Discussion #1 Tracie Kreighbaum No unread replies. No replies. Please do a good job answering one of the the following questions (use Cassell & Hiremath), and respond to/comment on at least two other students' posts by the due date.
1. If you have time, either visit, call, or ask a reference question virtually to a library reference desk. What successful strategies could you identify that were used to answer your question (refer to chapter 2)? Were there any “problematic” (p. 22) strategies used? If so, what would you have done differently? (Keep your focus on the strategies. We're not passing judgement here.)
2. Pose three reference questions to your classmates. Others can respond by describing how they would visualize the final answer appearing (see p. 36-37).
3. Cassell & Hiremath (p. 41) talk about the importance of collaboration. Choosing a type of library (public, academic, special (be specific), or school, make a list of other information services/agencies you would want to always have at the ready and briefly explain why they would be important.
Cassell & Hiremath (p. 41) talk about the importance of collaboration. Choosing a type of library (public, academic, special (be specific), or school, make a list of other information services/agencies you would want to always have at the ready and briefly explain why they would be important.
The authors frame their discussion of collaboration in the context of the type of answers that a librarian can provide a patron – ranging from value-added (highest level of utility to the patron) then to skilled and lastly, elementary (lowest level of utility).
As the authors define an elementary answer: “There are occasion when you simply do not have the right resources or you do not have the time to provide a value-added or skilled answer. In such cases, it is best either to strategize, so that you are able to gain more time, or to make use of the right referrals, if you believe the resources are simply not available at your own institution” (Cassell & Hiremath, 41).
Collaboration in this context is especially necessary when patron questions cover medical, legal or business topics that might best be answered by a special library in those fields. They note in chapter 9, “Resources must be supplemented with referrals, research guides, disclaimers, alternate sources, and policies for all kinds of usage” (Cassell & Hiremath, 198)
In answer to this week’s discussion question, I would select a public library and I would begin creating my list of other information services/agencies by: (1) copying the resources listed in chapters 4-12 of Cassell & Hiremath, (2) intelligently searching through the web for potential resources, (3) querying my colleagues for their helpful lists, and (4) writing down the questions and resources I uncovered when answering patron questions.
With my “list in progress” begun, I would do two more things. I would transfer my list to a format that I could readily access via smartphone or tablet, and add a list of persons I would need to potentially collaborate with to provide the best service to a patron and make the “handoff” to a different information service/agencies as seamless as possible. Ideally, I would talk to this person and learn how best to make the handoff. This has the effect of minimizing potential conflicts.
- For medical information – I would add any local medical libraries or health research libraries to my list. I would add local, state, and federal government sources of information. State and national licensing bodies. I would add peer-reviewed medical information websites to the list.
- For legal information – I would add any local law libraries. I would add local, state, and federal government sources of legal information. State and national licensing bodies. I would add peer-reviewed legal information websites to the list.
- For business and investing information – I would add any local business libraries. I would add local, state, and federal government sources of information. State and national licensing bodies. I would add peer-reviewed business and investment websites to the list.
Essentially, I would follow this template for any group of patron information needs that couldn’t not best be met by the public library.
For example, if there were many patrons needing assistance with medical questions, I would have a list of print, web, and other resources, vetted non-profit agencies that assist with certain medical topics (perhaps insurance, wellness programs, etc.), and persons specially trained to provide assistance. Cassell & Hiremath provides on page 200 a list of the top ten medical sources:
- Directory of Physicians in the United States – Who’s a good doctor in my area?
- Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary – what does PET scan mean?
- DSM-EV-TR – what are the symptoms of depression?
- Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, Expert Consult – What are the bones of the hand?
- Medical and Health Information Directory
- MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials, and more
- The Merck Manual of Diagnostics
- Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists – is my doctor board certified?
- Physicians’ Desk Reference – is the ingestion of milkweed dangerous?
- Stedman’s Medical Dictionary.
Ideally, the reference library is not only providing information, but it’s the best information and helps move the patron to solution to their need. Knowing what types of information a resource is best suited to answering doesn’t have to be the Herculean task of the individual librarian. We can all collaborate. Find and use what others have already created – including lists of resources. I will be copying down the sources that my classmates list in their answers to this question because I don’t currently work at library and will be using their knowledge to increase my own.