Library 204 project 1 Reference Library review Cerritos Public Library

Project 1 - Week 5 - Lib 204

Task: Visit a library and review the reference services.

The library I chose to visit for this project was the Cerritos Public Library. It is aesthetically pleasing both inside and out, and its purpose is to serve the public at large. That means that it needs to be widely accessible and must have a broad range of material to meet general public needs. The library attempts to achieve this goal by offering books and media housed in separate sections for specific types of patrons.

The first floor has a room specific to children’s interests, a periodical area complete with easy chairs for comfortable reading, and a fiction and biography area with decor to appeal to teens and older students. The second floor is the reference area designed entirely around reference needs.

When you ride the escalator to the second floor, you are deposited right in front of the reference desk. Above it reads a sign: INFORMATION AND REFERENCE, and while I haven’t gone to the Cerritos Library often, I’ve gone often enough to note that the reference desk always has someone there. Of course, in keeping with my self proclaimed MO, I quickly surpassed the reference desk and looked for a computer - my preferred gateway to finding information I need.

The reference area is truly laid out with the computer savvy researcher in mind. There is a bank of approximately 100 computer stations available along one designated wall of the reference floor. There is a line of private rooms along another wall that you can reserve for group research or meetings. And there are actual reference and non-fiction books that you can page through as well.

Using the computers at the library allows you access to a number of online databases that you would have to pay for if you tried to access them from your home computer - or, if you are a library card holder, you can access them from home using your library ID. That privilege comes with an annual fee if you are not a Cerritos resident. The list of databases that you can access is admirable. Included is the Auto Repair Reference Center, Ancestry.com, a number of recognized general encyclopedias such as Brittanica and Grolier, and academic online databases like Newsbank, Opposing Viewpoints and SIRs Researcher.

The library has a special digital archive for local history, and it offers special services and equipment to benefit the disabled. “Access Plus” is an orientation class offered to disabled patrons to help them learn how to use the special equipment available to them. And there is a “Tech help” desk available during certain hours for any of us who are not internet savvy.

The online catalog system, e-catalog, is accessible at any of the computer stations in the reference area or throughout the library. After typing in a few searches, I was a little disappointed with my results though. The library uses LOC subject headings to categorize its resources, and while this isn’t a bad thing, I’m finding that this - and other libraries aren’t always as “keyword” friendly as I’ve become used to on the internet. I picked a topic to search - “Chain Letters.” and came up with nothing. But this library sort of compensates for the shortcomings of the ecatalog because it gives you access to www.worldcat.org, a database that searches for books and key words in libraries worldwide.

At this point I thought it a good idea to talk to a reference librarian directly. There was a separate bank of 6 computers that were reserved for research purposes only, so I asked the librarian what the difference was between those and the 100+ online computers. She said that they could only access the online reference services of the library, where the other computers could access both the library databases and the internet.

I thought that was odd, to have 6 computers with less capability than the 100+. But beyond that, I found the librarian to be friendly and helpful. I asked her about the narrow topic I was researching, and told her that I couldn’t find anything in their e-catalog. She made mention of subject headings. I told her I had no idea what subject heading to begin with, even after she gave me a list to refer to - one of the library’s handouts. She went to worldcat.org and pulled up a possible book that I could find in another library.

The librarian also gave me another handout - a list of the online databases the library had access to, with brief descriptions about each database. And I came to my ultimate conclusion about the Cerritos Public Library. It’s a beautiful library designed for the internet savvy patron. But if you’re not internet savvy, it may seem a little daunting to search here. I checked out a couple of online databases, and found them easy to use. I’m impressed with their choice of including Ancestry.com among their selections. This decision gives people the option to find information about their lineage without having to pay a monthly fee, among other benefits. I also utilized SIRs researcher in looking up the topic of chain letters. I didn’t get the results I was hoping for. If I had been smarter, I would have accessed worldcat.org while I was there. When I typed in the terms chain letter from home, and narrowed my search to books - it brought me to the exact kind of book I was looking for - and it was located at the Cerritos Publc Library.

So, having access to worldcat.org at the library you happen to be in is a tremendous asset. I haven’t noticed this as being the case at other libraries. Cerritos Public lists access to Worldcat as a feature. I’m not sure if other libraries with internet access promote Worldcat.org as a tool to utilizing their own libraries. They should.