There is a queue, the phone is ringing, the photocopier has jammed and your enquirer is waiting for a response. You are stressed and you can feel the panic rising. Where do you go to find the information you need to answer the question promptly and accurately? Answering queries from users is one of the most important services undertaken by library and information staff. Yet it is also one of the most difficult, least understood subjects. There are still very few materials available to help frontline staff - often paraprofessional - develop their reader enquiry skills. This award-winning sourcebook is an essential guide to where to look to find the answers quickly. It is designed as a first point of reference for library and information practitioners, to be depended upon if they are unfamiliar with the subject of an enquiry - or wish to find out more. It is arranged in an easily searchable, fully cross-referenced A-Z list of around 150 of the subject areas most frequently handled at enquiry desks. Each subject entry lists the most important information sources and where to locate them, including printed and electronic sources, relevant websites and useful contacts for referral purposes. The authors use their extensive experience in reference work to offer useful tips, warn of potential pitfalls, and spotlight typical queries and how to tackle them. This new edition has been brought right up-to-date with all sources checked for currency and many new ones added. The searchability is enhanced by a comprehensive index to make those essential sources even easier to find - saving you valuable minutes! Readership: Offering quick and easy pointers to a multitude of information sources, this is an invaluable reference deskbook for all library and information staff in need of a speedy answer, in reference libraries, subject departments and other information units.

A comprehensive and easy-to-use version of the best-selling Know it All, Find It Fast developed specifically for information professionals working in academic libraries, this will help you to tackle the questions most commonly asked by students, academics and researchers. A broad cross-disciplinary A-Z of themes including topics such as literature searching, plagiarism and using online resources are covered helping you to address anquery confidently and quickly. Each topic is split into three sections to guide your response: typical questions listing the common enquiries you'll encounter points to consider exploring the issues and challenges that might arise where to look listing annotated UK and international resources in print and online including key organisations, scholarly bodies, digital libraries, statistical data and journal article indexes. Readership: This will prove an indispensable day-to-day guide for anyone working with students, academics and researchers in an academic library.

A brand new version of the best-selling enquiry desk reference text, Know it All, Find it Fast, specifically designed for those working with children and young people in schools, public libraries and at home. Including an invaluable overview of the education system and the school curriculum as well as a comprehensive listing of useful resources by topic, this A-Z covers school subjects from science and maths to reading and literacy, and more general themes such as children's health, wellbeing and hobbies. Each topic is broken down into useful sections that will help to guide your response; Typical questions outline common queries such as 'Have you got any information about volcanoes?' Considerations provides useful hints and tips i.e. 'Geography now encompasses not only physical and human geography but also environmental geography, social geography, geology and geopolitics.' Where to look lists relevant printed, digital and online resources with useful annotations explaining their scope and strengths Readership: This is the must-have quick reference tool arming librarians and teachers with the knowledge to deal with any queries thrown at them from children and young people as well as their parents and caregivers. It will also be a handy reference for parents and anyone working with children and young people in other organizations such as homework clubs and youth workers.

Ideal for public, school, and academic libraries looking to freshen up their reference collection, as well as for LIS students and instructors conducting research, this resource collects the cream of the crop sources of general reference and library science information. Encompassing internet resources, digital image collections, and print resources, it includes the full section on LIS Resources from the Guide to Reference database, which was voted a #1 Best Professional Resource Database by Library Journal readers. Organized by topic and thoroughly indexed, this guide makes it a snap to find the right sources. It offers an appealing introduction to reference work and resources for LIS students and also serves as an affordable course book to complement online Guide to Reference access.

Successful Enquiry Answering Every Time is designed to guide information professionals through all the stages of research, from finding out what the enquirer really wants, to providing a polished, value-added answer. When people want to satisfy their immediate curiosity they’re much more likely to use a search engine on their mobile device than ask their local library. But while the days of personal intervention in this kind of enquiry are inevitably numbered, the professional skills that underpin them are not. This book uses technology as the enabler of the thought processes that information professionals need to engage in when answering enquiries, and makes the case that new technology, far from making them irrelevant, raises the skill stakes for all. Now in its 7th edition, this book is fully updated to cover new skills, such as: employing critical thinking to manipulate, categorise and prioritise raw search resultsusing strategic reading and abstracting techniques to identify and summarise the essential information the enquirer needs from the retrieved documentsdrawing on established story-telling practice to present research results effectively – whether orally or in writingworking to the POWER model: plan, organise, write, edit, review. This book is ideal for anyone who has to answer enquiries from users in any information role; those working in contact centres who are dealing with information enquiries, processing transactions or trouble-shooting technical issues; and information professionals working on enquiry desks in large or small academic, public, school or special libraries.

This unique annotated bibliography is a complete, up-to-date guide to sources of information on library science, covering recent books, monographs, periodicals and websites, and selected works of historical importance.

This best-selling 'one-stop' practical guide is designed to help all information professionals become self-sufficient in answering enquiries. Step by step, the book guides the reader through all stages of research, from finding out what the enquirer really wants to providing a polished, value-added answer. There’s an emphasis throughout on how to make the best use of limited resources – and a final chapter offers practical advice on how to set up an enquiry service from scratch or revive a run-down one. This fully updated sixth edition features a brand new chapter on remote enquiry handling by email, SMS and instant messaging. It has cutting-edge coverage of developments in mobile media, social networking, microblogging and e-books. The new Starter Sources section provides an essential and up-to-date list of quality-checked reference sources, on the web and in print. In this edition: • What do they really want? (How to make sure you really understand the question.) • Flying blind. (Why remote enquiry handling is different.) • Getting started (Dealing with the panic – thinking clearly.) • Smarter searching. (Tips for efficient search strategies.) • Help! Everything’s going wrong. (When you can’t find the answer and you’re running out of time.) • Success! Now let's add some value. (Presenting your answer well is part of the job.) • Setting up – how do you start? (Establishing your own enquiry service from scratch.) • Choosing your toolkit. (Resources that you’ll need to run your enquiry service.) Readership: Ideal for anyone who has to answer enquiries from users in any environment, this essential manual is suitable for use in large or small libraries and information units. Anyone working in a contact centre – dealing with information enquiries or processing transactions or trouble-shooting technical issues – should find it useful too. And it's particularly valuable for information professionals and those working on enquiry desks in academic, public, school and special libraries. It doesn’t matter whether your job is actually finding answers for people or helping others find the answers for themselves. This book is for you.

Search skills of today bear little resemblance to searches through print publications. Reference service has become much more complex than in the past, and is in a constant state of flux. Learning the skill sets of a worthy reference librarian can be challenging, unending, rewarding, and-- yes, fun.

Fully revised and updated, the third edition of this introductory guide to library and information work introduces support staff, paraprofessionals and LIS students to the workplace. Informing the reader of the latest developments in the field, the text provides a practical, educational underpinning to library and information work across all sectors. It introduces the structure and functions of the principal types of library and information service and looks at the key information skills and areas of competence necessary for the efficient and informed practice of a wide range of tasks.

From Lending to Learning provides a theoretical overview and practical guide to the functional area of delivering learning services within public libraries. It traces the development of public library service delivery and critically appraises the inherent tension between offering an educational-focused or leisure-focused library. The current and future policy directions are explored against the backdrop of the emerging learning society. A general overview of recent developments in learning theory is followed by an insight into the learning landscape. The issues and practicalities of setting up a learning environment within a public library are dealt with in a clear and straightforward fashion. The book concludes with an assessment of the emerging web 2.0 technologies and gives an insight into how the whole area of social networking might shape the future. - Combines a practical approach with an accessible theoretical underpinning - Written in an entertaining and highly readable style - Identifies the key phases involved in establishing a public library learning service