Module 1Module 2Module 3Module 4Module 5Module 6

Ohio Reference Excellence on the Web from Ohio Library Council
Ohio Reference
Excellence
Ohio Library Council
Module Module 4
Introduction 4
Search strategies
Patron sources
Subjects & terms
Indexing
Look it up
Accuracy
Asking experts
Info & Referral
Referrals
Keeping track
Inform patron
Review 4
Quiz 4
Answer 4
About ORE
Home
Purpose
Instructions
Contact OLC
Contact SLO
Print Choices
Supervisor Tips
Copyright-Credits
Site Index
All Modules
Module 1   Overview
Module 2   Interview
Module 3   People
Module 4   Strategies
Module 5   Resources
Module 6   Ethics

Patron's Reference Sources

The best place to start your search may be with the patron's original source.

Where do you start?

      There is no substitute for knowing the reference sources in your collection, what subjects are covered in the resources, and where information on different subjects is located throughout your library. However, the first step in any good search strategy is to determine what the patron already knows and the source of the patron's information.

     Throughout the exercises in this module, you will explore subject headings and indexes in a few basic reference resources that are frequently part of successful reference search strategies. (You will learn more about recommended resources and types of resources in Module 5.)

Find Out the Patron's Source

     Finding out your patron's initial source of information on a topic helps in your search to find what the patron really needs. The source can give clues to other sources and may also help you clarify the patron's specific information need.

     For example, one patron asked for the definition of the Indian word "Cybis." After a long and fruitless search, the librarian found out that the source of this word was an inscription on the bottom of a porcelain figurine of an Indian. The answer was then easy to find -- Cybis is the name of a famous company connected with porcelain sculptures.

Web Sources

     Part of reference is promoting information literacy. If your patron's source was an unsatisfactory Web search, take the opportunity to work with the patron in conducting a more targeted Web search, using one or more of the most appropriate search engines. If the original source does not appear to be an authoritative site, discuss better options and how to evaluate Web sites.

Major Point: Discovering the patron's source at the beginning of your search makes the whole process easier.

 

Exercise

     Write down the answers to the exercise questions in this module and keep them to review with your supervisor at the end of the module.

     Once you know your patron's question and initial source of information, you would look for information in the reference collection. In the following exercise and throughout this module you will be working with the library catalog and four basic reference tools, available in most libraries, to help you become acquainted with subject headings and index terms.

     Select your four reference books: 1) an encyclopedia such as World Book, 2) an almanac such as Information Please Almanac or World Almanac & Book of Facts, 3) a large dictionary, and 4) an atlas such as Goode's World Atlas to use for the following exercise. Use online versions if that is the process in your library. For each of the resources look for information about Ohio.

  1. How many different places can you find Ohio information in each of the four resources? Use the indexes or table of contents to determine this.
  2. Which resources have the most information about Ohio?
  3. In addition to the four resources, where else could you find information about Ohio in your library? For example: pamphlet files, genealogy collections, history collections, map files, videos, audiocassettes, Internet, library web site, adult collection, children's collection, fiction, non-fiction, biography, special stuff kept in a worn out folder at the reference desk, etc.

     Throughout this module you will be working more with these books, so keep your answers and the books handy.

Answers

Next!
Subjects & terms

  

 

Make the search for the right source easier by discovering the patron's source at the beginning.

Ohio Libraries

Finding the patron's source, London Public Library

Finding the patron's source, the Chilton Repair Manuals.

Ohio Stories

Just moments before closing time, a customer who had obviously been working on his car (hands and clothing covered with grease) came rushing frantically into the library. Running over to the Reference Desk, he asked, "Do you have any Clinton repair manuals?"

Many thoughts came to the librarian's mind, but figuring Hillary was doing OK in that area, he directed the anxious customer to the Chilton Repair Manuals.
[Jan Vaughn Public Relations Coordinator Warren-Trumbull County Public Library]

You are here: OLC > ORE >  Module 4 > Reference Sources
Module 1  Module 2  Module 3  Module 4  Module 5  Module 6
Home | Purpose | Instructions | Contact OLC | Contact SLO
Print Choices | Supervisor Tips | Copyright-Credits | Site Index
ORE on the Web. Ohio Library Council. Copyright and credits.
Links updated June 2008.
Return to top