-based resources beyond the library’s core collection

CommInfo: utilize staff to contact and update organizations every Jan-Feb
ChelmsfordVolunteers.org: work with other departments and organizations to keep listings up to date
ChelmsfordHistory.org: provide leadership for the Chelmsford History project, coordinating with other organizations and volunteers to locate and index Chelmsford’s historical resources
- Look for ways to better organize and provide access to the library’s historical collections, such as the Vertical File, microfilm records, etc.

Admittedly, much of this still falls into the “continuing things we’re already doing” category, but that is a large part of my job. And something else covered elsewhere in my review is encouraging all staff to attend at least 5 hours of some kind of training or professional development.

I think it’s all doable. I can probably even manage to squeeze in helping patrons at the reference desk, too.

Notes:

1. I’d like to interfile the ref books with the circulating non-fiction, and put into the reference area more quiet study rooms or subject tables –Back to Goals–

2. Right now we’re using Dreamweaver, but I’d like to see us move to a real CMS - NELA-ITS’ CMS Day workshop is this Friday, so yay for good timing –Back to Goals–

3. Patrons like our genealogy subject guide, so I want to make more, incorporating Delicious bookmarks, and also linking to resources at other library to supplement what we offer –Back to Goals–

Tags: annual, department goal, evaluation, evaluations, fy10, fy2010, goals, libraries, Library, performance, public, reference, review, reviews, staff

Library in Action

See Also

What’s In Your Ready Ref?

See Also

Reference Readiness : A Manual for Librarians and Students

See Also

Tests for Hiring and Training

See Also

Reference Dept. Goals for FY10

See Also

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