Reliving the Dream

1. Reliving the Dream Thursday, April 27, 2006

2. The Reference Interview • Be approachable • Open face • Negotiate the question • Active listening/Repeat the question • Answer the question • Offer bibliographic instruction • Invite the patron to return

3. Resources • Print resources • Indexes vs. catalogs • Present value of print resources • Union catalogs • Ready reference • Be aware of your reference collection • Electronic resources • Databases • Boolean operators, truncation, subject browsing, controlled vocabulary, LCSH tracings, etc. • The Internet • Importance of evaluation • Listservs

4. Virtual Reference • Be mindful of your online tone • E-tact • Will often force you to place emphasis on online resources • Caters to the patron’s sense of freedom • Is there a “bad moon rising”? • Encourages cut-and-paste mentality • Hinders ability to provide bibliographic instruction

5. Legal Information • Academic vs. Public • Assignments vs. problem solving • Legislative – creates public laws • Executive – federal agencies • Develops administrative codes • Judicial – interpret constitutionality • Pro bono assistance • Pro se collection & community file • Goal is to locate the citation • Legislative history in Lexis-Nexis

6. Government Information • Consumer information • Tax forms • Zip codes • Directory information • Info on govt. departments • Basic statistics for citizens • The U.S. Census • Education & labor statistics! • Find publications quoted in the news • GPOAccess & FirstGov • Know where the closest depository is

7. Genealogical Information • Always start with yourself and work back • Realize the limitations of your location • Find mentions in indexes of vital records • Actual vital records kept at Clerk’s Office • Military records, death and birth certificates, marriage applications, and obituaries • Spelling can be inconsistent

8. Readers’ Advisory • Focus on appeal elements • Measuring success • Promote continued discussion • Indirect RA • Displays, bookmarks, book lists, etc. • Two major resources • Genreflecting & Fiction Catalog • Make suggestions…not recommendations

9. Business Information • Public vs. private companies • Currency is extremely important • Parent vs. subsidiary vs. division vs. affiliate • Resources • Business census (every five years) • Company and industry reports • Databases (e.g. Hoover’s, RDS Suite) • Have divergent focuses and strengths

10. Reference Instruction • Two primary types • Teaching classes – avoid the monotone • Teaching patrons • Bibliographic instruction • How to conduct searches • How to evaluate information • Emphasize critical thinking • Search as collaboration • Examining multiple perspectives • Extrapolating inferences

11. Patron Diversity • Dealing with difficult patrons • Don’t take it personally • Maintain your sense of humor • Acknowledge the patron’s feelings • Focus on the problem • Work as a team • Never touch a patron • Have written policies • Assisting patrons with disabilities • Key is to provide access

12. Professional Development • Self-assessment / peer-assessment • Read the literature • The 7 R’s • Talk with colleagues • Read the paper • Challenge yourself • Review reference fundamentals

13. Evaluating Services • Patterns of use • Quality vs. quantity • Assessing patron perceptions • Effectiveness is not a number • Take advantage of staff meetings • Remember the bottom line  $

14. Other Issues • How do you teach the novice to be approachable? • What does it mean to be professional? • How do you teach the novice to construct meaningful search strings? • What should you expect when you’re new on the job? • Remember to be self-motivated and to take responsibility for your professional development into your own hands • Is there a “bad moon rising”?