Blog Reflection #7

This week we are supposed to reflect on the following questions: "What electronic/internet sources from the list below would you recommend a patron to use in their research process, and in what order? What value would each resource be in the process?"

Our choices are : Wikipedia, a favorite search engine, ProQuest (or other electronic journal/newspaper index), Lii.org, Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia Brittanica.com subscription, subscription research databases (such as Facts on File or the Gale Group), or government sponsored websites.

That makes 8 choices total. And in considering the question, I can only come to the conclusion that it depends... The choice to make would depend on the specific information needs of the patron. I wouldn't be able to choose the best resource to begin with until I knew some specifics about the patron's information needs. It's too bad that "reference interview" isn't considered an electronic resource. I suppose it could be, if the patron was online asking the librarian for help via email or an RSS feed, but that isn't always the case.

So, if the patron is searching for general information on a broad range of topics, I might suggest Wikipedia. But I would emphasize that this source isn't entirely reliable, and that followup research should be done to verify any information found there. I would highly recommend the information found on ProQuest, Facts on File, or any of the encyclopedia databases available through the library's service. If the patron was looking for government info, or statistics, then I would immediately point them toward government websites.

If the patron was looking for the latest gossip on Lindsay Lohan, well, then just Google her name. Government sponsored sites and general encyclopedias would not be useful here. But ProQuest and other newspaper databases might, if you want to find out if any of that juicy gossip has a sliver of truth to it. I personally don't have much interest in the gossip about Lindsay Lohan... But maybe I should. She is an actress. I am a screenwriter. It might be good to know if that screenplay I sell in the future with Lindsay Lohan attached will be fraught with production woes because of tantrums and "creative differences" and what-not. But those are just rumors... Right?

Blog Reflection #2 for Lib 204

Barely three weeks have gone by, and it's time for another post to my blog. What to say, what to say...

I guess I'll start with commenting on Dena's points made on her blog - about the beneficial uses of it. She mentioned Amazon.com, or travel sites as an example of ways to benefit from the posts of other users. Book reviews and ratings from other people have been very useful to me on sites like Amazon. So, going back to those famous last words from my previous post, maybe this library class will prove me wrong...

I have to admit that in the past couple of weeks I have become a closet poster on a screenwriting site called Zhura.com. The site is for writers who are looking for feedback and words of advice on their writing endeavors. I am currently in writing limbo, having finished a draft of one script and not sure what to tackle for my next, so I've been alleviating the writer's block by reading other work and posting what I hope is constructive criticism.

The site has its benefits as a sort of new writers support group, but... There are enough opinionated and confrontational posts among members to remind me of my blogging reservations.

Anyway, I think I'm a little off topic. This post is supposed to reflect on the readings for the week, and our own experiences with reference librarians. I'm one of those people who has wandered the library for hours, digging for information longer than I think I should without the help of a reference librarian.  I'm not apt to readily seek out the help of a reference librarian for several reasons:

A - there's no one at the help desk.

B- there's people at a desk, but I'm not sure if it's the help desk.

C- the person at the help desk doesn't seem to see me.

D- I don't know how to explain the information I'm looking for.

I also think that some librarians see me using the online catalog somewhat efficiently (because I will go straight to the catalog if I can find it), and therefore assume I don't need help. To some degree, I understand this - helping the people who ask first may be a way to prioritize the work load. But, if I were a reference librarian, I think (hope) I might understand this aspect of patron frustration and therefore make myself more available.

I like the ideals of the reference interview, and hope one day that I would be able to put it into good practice.