My IPL Experience
Julie Heinz
Spring 2010
Question 1: “I currently lost my job in the Financial industry and I am look at alternative
career opportunities. I have both a MBA and MS/IS degree. I am looking to utilize my
MS/IS skills but have been in the Financial market for the past 10 years so I am a little
rusty. I am looking for information on changing careers specifically in the IT space. I am
looking for information around identifying career changing (i.e. how to do it). I am also
looking for information on IT careers in general, growth rate, salaries, types of jobs etc. In
addition I am looking for information on how to go about making this move late in my
career”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@gmail.com
confirm: XXXXXX@gmail.com
location: Springfiled, PA
grade: N/A
area: Business
school: No
sources checked: Just using Google
Question Claimed: Sun, 02 May 2010 23:57:39
Question Answered: Tue, 04 May 2010 02:44:56
Time Spent Answering Question: 1 hour 45 minutes
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding changing your career from the financial market to
information science.
First I will address the subject of changing careers.
I found a variety of books that I believe will be helpful in successfully changing careers at the
Delaware County Library System.
www.delcolibraries.org/
I found this site by using Google at http://www.google.com and searching for the phrase
Springfield, PA library. I chose the fifth link down labeled „Springfield Twp. Library- Delaware
County Library System.‟ I selected the link which allowed me to access the Delaware County
Library System website at www.delcolibraries.org/. In the search boxes I selected Subject and
typed the phrase „career changes.' In the last box I selected View Entire Collection then I clicked
the Submit button. This will provide you with a list of books that are available from your library
or libraries within the Delaware County Library System that cover the topic of career changes.
I also used the Delaware County Library System to find books on Information Technology as a
career.
I accessed the Delaware County Library System website at
www.delcolibraries.org/. In the search boxes I selected Word and typed the phrase „information
technology.‟ In the last box I selected View Entire Collection then I clicked the Submit button.
This will provide you with a list of books that are available from your library or libraries within
the Delaware County Library System that cover the topic of information technology and
information regarding careers in the field of information technology.
I chose this source for the first two topics regarding your question because the local library is
always a good place to go when you need reliable resources.
In regards to types of jobs in the information technology field I felt it would be useful to find out
what positions/job titles currently have openings.
The first source, Career Cruising, can be accessed from your local library‟s website.
www.delcolibraries.org/
I found this source on the Delaware County Library System‟s main page. Select the blue box in
the left margin of the main page labeled DataBases/ POWER +. Next, select Business/Careers
from the menu and select the link for Career Cruising. You will need to enter your name and
your library card barcode number to access this database.
I chose this source because the Career Cruising website: http://www.careercruising.com/ states
that “Career Cruising is an industry-leading online career guidance and planning system. People
of all ages use our tools to find the right career, explore education and training options, and build
their own portfolio.”
The second source for jobs that are currently hiring is careerbuilder.com.
http://www.careerbuilder.com/Jobseeker/Jobs/JobResults.aspx?IPath=QH&ch=&rs=&_ctl0%3A
_ctl0%3AucQuickBar%3As_rawwords=information+science&_ctl0%3A_ctl0%3AucQuickBar
%3As_freeloc=springfield+pa&_ctl0%3A_ctl0%3AucQuickBar%3As_jobtypes=JN008&qsbBut
ton=Find+Jobs
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/33knde4
I accessed the careerbuilder.com website at http://www.careerbuilder.com/. I typed the phrase
information science into the keyword box, Springfield PA into the location box, and selected
Information Technology from the drop down menu under Careers by Category. This will display
a list of jobs in your area. For more job opportunities go to Narrow Search and the Category and
select information technology (311). Then select the different city and state options that interest
you to narrow down jobs to a particular geographical area.
I chose this source because it provides a list of jobs in your area that are in the information
technology field. These job listings will give you more information on job description,
experience needed, and wages.
To get an idea of salaries for information technology jobs in your area I went to the website,
Salary.com.
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_selectjob.asp?hdSearchByOption=0&hdL
ocationOption=0&rdbSearchByOption=0&rdbLocationOption=0&hdSortBy=0&hdKeyword=inf
ormation%20science&hdJobCategory=&hdZipCode=19064&zipcope=19064&hdStateMetro=&
hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&hdCurrentPage=&hdfte
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/32u5hov
I found this site by going to the ipl2 website at
http://www.ipl.org/.
I selected Resources by Subject and from there I selected Business & Economics. Next, I
selected Economics from the list of choices in the far left column. I scrolled through the links
until I found Salary.com and selected the link. This link took me to
http://www.salary.com//home/layoutscripts/homl_default.asp.
Under Salary Wizard, I typed information science into the Enter Job Title box and I typed the
Springfield Township Library‟s zipcode, 19064, into the zipcode box and clicked Search. This
will bring up a variety of jobs in the information science field. You can then select „Base Salary
Range‟ under job titles that interest you to get a general idea for the wages earned in your area.
If you have trouble viewing the page after selecting „Base Salary Range,‟ please click „skip this
advertisement‟ located in the upper right corner of the webpage.
I chose Salary.com because it is a trusted source of the ipl2 and its information is updated
regularly.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Much luck with your career change!
Thank you for using ipl2. We look forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: I consulted FreeLunch.com in my search for information on IT career
salaries but I wasn‟t able to search for information in regards to a specific career like I had
hoped. I aborted my search and moved on to Salary.com where I had more luck.
Critique of the Question: I feel that I provided adequate, trustworthy sources for the answer to
this question. The hardest part of this multi-part question was finding information on salaries in
the IT career field. This was slightly difficult for two reasons, the first reason being the variety
of job requirements and positions. Since I do not know this patron I don‟t know which positions
would appeal to him and therefore I would have a hard time advising him on positions and
salaries. The second reason is that the salaries vary depending on where the job is located.
Therefore there is no single answer. I assumed the patron didn‟t want to relocate and therefore
provided information for the area surrounding the location he provided.
What I Would Do Differently: In the future I would make sure I had answered everything
according to the ipl guidelines. I managed to overlook the fact that I didn‟t include an http:// in
front of the Delaware County Library System‟s website each of the three times I cut and pasted
it. I believe I cut and pasted the website‟s address from the Google results and not from the URL
box at the top of my browser. Once I received a Post-a-Note and determined how I had made
this error, I made sure I always copied and pasted the full URL address.
Question 2: “What kinds of jobs and duties do AIDS Hospice Volunteers do?”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@gmail.com
confirm: XXXXXX@gmail.com
location: Portland, OR
area: Health
reason: This information will be used to write a paper on AIDS Hospice Volunteers
school: Yes
sources consulted: Maitri Compassionate Care
http://www.maitrisf.org/
Question Claimed: Wed, 05 May 2010 00:40:57
Question Answered: Tue, Thu, 06 May 2010 00:54:10
Time Spent Answering Question: 1 hour
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding what is expected of AIDS Hospice volunteers.
The answer to your question is that an AIDS Hospice volunteer‟s main job is to provide
friendship to the residents. Volunteers can also expect to do house work and yard work at the
Hospice facility. I have found a couple organizations similar to Matri, one of which, Our House,
is located in Portland, OR. I would suggest calling Our House and asking if someone would be
willing to speak to you, on the phone or in person, about being a volunteer. I think this would be
very valuable to your research.
My first source was the webpage for the Hospice of Michigan.
http://www.hom.org/volunteering.asp
I found this information by accessing the ipl2 website. I selected Resources by Subject and then
Health & Medical Sciences. Then I found MedHunt, the fourteenth resource, and selected the
link. This took me to the HON Medhunt website. I typed the phrase „AIDS Hospice volunteer‟
in the search box, selected „all words‟ from the drop-down menu and clicked Submit. I selected
the third result titled Hospice of Michigan brochures. Under Information for hospice patients
and their families I chose the link for Frequently asked questions about hospice care. At the
bottom of the Frequently asked questions about hospice page, in the last paragraph, there is a link
for Hospice of Michigan. Select this link. At the top of the Hospice of Michigan webpage this is
a Volunteer tab. I selected this tab which took me to the link containing information on what
types of jobs AIDS Hospice volunteers do. I found my answer in the first two paragraphs of the
volunteering page.
I chose this site because it provides information about an actual Hospice organization.
My second source was the webpage for Our House, an AIDS Hospice in Portland, Oregon.
http://www.ourhouseofportland.org/volunteer/
I located the second source by using the search engine, Google at http://www.google.com . I
searched for the phrase „Portland OR AIDS Hospice volunteers.‟ I chose the first link, Our
House, Inspiring People with HIV/AIDS to Live Well. I selected the Volunteer tab at the top of
the webpage. I found the answer in the first paragraph under the heading „Volunteer.‟
I chose this source because it provides information regarding an AIDS Hospice organization that
operates in Portland, Oregon.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using the ipl2! We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: I started my search in the AIDS category in the Health & Medical Sciences
section of the ipl2. I browsed a couple links without luck. Next, I browsed Discovery Health
and Healthline without luck. I found information on the AIDS virus but found nothing on AIDS
hospices that would be helpful. This is when I turned to MedHunt and found the information on
the Hospice of Michigan.
Critique of the Question: I am happy with the answer I provided because I was able to find a
hospice in Portland, Oregon that the patron could contact in order to speak to an informed
individual who is familiar with the roles of volunteers. I believe, in this instance, first hand
information from someone in the field is far more valuable than any book or webpage could be.
What I Would Do Differently: In the future, I would consider calling a hospice myself and
asking what is expected of AIDS Hospice volunteers.
Question 3: “When was curling included in the Olympics?”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@yahoo.com
confirm: XXXXXX@yahoo.com
location: San Jose, CA, US
area: Entertainment/Sports
reason: personal knowledge
school: No
Question Claimed: Fri, 07 May 2010 03:01:00
Question Answered: Sat, 08 May 2010 01:48:05
Time Spent Answering Question: 45 minutes
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding curling as an Olympic sport.
The answer to your question is curling was first included in the Chamonix Winter Olympic
games in 1924.
You can verify this information at Olympic.org.
http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Sports/All-Sports/Curling/Federation/
I located the first source in the Entertainment & Leisure section of the ipl2. I selected Olympics
in the left margin and selected the first link, International Olympic Committee. I typed „curling‟
into the search box in the upper right corner of the page and selected the second link, Federation-
Olympic.org. The answer was located in the first paragraph.
I used this source because it was designed by the International Olympic Committee and it thanks
two Olympic historians for their help.
The second source you can use to verify this information is the website for the World Curling
Federation.
http://www.worldcurling.org/curling-milestones
I found this source using the search engine, Google at http://www.google.com. I searched for the
term „curling‟ and selected the fifth link titled World Curling Federation-Home. On the World
Curling Federation‟s main page I selected Learn more about Curling in the left margin and then
selected Curling Milestones from the dropdown menu. I found the answer under the year, 1924.
I chose this source because the website was developed by and is maintained by three professional
companies, one of which is the official IT supplier for the World Curling Federation.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using ipl2! We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: I searched the ipl2‟s Olympic Games category under the Entertainment &
Leisure section. I searched InfoPlease and found information about the Olympics and who had
won the gold, silver, and bronze medals for the past several games but couldn‟t find the date that
curling first became an event at the Olympic Games. It was then that I turned my attention to a
search for Curling rather than the Olympics for my second source.
Critique of the Question: I am happy with the sources I chose. I feel that they are both
trustworthy and offer unbiased information when it comes to the history of curling and the
Olympics.
What I Would Do Differently: If I had more time and texts readily available to consult, I
would look at texts first in the future. At the very least I would attempt to consult a reference
book as my second source. I would also follow the advice of the Post-a-Note and include a tiny
URL and post a link directly to the ipl2‟s subject collection.
Question 4: “who is the drummer in the dead weather?”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@aol.com
confirm: XXXXXX@aol.com
location: portland, oregon
area: Music
reason: personal
school: No
Question Claimed: Fri, 07 May 2010 01:36:51
Question Answered: Fri, 07 May 2010 02:48:36
Time Spent Answering Question: 45 minutes
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding the drummer of Dead Weather.
The answer to your question is Jack White.
My first source was Billboard.com.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/jack-white-forms-the-dead-weather-
1003950909.story#/bbcom/news/jack-white-forms-the-dead-weather-1003950909.story
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/2dowo2f
I found this answer by using the search engine, Google at http://www.google.com. I searched for
the phrase „Dead Weather band members.‟ I selected the first result, The Dead Weather-
Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. I found the list of References at the bottom of the Dead
Weather Wikipedia page and selected the link titled, “Michael D. Ayers (March 12, 2009). „Jack
White Forms the Dead Weather.‟ New York: Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2009.” The answer
is located in the first paragraph of the article on Billboard.com.
I chose this source because Billboard is a respected source of musical information.
My second source was an article from the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-jackwhite12-
2009mar12,0,2261742.story
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/2692nu8
I found this article by searching the Los Angeles Times for the phrase, „Dead Weather Band.‟
Randy Lewis‟ article, Jack White’s Newest Stripe, was the second link on the third page of 46
results. I found my answer in the third paragraph.
I chose the Los Angeles Times as a source because it is a respected and well read publication.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using ipl2. We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: I did a Google search for Dead Weather. I immediately found a Wikipedia
webpage and a MySpace page for Dead Weather which stated the names of the band members
and the instruments they play. Then I set out to find my answer from a more reliable source. I
tried the ipl2 but I didn‟t see anything that I thought would be helpful. Next, I tried Rolling
Stone and The New York Times. I couldn‟t find my answer in articles from these sources, either.
I also tried the band‟s website but I wasn‟t able to find the names of the band members listed
anywhere on their website.
Critique of the Question: I am happy with the answer I provided to the ipl user in Portland,
Oregon. I was able to find the answer easily. I feel that both of my sources are reliable.
What I Would Do Differently: I wouldn‟t do anything differently with this question in the
future.
Question 5: “how do you spell gwenwhichen ?
Athabascan”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@alaska.net
confirm: XXXXXX@alaska.net
location: ancorage, alaska
area: General Reference
reason: to prepare a written transcript of a meeting
school: No
sources consulted: native people of Alaska book
Question Claimed: Sat, 08 May 2010 01:57:04
Question Answered: Sat, 08 May 2010 14:03:24
Time Spent Answering Question: 1 hour 20 minutes
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding the spelling of gwenwhichen.
Your answer is gwenwhichen is spelled Gwich‟in.
You can verify this information at University of Alaska Fairbanks‟ Alaska Native Language
Center.
http://www.uaf.edu/anlc/
I found this source by determining that Athabascan is a language native to Alaska. I then used
the search engine, Google, at http://www.google.com to search for the phrase Native Alaskan
language.
I selected the first link titled Alaska Native Language Center. http://www.uaf.edu/anlc/ I clicked
the link for Languages at the top of the page. This brought me to an interactive map where I
noticed that one of the areas was labeled “Gwich‟in.” I selected the area of the map labeled
Gwich‟in and learned that it is an Athabascan language spoken in Northeast Alaska.
I trust this source because domains with “.edu” suffixes are considered very reliable.
The second source you can use to verify this information is a website for Alaska‟s government.
http://www.alaska.gov/
I accessed the Alaskan government‟s website and searched for both “gwenwhichen” which
returned zero results and “Gwich‟in” which returned 110 results. I selected the ninth result titled
Alaska Statistics Index. I scrolled down to the bottom of the Alaska Statistics Index page and
selected the link for language family under Gwich‟in. This brought me to a University of Alaska
Fairbanks‟ Alaska Native Language Center webpage of Alaskan languages in which Gwich‟in
was listed as a language. http://www.uaf.edu/anlc/stats.html
I trust this source because government websites are considered to be reliable and because the
Alaskan government also trusts the University of Alaska Fairbanks to be a reliable source.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using ipl2! We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: I was uncertain as to what „gwenwhichen‟ and „athabascan‟ were, so I first
turned to Google. I searched for „gwenwhichen athabascan‟ and didn‟t received any results. I
decided to try „gwenwhichen‟ for my next search and again received no results. Next, I searched
Google for the term „athabascan.‟ I was relieved to receive results. After glancing at the results
I was able to determine that it was an Alaskan language. I tried the ipl2 and the National Foreign
Language Resource center but couldn‟t find any Alaskan languages.
Critique of the Question: I was happy to find the correct spelling of „gwenwhichen.‟ I wasn‟t
certain if the patron in Anchorage, Alaska wanted the correct spelling on Athabascan as well
because I also found it spelled Athabaskan. After looking at the question again I decided the
patron only wanted the spelling of „gwenwichen‟ because of the placement of the question mark
and that athabascan was added as background information on the question.
What I Would Do Differently: If I answered this question again, I would take a closer look at
the question‟s activity. I didn‟t realize until after I answered the question that this Anchorage,
Alaska citizen had found the information on her own and no longer needed the information.
Question 6: “Where is the capital of Rwanda located and why was it chosen as the capital
of Rwanda?”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@gmail.com
confirm: XXXXXX@gmail.com
location: Kissimmee, FL, U.S.
area: Geography
reason: For my geography project.
school: Yes
sources consulted: Grolier, BBC News, etc.
Question Claimed: Sun, 09 May 2010 15:59:55
Question Answered: Mon, 10 May 2010 02:08:21
Time Spent Answering Question: 1 hour
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding the capital of Rwanda.
The answer to your question is that Kigali became Rwanda‟s capital in 1962 because of its
central location and its access to all of the country‟s borders.
You can verify this information at the CIA‟s The World Fact Book.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/2b2kg9
I began my search under the “Geography” sub-heading of the "Reference" section of the ipl2's
"Resources by Subject" collection:
http://www.ipl.org/IPLBrowse/GetSubject?vid=13&cid=1&tid=7103&parent=6996
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/2ahqlkg
I found this section by going to the front page of the ipl2 website (see link below), clicking
"Resources by Subject," clicking the "Reference" link, and then clicking the “Geography” link.
http://www.ipl.org
I was able to locate “CIA- The World Fact Book” under the Geography link and chose Rwanda
from the drop-down menu. The capital of Rwanda is located under the Government subject
heading.
I used this source because domains with “.gov” suffixes are considered very reliable and also
because it is a trusted source of the ipl2.
The second source you can use to verify this information is Encyclopedia.com.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Kigali.aspx
I began my search for this source under the “Encyclopedia” sub-heading of the "Reference"
section of the ipl2's "Resources by Subject" collection:
http://www.ipl.org/IPLBrowse/GetSubject?vid=13&cid=1&tid=7099&parent=6996
This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience.
http://tinyurl.com/ygnwr64
I found this section by going to the front page of the ipl2 website (see link below), clicking
"Resources by Subject," clicking the "References" link, and then clicking the “Encyclopedias”
link.
http://www.ipl.org
On Encyclopedia.com I searched for Kigali Rwanda. I chose the first link, Kigali under “Topics
related to Kigali Rwanda.” I then chose the tab for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth
Edition.
I chose this source because it is a trusted source of the ipl2.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using ipl2! We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: In addition to these sources I also searched the official website of Kigali
City but didn‟t have any luck on why Kigali was chosen as the capital‟s location. I also searched
for “Rwanda” on Encyclopedia Britannica. I was able to verify that Kigali was the capital of
Rwanda but not why the city was chosen to be the capital.
Critique of the Question: I am happy with the trustworthiness of both sources. I would have
liked to find a source that gave a more concrete reason as to the decision for making Kigali the
capital.
What I Would Do Differently: I wouldn‟t do anything differently when answering this
question again.
Question 7: “what is Brewster Kahle”
name: XXXXXX
from: XXXXXX@hotmail.com
confirm: XXXXXX@hotmail.com
location: suad Ariab
area: History
reason: research
school: Yes
Question Claimed: Fri, 14 May 2010 11:04:20
Question Answered: Sat, 15 May 2010 13:50:36
Time Spent Answering Question: 1 hour 10 minutes
Answer: Dear XXXXXX,
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your question regarding Brewster Kahle.
Brewster Kahle is a digital librarian. He is responsible for founding WAIS Inc, Internet Archive,
Alexa Internet, and Thinking Machines.
You can verify this information at Internet Archives.
http://www.archive.org/about/bios.php
I found this source using the search engine, Google at http://www.google.com. I searched for
“Brewster Kahle” and selected the second link titled Internet Archive: Bios. Brewster Kahle‟s
bio is the sixth biography.
I was also able to find this same source by searching the ipl2 for “Internet Archives,” and
selecting the link for Internet Archive Wayback Machine. From there I selected About IA, then I
selected the Bios link.
I chose Internet Archives as a source for two reasons; Brewster Kahle is responsible for helping
create this source and because it is a trusted source of the ipl2.
The second source you can use to verify this information is TED Ideas Worth Spreading.
http://www.ted.com/speakers/brewster_kahle.html
I found this source using the search engine, Google at http://www.google.com. I searched for
“Brewster Kahle” and selected the sixth link titled Brewster Kahle Profile on TED.com.
I was also able to find this same source by searching the ipl2 for “TED.” I selected the link for
TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. I searched TED for “Brewster Kahle” and chose the second link,
Brewster Kahle Profile on TED.com.
I chose TED as a source because it is a trusted source of the ipl2.
I hope this response has fully answered your question. Thank you for using ipl2! We look
forward to helping you again.
Sources Consulted: Upon first reading this question I had no idea what or who Brewster Kahle
was. I performed a search on Google and determined that Brewster Kahle was a person and not
an object. Armed with this information I did a little background check on Wikipedia and set out
looking for more trustworthy sources. I consulted the American Library Association‟s website
but my search didn‟t result in any biographies. I consulted Biography Center on ipl2 and
Biographical Dictionary but didn‟t receive any results. I also searched Infoplease
unsuccessfully.
Critique of the Question: I found this question to be frustrating because I couldn‟t find much
of a bibliography on Brewster Kahle. I thought that someone who had influenced digital
libraries the way Brewster has would have more than a few sentences of a biography floating
around the internet. Given the information that I could find though, I believe my answer was
accurate even if it was restricted to a handful of Brewster‟s accomplishments in the field.
What I Would Do Differently: In the future, I would search journal articles and databases for
more information on Brewster Kahle. This was difficult in this situation because I wasn‟t certain
what information this person has access to and I didn‟t want to provide a source that he wouldn‟t
be able to revisit.
Reaction: I had mixed results while answering these seven questions. Some of the questions I
thought would be easy to answer and others I thought would be more difficult. I thought the
question regarding the Dead Weather band members would be the easiest to answer but found it
difficult to find the answer from a reliable source. I expected the question regarding the spelling
of “gwenwhichen” to be difficult and was surprised that I was able to determine what it was I
was looking for and its correct spelling so quickly. It took me much longer, however, to find a
second trustworthy source to verify my answer.
The nice thing about this project was the luxury of picking which questions to answer.
If I was a reference librarian at a public library I wouldn‟t have that luxury. With this project,
however, I was able to read the question and, in some cases, I did a quick background check
before claiming a question. While going through the process of claiming a question I realized
some questions were hard to determine what the patron was asking. Some of the problems I
encountered were spelling errors, punctuation, and missing words. At one point I came across a
question that had a single word as the question. The reason the patron had provided proved to be
more helpful than the question being asked. Needless to say, I chose not to claim this question.
I think answering these questions in-person or in a chat reference session would be
easier because I would be able to ask questions about what type of information they were hoping
to receive or I could ask them questions that would provide more information on a term. The
two questions I claimed but were uncertain about were: “What is Brewster Kahle?” and “How do
you spell gwenwhichen? athabascan.” The first patron didn‟t offer any clues as to what sort of
information they were looking for in regards to Brewster Kahle, or even that he is a person and
not an object. The second patron didn‟t state that these words were in reference to a language so
I started my search blind, not knowing what I was looking for or if I would realize I had found
the answer.
Email reference can be a great tool when dealing with issues of conflicting schedules
and remote locations. In order for it to be the most effective though, the patron asking the
question must be specific and must define the expected results. It would have been helpful to
know if the patron wanted to know about Brewster Kahle‟s accomplishments or about his
childhood and education. It is possible to ask follow up questions to gain more information
about a patron‟s question through email but I believe it is far more effective during an in-person
or chat reference session. Chat reference sessions would be more popular than email reference
questions, in my opinion, because patrons would be able to get an answer instantly instead of
waiting for an email response, providing follow up information and then waiting again. Patrons
also won‟t have to worry about having their question overlooked or going to spam. It is harder
to ignore someone that is right there, whether it be in-person or in a chat room.
I learned that it is important to ask questions in order to find out exactly what
information the person is looking for. I didn‟t realize how important reference interviews can be
until I had to answer reference questions without sending multiple responses with follow up
questions first. I was fortunate that I was able to answer the questions without asking for
additional information and feel that I did an adequate job providing each patron with the
information I believed that person was looking for.