Reference
Services
People seeking reference assistance
sometimes need help finding information, sometimes instructions in the mechanics of how to
use a resource.
The Reference
materials in our Reference Stacks and on our webpages have been
collected specifically to support the coursework offered here at
Shawnee State. Most of the hard copy reference resources
are NOT available in electronic format.
All of the workstations on Level 2 access
the Internet, Microsoft Outlook (email), and the Microsoft Office suite--Word, Access,
PowerPoint, and Excel. They also have Quicktime, Windows Media
Player, Flash, and RealPlayer.
You may find it helpful to use online HELP screens and guides to as you
work with patrons.
All Library resources are available
to users connecting from off campus.
Remote access generally requires a current Clark
Memorial Library account.
Websites
for Clark
Memorial Library
& OhioLINK
Clark Memorial Library's website (library.shawnee.edu)
provides access to Clark Memorial Library's online catalogs and research databases.
OhioLINK
maintains a similar website (www.ohiolink.edu),
which provides
access
to the OhioLINK Central Catalog, member institutions' catalogs,
and research databases.
Reference
Questions
We define a “reference question,”
as one which can be answered by locating information from any
source--a
book, magazine, newspaper, catalog, CD, computer index, video, or another
person.
You may have to question the patron
to find out exactly what it is that s/he needs. This process is
called question negotiation. Explain to the patron that the more you know
about what the patron wants to accomplish, the more likely you will
be able to help supply appropriate information, and ask as many questions as you can without offending the
patron.
Before answering any reference
question, always restate
the patron’s request and ask if your understanding is correct.
For example, a patron asks how many senior citizens live in
Florida. You should
restate, “You need to know how many people age 65 or older are
residents of Florida?” The
patron may then renegotiate the question;
s/he may want to know how many “retired” individuals,
regardless of age, own residential property in Florida, for
instance. You should
continue to restate the query until both of you agree on what
information will be sought.
When
you answer a reference question, always cite the source
of the information you are providing.
For instance, if a patron wants to know how many acres are in
a hectare and you find an answer by looking up “hectare” in the
dictionary, your response should include the title of the source of
your information, e.g., “According to the American
Heritage Dictionary, a hectare is ‘a metric unit of area equal
to 100 ares or 2.471 acres’.”
Reference
Referral,
Chat, and Research Consultation
If the patron’s question is
complex, or if you cannot locate a satisfactory answer to the
question using tools you are familiar with, kindly refer the patron to the
Reference Librarian. If
no Reference Librarian is available, suggest the patron chat with or
email a librarian.
Also, suggest a
Research
Consultation.
The Research Process
If the patron is doing research for a
paper, project, or presentation, s/he will save a lot of time by
following the traditional search strategy process:
- Articulate a tentative thesis, proposal, or leading question(s).
- Locate information to support the thesis.
- --in
Reference materials
- --in
library catalogs
- --in
research databases and indexes
- --on
the Web
- Critically evaluate the information resources.
Suggest to the patron that s/he check
general and subject-specific encyclopedias (some of which are called dictionaries!) to locate
articles about the subject and a bibliography
of authoritative references. Other
bibliographies can be found by doing a subject search on the library
catalogs for [subject] bibliography.
Keywords: When they are searching by WORDS,
remind patrons to “or”
together as many synonyms
as possible to describe the subject sought (death penalty OR capital
punishment.)
Remember to consider
broader and narrower terms and/or categories of information that
may contain references to the subject (arthritis -->
osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.)
LCSH: When they are searching by SUBJECT,
remind patrons to use the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
to locate valid LC subject
headings or to use thesauri such as those which accompany ERIC and
CINAHL to locate appropriate terms.
Check out the cross
references indicated on the catalogs and indexes.
If the patron needs help
evaluating
sources, you may suggest such tools as Magazines for
Libraries or Ulrich’s (both in Ready Reference) or The Serials Directory
(online) for information about specific periodicals; The Encyclopedia of Associations or The
Dorsey Dictionary of American Government
and Politics for information about groups which publish or sponsor
particular works; or MediaGuide, Contemporary Authors,
Wilson Biography Plus
Illustrated, or
Television
and Video Almanac for information about particular writers.
Basic
Reference Resources
Reference Assistants may use the
reference books and electronic resources to answer reference
questions.
Reference resources can be catalog, research databases,
encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, manuals, almanacs,
yearbooks, directories, reports, atlases, other people, etc.
The books that we keep in Ready Reference at the Reference Counter
are the ones we use most frequently.
You should be familiar and comfortable with all of the electronic
resources available on the Library webpages.
For
the hard copy titles listed below, you should have "an intimate
acquaintance" with these items, be able to explain to patrons
how to use them, and know when they will fulfill patrons' Reference
needs. Study
these tools so that you are familiar with sorts of information which
they contain.
General
- The New Encyclopaedia Britannica --AE5 .E363 1998
- Online -- Britannica Online
- Time [Information Please]
Almanac
--AY64 .T56
- Online -- InfoPlease
Almanac
- World Almanac and Book of Facts--
AY67.N5 W7
Philosophy/Religion
- Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics --
BJ63 .E44 1998
- Encyclopedia of Ethics (Routledge)--
BJ63 .E45 2001
- Encyclopedia of Ethics (Facts on File) BJ63 .E46
1999
- Ethics (Salem Press) BJ63
.E54 1994
- Encyclopedia of Religion
-- BL31 .E46 1987
Social Sciences & Business
- Wilson Biography Plus
Illustrated -- online
- The Negro Almanac
-- E185 .N385 1989
- Times Atlas of the World --G1019
.T52 1999
- Standard and
Poor’s Register
of Corporations, Directors and Executives
-- HG4057 .A4
- Statistical
Abstract of the United States -- HA202 .A388
- Statistical
Yearbook [of the United Nations]
--HA12.5 .U63
- Statesman's Yearbook --
JA51 .S7
- Dorsey Dictionary of American Government and
Politics
-- JK9 .S42 1988
Law
- West's Encyclopedia of American Law
--KF154 .W47 1998
Education
- CollegeSource -- Online
- American Encyclopedia of
Education--LB17 .U54 2001
- Encyclopedia of Education
-- LB15 .E47
- International Encyclopedia of
Education
-- LB15 .I569 1994
- World Education Encyclopedia
--LB15 .W87 2002
Arts
- Dictionary of Art-- N31 .D5
1996
- Online -- Grove Dictionary
of Art
Literature, Language,
Linguistics
Sciences
- McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science
and Technology-- Q121 .M3 1997
- McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
--Q123 .M34 1994
- Encyclopedia
of Life Sciences -- QH302.5
.E525 2002
- Online -- Encyclopedia of
Life Sciences
- Encyclopedia of Physical
Science and Technology -- Q123 .E497 2002
Medicine
- Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
--RC41 .G35 1999
- Online -- Gale Encyclopedia
of Medicine in Health Reference Center--Academic's Health
& Wellness Resource Center
- Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary
-- R121 .M89 2002
Libraries
& Bibliography
-
Magazines for
Libraries
--Z6941 .M23
-
The Serials
Directory -- online
-
Ulrich’s
International Serials Directory --
Z6941 .U5
-
Contemporary
Authors
--Z1224 .C63
Reference Assistants should also be
familiar with all titles in Ready Reference, regardless of
their being included in the listing above.
Shawnee
State Catalog & OhioLINK Central Catalog
Find
Books, Videos, Reserves, etc.
The
SSU and OhioLINK catalogs are accessible in either Web or telnet
versions:
OhioLINK maintains a directory
of all OhioLINK members webpages. SSU provides links from
Find
Books, Videos, Reserves, etc.
to other directories of online library catalogs.
See
the
Shawnee
State Catalog Guide for an introduction to using the
catalog.
Find
Periodical-Magazine, Journal, Newspaper -Articles
Users
have three immediate options for accessing articles or article
citations.
-
Two lists of the "best" full text
databases are available on the page "Full
Text Periodicals."
-
If you need to guide a user to a
database for a particular subject, use "Databases
by Subject." The subjects represent the
programs--majors, minors, areas of concentration, and other
fields of study here at SSU. After clicking on a subject,
the user will be connected to a table that suggests databases
that cover that subject.
-
An
alphabetical
list of all online research databases available to Clark Memorial
Library users is available on the Clark Memorial Library
"All
SSU Research Databases. A-Z" page.
Databases differ by
Additional
Databases: Additional databases in the DIALOG and STN
services are available via
mediated
searches.
Cluster
Searches: OhioLINK and EBSCOhost both offer multiple
database searching options.
The
Bibliographic Record
A
bibliographic record may be either a cataloging record or a citation.
In an online catalog or research database, the information in the
public display has been drawn from the database and reconfigured so
that general users can easily figure it out. (Some catalogs
allow users to see the MARC data as it was entered by the cataloger
into the work form.)
In
online catalogs and research databases, in the public display, the information
in each record is placed into labeled fields such as those in the
table below:
| Examples
of Fields
in Cataloging Records
|
Examples
of Fields in Records on Research Databases:
|
| CALL #
|
ERIC NUMBER |
| AUTHOR
|
AUTHOR
|
| |
INSTITUTION
|
| TITLE
|
TITLE
|
| |
Original Title |
| |
Chapter Title
|
| |
Book Title |
| IMPRINT or Publish Info
|
APPEARS IN or SOURCE
|
| PAGES/MEDIA
|
|
| NOTE
|
NOTE
|
| SUMMARY
|
ABSTRACT
|
| SUBJECT
|
SUBJECT
|
| MEDICAL SUBJECT
|
MeSH SUBJECT HEADINGS
|
| |
KEY PHRASE IDENTIFIERS
|
| |
DESCRIPTORS |
| Request This Item |
Find a Copy |
| Contents or [table of contents] |
Contents or [table of contents] |
The
Item Record
In
the SSU Library Catalog, within the cataloging record, the item record gives information about
location,
call
number, and availability of that particular item. On
the OhioLINK Central Catalog, in place of the Item Record, users
will see [#] OhioLINK libraries have this item
and the link to Request This Item. When you click [#] OhioLINK libraries have this item,
you will be able to see the item record information per each
institution.
In
research databases, links such as "Olinks/Find a
Copy," "Attached Full Text," "HTML
Full Text" or "PDF" will either indicate or lead
users to any available full text. When full text is not
available, many databases have links to alternatives for procuring
the item.
Search
Options
The
search options are indicated at the main search menu.
Databases often offer both simple and advanced search screens.
Simple search options generally offer one entry point and default to
a keyword search in author, title, subject, and abstract (although
you need to check the documentation to verify which fields are
searched.) Advanced search generally offers additional entry points
and the ability to specify which field to search per
each.
In most online catalogs and research
databases search options are based on the fields in the database (bibliographic) record. Most catalogs and research databases
allow the following search options:
WORD,
WORDS, or KEYWORD: A keyword is any term that users can think of to
describe what they are seeking. Most users prefer to do a WORD
or KEYWORD search. A keyword search generally identifies words
in titles, subjects, and contents notes. Sometimes
keyword includes authors, also.
AUTHOR:
In library catalogs and in some databases, when searching by author,
enter the last name first, e.g., Grisham John. Some
databases use initials rather than first and middle names, e.g., Wilson
EO .
TITLE:
In library catalogs and in some databases, when searching by title,
enter the beginning of the title in the correct order, e.g., in
these cases users would not find Gone with the Wind if they entered
only the word "wind" but they would find it if they
entered only the word "gone."
SUBJECT
(LCSH): For most
items, academic libraries use Library of Congress subject headings to
supply subjects in cataloging records. The list of subject headings is compiled in a set of books called LCSH (Library
of Congress Subject Headings) available on the index table next
to the Reference Counter. SSU Librarians have posted an
abbreviated
LCSH table. Some research databases also use LCSH
for
subjects; others use their own lists of subject headings or
descriptors. Some research databases like CINAHL, ERIC, and
MEDLINE include an online thesaurus.
MEDICAL SUBJECT
(MeSH): Medical libraries and research databases in the
health sciences use MeSH subject headings. These terms are
generally more technically specific than LC subject headings.
For instance, while you can find information using the LC subject
heading "cancer", you must use a more technical term such
as "neoplasms" or "oncogenes" to locate
information using a medical subject heading search.
NUMBERS:
Call numbers and other numeric searches
are available in many catalogs. Options include searching by
such numbers as LC Call numbers, local call numbers,
government document numbers, ISSN/ISBN,
or OCLC number.
RESERVES:
Catalogs often have a search mechanism to help identify materials
that have been placed on
course reserve
by faculty.
User
Account Information: Catalogs often have an option that allows
the patron to see his/her library account information--what is
checked out, what has been ordered via OhioLINK, any fines,
etc.--and to renew items online. Clark Library is inconsistent
in labeling this option. On the catalog, it is labeled "VIEW your
own record." On the webpages, it is labeled "Renew
books/Check your Library account." Portsmouth
Public Library calls it "Patron Review."
Retrieving
Records
After
a successful search, the patron will retrieve either an individual
record or a list of items (browse or brief records screen) from which s/he can select individual
records.
In research databases, results are
generally returned in reverse chronological order (newest items
first). In the catalogs, users can apply a post-limit to
"sort results by year"
if results are ordered by some other factor (alphabetically by
title, for instance.)
Most
catalogs and databases limit the number of items that can display on
a single "page,"
and provide
"next" and/or "previous page" buttons for
navigation through the pages. Some catalogs and
databases allow a user to "jump" forward or backward to a
particular record in the set (e.g., in a 300 record results set, the
user can choose to jump to record # 200.)
Some
catalogs and databases allow users to choose between listing
documents in a "brief" display or in an
"extended" or "KWIC" display, which provides
additional information per each item.
New
Search/Modify/Limit
Catalogs and research databases offer
users options to begin a new
search and/or
to modify or limit their search.
Clickable
Elements in the Record or Citation: The records in
most catalogs and research databases include "clickable"
fields that generate a new search set based on the element
clicked. For instance, clicking on an author's name produces a
set of records by that author or clicking on a subject produces a
set of records with that subject.
Search
History: Many research databases display a "search history" which
shows users the searches they have completed and allows them to
combine previous searches.
Modify
or Limit: Catalogs and databases may also allow
users to modify or apply post-limits to their searches. Limits by language, material type, words in author,
words in titles, words in subject, publisher, year of
publication, or location are offered on the catalog.
Additional and/or different limits are offered on the various
research databases, depending on the subject matter and the vendor.
Uplink:
The SSU Library Catalog allows users to uplink to the OhioLINK
Central Catalog at any results screen. Users can compare local
holdings to OhioLINK holdings and request materials from other
facilities.
Mark/Export
Many
catalogs and research databases allow users to "mark,"
"save," or "add" records that they select to
their own subset or file. The user can then review the records
in this file,
delete specific items, and print, download, and/or email the records in
the file.
FirstSearch
Databases Provided by SSU
A
list of FirstSearch databases provided by Clark Memorial Library is
available on Beartrack at http://www.shawnee.edu/off/cml/fstable.html
.
Users
must obtain an authorization number and password before using the
FirstSearch Databases. Verify that requestors are SSU students,
faculty, or staff--ASK TO SEE THEIR SSU ID--before giving out the
authorization number and password.
If they have not used FirstSearch, please go
over the instructions in the FirstSearch folder with them before
giving out the authorization number and password.
The
Clark Memorial Library Reference staff have selected Web resources
that we feel confident in recommending to students.
These are available under WWW RESOURCES on the Library homepage. Refer to the
appropriate broad subject area.
The Library maintains several
“collections” of materials.
These collections are identified in the catalog by the
LOCATION in the item record.
The following locations are currently in use:
Archives:
Rare or precious (to us) and are in locked
cabinets between the Reference Stacks and the Library Alcove. These materials generally do not circulate.
Children's Learning Ctr. --
in the Children's Learning Center at the corner of Third and Union
Streets.
Circulating
Stacks: The largest
collection in Clark Memorial Library. Materials with call
numbers A-P are on Level 3; those with call numbers Q-Z are on Level
1.
Click on the
following to:
For records of online resources (databases and full-text
books, documents, periodicals, etc.), the three-field (Location/Call
Number/Status) Item Record is replaced with a two-field
record. The top field shows "Click
on the following to:" and the bottom field contains the
URL link which will be something like "An
electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click for
information" or "Connect to online version," or
"Connect to electronic version."
CMC: General
teaching-related materials that support the Teacher Education program. They
are located in the Curriculum Materials Center on
Level 1.
CMC (Child):
Designates juvenile literature. CMC (Child)
is interfiled with CMC items in the Curriculum Materials
Center.
CMC (Reference): Reference materials
that support Teacher Education or are examples of juvenile reference
resources are in the first two shelving units in the
Curriculum Materials Center. These materials are the only
items in the CMC that do NOT circulate.
CMC Reserve: Mostly
textbooks loaned to us by local school districts, housed in the
northwest corner of the CMC.
CMC Restricted: Realia and
commercially-published tests, housed in the vertical file in the CMC
CMC Vertical File: Mostly
government documents, these materials are located in the vertical
files in CMC.
Current Periodicals: Paper subscriptions to magazines, journals, newspapers.
They are shelved in the units in the northwest corner of Level
2. The most recent issue is on the display shelf. When
you lift the display unit, you will find additional paper issues are
in pamphlet boxes on the shelf behind.
We keep paper issues a limited period of time. If we
also acquire the title in micro, we hold paper issues only until the microfilm or microfiche
arrives.
Gov. Docs. Micro.: Government
Documents in microfiche format, housed in the drawers opposite the
beginning of the Reference Stacks.
Gov.
Doc. - VF: These materials
are in the Government Documents Vertical File between the Near East
computer cluster and the Reference Office.
Media Stacks: Only
a few sound-slide series and our collection of 33 1/3 LP vinyl
records are currently in Media
Stacks on Level 1 on the exterior back wall of the CMC.
Materials with a call number beginning with SL are slides in the
Slide Cabinet on Level 2.
Media Stacks (Video): [still a few left, but this will go
away]
Microfiche:
The location "microfiche" in an item record for a book or
for an ERIC document refers to microfiche housed in the wall cabinets opposite the beginning of the
Reference collection. Periodicals
on microfilm and microfiche are retrospective holdings or back
issues.
They are in the
large grey cabinets between the photocopiers and the current
periodicals.
Generally we
have microfilm for items prior to 1990 and microfiche for
items after 1989.
Microfilm:
This location is used in a serials/periodicals records for
retrospective holdings prior to 1989. These are housed in the
large grey cabinets between the photocopiers and current
periodicals. Newspapers on microfilm—The New York Times, The Washington Post,
The Christian Science Monitor, and The Wall Street Journal—are in
micro drawers against the north wall opposite the Reference Stacks.
Newspapers: Location used
in periodical check-in records, housed in the short stacks in the
Northwest corner of Level 2.
Oversize:
Circulating Stacks shelving is set to a specific standard
height. Oversize materials larger than this
standard are shelved on Level 3 in the area directly above the Reference
office.
A substantial percentage of materials in oversize are art books,
maps, and atlases.
Reference
Counter: Ready
Reference materials have REF call numbers and a label on the spine that says “Ready
Reference.” They are shelved in the units nearest the Reference
Counter because they are frequently used by reference staff.
Reference Office: Periodicals
that are used by public services staff are on the shelving units
between Library 245 and ILL.
Reference Stacks: Reference books are identified with a
REF location note preceding the LC number and are arranged in the
same manner as other materials classified with LC call numbers.
(The arrangement of LC classification of materials is
discussed at the end of this section.)
A red label
protector identifies Reference materials.
Restricted:
Restricted materials are items that we are attempting
to protect from casual theft (like local history materials) or from
accidental damage (like health science slides). They are
shelved at Circulation.
Reserve:
Reserve materials have been set aside by an instructor, and the instructor
has decided
whether and for how long these item can circulate.
They are shelved at Circulation.
Slides:
In the location Media Stacks that have call numbers
beginning with SL are slides in the Slide Cabinet on Level
2. Materials in the location Restricted that have call
numbers beginning with SL are slides in the Restricted Collection.
SOMCC:
In the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, 825 Gallia Street, Portsmouth.
These items do not circulate and patrons must go to the
Museum to use them.
Tech.
Services :
In Technical Services on Level 1. These materials are
either in process or being repaired.
Wilson collection:
Although not a location, patrons may ask for materials from
this collection which was donated by a retired
professor. His materials are in Archives.
WWW: Shows up in the EXTENDED DISPLAY of the
browse screens. Designates online publications.
Library of Congress Classification
Most items in the Library are
arranged according to Library of Congress classification system call
numbers.
LC
numbers may be preceded by a location notes such as REF
(for Reference); CMC; OVERSIZE.
1)
The LC call number begins with one, two, or three letters.
2)
The next component in the call number is a whole number.
3)
The third component is a letter followed by a decimal number.
This letter-number combination is usually preceded by a
decimal point; the number in this line is always
a decimal—even when there is no decimal point indicated in the
printed call number. (Both
lines three and four of the call number may consist of this
letter/number combination.)
4)
Another numeral may follow; this is the year of the edition
or printing.
5)
A copy number may also follow the year.
Every
item has a unique, distinct call number.
If you happen to find two items with the same call number,
pull them, put notes on them both, and bring them to the attention
of your supervisor so that one can be changed.
LB
1529
.D579
1991
c.
2
is the same as
LB 1529 .D579 1991 c. 2
When you retrieve items, locate the letter(s) first, like LB in the example above.
All materials classified in Library of Congress are arranged
first in alphabetical order by the letter(s).
After you have located the letter(s)
which makes up the first line, find the number which is the second
part of the call number, like 1529.
Once you have located the letter(s) which comprises the first
line, all items are arranged by the number which makes up the second
line. If the number of
the item you are shelving is not already on the shelf, place the
item between the next smaller and the next larger numbers.
If there are other items which share
the same letters and numbers in their first two lines as the item
you are shelving, move on to the third line—which is the decimal
point-letter-number combination, like .D579 in the example.
Locate the area on the shelf in which the letter would fall.
Then find the space in which the decimal number would go.
If there are additional item with the same letter-number
combination, use the fourth line—either another letter/number
combination or the year of printing or publication.
If there are still additional items with the same call
number, the last line—the copy number—will determine where this
item is placed on the shelf.
SuDoc or
ED Number Arrangement
The vertical
file of government documents is arranged by the number assigned by
the Superintendent of Documents—the SuDocs number.
The order is similar to LC order.
When a document is actually in microfiche, the first page is
photocopied and filed in the vertical file.
Use the SuDoc # indicated on the photocopy to locate the
microfiche in the microfiche file.
The ERIC
documents on microfiche are arranged by ED number.
This number is assigned by ERIC and the fiche are filed
consecutively.
Library
Instruction
Library Instruction
is included in the English 111, English 112, and Senior Seminar
curriculum. Those sessions are scheduled by the departments (English
and General Education.)
Instructors of other
courses can request Library Instruction sessions by contacting the
Liaisons
for their departments.
Copies of the handouts distributed to
students during Library Instruction in English 111, English 112,
and Senior Seminar are in the Reference Assistants Binder.
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
Color
Codes
Reference
Assistants distribute, help users fill out, and verify the information provided
by requestors on the ILL form. The forms are available in paper and online
(Online
Interlibrary Loan Form).
If
correct or complete information has not been provided, if the item is available
locally, or if there's a problem with the patron's library account, the RA will
notify the patron that the request cannot be processed.
Ask
Connie or Glenna for instructions regarding the verification process.
Interlibrary loan paper forms are color-coded as
follows:
-
White forms are SSU book requests.
-
Yellow forms are SSU periodical article requests.
-
Blue forms are SSU newspaper article requests.
-
Green forms are SSU Educational Document requests.
-
Blue forms are SSU Dissertation requests.
Procedure for Books:
Ask Connie
or Glenna for instructions.
Procedure for Periodical Articles:
Ask Connie or Glenna for instructions.
Procedure for Dissertation, Newspaper Article, and Educational
Document Requests.
Ask Connie or Glenna for instructions.
Filling ILL Requests from Other Institutions
Ask Connie or Glenna for instructions.
Handicarried ALA Interlibrary Loan Form Requests
Instructions for processing and an example can be
found in the Reference Assistance Binder.
|
