Francesco Cartiera
July 24, 2012
ILS 504 Summer
Professor Okobi
Reference Questions
1. What is the correct title (i.e., please verify) title of the pamphlet that Samuel Swett
Green wrote for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia? Any library report
holding it?
Type of Question: This question is asking a “what” or “which” question. We need to
look for a specific pamphlet written by a specific author.
Search Strategy: In order to find this information, I searched WorldCat by the Author’s
name. I typed in his last name and then his first name and middle initial. I was able to
find several pamphlets written by him. I then chose the pamphlet that was written in
1876 and listed in the Centennial Exposition.
Answer:
Pamphlet Title: The desirableness of establishing personal intercourse and relations
between librarians and readers in popular libraries.
Libraries with availability:
Brown University
Boston College
Harvard University
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York Public Library
New Hampshire State Library
Search:
2. Please help me verify the following: Holland, Maurita Peterson, "Real-time Searching
at the Reference Desk," The Reference Librarian 5/6 (1992): 165-71.
Type of Question: This question is a “which” question. We are looking to find the
correct information to verify an answer.
Search:
I used the University of Rhode Island Helin catalog. I accessed the Journal Reference
Librarian, and conducted a search on the title of the article. The volume and years did
not match and I quickly found the error in the date cited on the request.
Answer:
The verification process demonstrated that the year of publication is incorrect for the
above reference. Below is the correct citation.
Peterson Holland, M. (1982). “Real time searching at the reference desk.The Reference
Librarian, 2 :( 5-6): 165-71.
3. What information goes into the first paragraph of the minutes of a meeting?
Type of Question: This is a “how” question. We want to know how to write the minutes
of a meeting and which information should be included in the first paragraph.
Search:
This is a “how to” question and this is a classic resource for it. I selected Robert’s Rules
of Order due partly to my personal experience in conducting meetings in accordance with
this reference, and the table of contents organized by steps in a meeting made it easy to
find the information.
Answer:
Minutes in 1st paragraph:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The kind of meeting; regular, special, adjourned regular or adjourned special
The name of the society or assembly
The date and time of the meeting and the place (if it is not always the same)
The fact that the regular chairmen were present or in their absence the name of the
people who substituted for them
5. Whether the minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved as read or
as corrected and the date of that meeting if it was other than a regular business
meeting.
6. All main motions
7. Secondary motions
8. All notices of motions
9. All points of order and appeals
10. Hour of adjournment
4. When was the first swimming pool built in the white house?
Type of Question: This question is a “when” question. We are looking for a specific date
within a specific location.
Search: Because we were looking for a first occurrence, we decided to consult First
Facts. We used the index to find the pages that covered the White House and perused
through the pages with information on the White House until we found information on
the swimming pool.
Answer:
The first swimming pool in the White House was built by FDR on June 2, 1933.
5. How many religious books were published in the U.S. in 2009?
Type of Question:
This is a “how many” question. We are looking for a definite number.
Search:
Books in Print, published by Bowker (online through Buley Library) was consulted
because it lists virtually every book published within the United States and advanced
search feature narrows the parameters of the search by year, subject, publisher, etc.
Answer:
There were 19,310 Religious books printed in the USA during 2009.
6. I want to see the review of the book HELP
Type of question:
This is a “what” question as we are looking for a book review.
Search:
The Book Review Digest (online through Ebsco) was used to search for a review for the
book titled “The Help” published in 2009. It was chosen because it has reviews on
various books and is up to date.
Review: Kirkus Reviews, 01/01/2009
The relationships between white middle-class women and their black maids in Jackson,
Miss., circa 1962, reflect larger issues of racial upheaval in Mississippi-native Stockett's
ambitious first novel. Still unmarried, to her mother's dismay, recent Ole Miss graduate
Skeeter returns to Jackson longing to be a serious writer. While playing bridge with her
friends Hilly and Elizabeth, she asks Elizabeth's seemingly docile maid Aibileen for
housekeeping advice to fill the column she's been hired to pen for a local paper. The two
women begin what Skeeter considers a semi-friendship, but Aibileen, mourning her son's
recent death and devoted to Elizabeth's neglected young daughter, is careful what she
shares. Aibileen's good friend Minnie, who works for Hilly's increasingly senile mother,
is less adept at playing the subservient game than Aibileen. When Hilly, an aggressively
racist social climber, fires and then blackballs her for speaking too freely, Minnie's
audacious act of vengeance almost destroys her livelihood. Unlike oblivious Elizabeth
and vicious Hilly, Skeeter is at the verge of enlightenment. Encouraged by a New York
editor, she decides to write a book about the experience of black maids and enlists
Aibileen's help. For Skeeter the book is primarily a chance to prove herself as a writer.
The stakes are much higher for the black women who put their lives on the line by telling
their true stories. Although the expos is published anonymously, the town's social fabric
is permanently torn. Stockett uses telling details to capture the era and does not shy from
showing Skeeter's dangerous na™vet. Skeeter's narration is alive with complexity—her
loyalty to her traditional Southern mother remains even after she learns why the beloved
black maid who raised her has disappeared. In contrast, Stockett never truly gets inside
Aibileen and Minnie's heads (a risk the author acknowledges in her postscript). The
scenes written in their voices verge on patronizing. This genuine page-turner offers a
whiff of white liberal self-congratulation that won't hurt its appeal and probably spells big
success. Copyright 2008, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
7. Where is Ethnic News Watch Indexed?
Type of question: This is a “where” question. We need to find the location of the Ethnic
News Watch.
Search: I used the Ulrich web’s Global Serials index because Ulrich’s indexes over
300,000 periodicals of various types. I used a keyword search option and typed in
“Ethnic News Watch.” We also consulted CONSULS, which is the Buley Library
Catalog. We found the same answer.
Answer:
Ethnic News Watch is indexed in the Proquest published database which is available
online and CD ROM.
8. Are there any African American News Publications in PA? Name 2 and provide
information about their contact information and editors.
Type of Question: This is a combination “which” and “where” question. First, we
needed to search the place, which answers the where question. Then, we need to narrow
the search based on the type – African American News Publications, which answers the
“which.”
Search:
I used the reference: Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, 133rd Ed. I
used Volume 2, Pennsylvania to search entries and the index by publication type.
Answer:
Here are 2:
New Pittsburgh Courier
315 E Carson St
Pittsburgh PA 15219
Editors: Rod Ross and Denise Johnson
Circulation= 250,000
The Philadelphia Tribune Metro Edition
520 S 16th St
Philadelphia PA 19146
215-893-4050
Circulation= 19, 146
412-481-8302
9. What is the job outlook for Librarians in the next ten years?
Type of Question:
This is a “what” question as we are looking for an outlook or projection. We are looking
to see what the projection will be for librarians in a specific year.
Search:
The Occupational Outlook Handbook was selected because this is a factual question or a
“what” question for reference. I have also been familiar with researching this question
for personal reasons as I was selecting a graduate studies program last year and deciding
upon a possible second career in Library Science.
Answer:
The job outlook for librarians for the 2010-2012 decade is 7%, which is below the
average growth rate.
10. I will be teaching a course on Business and Economics Information sources, I need
the titles of two possible books with their reviews.
Type of Question:
This is a “which” question. The searcher wants to know which books will be appropriate
for the course that he or she is teaching.
Search:
We searched Books in Print through Bowker (online) because it offers lists of books and
reviews on those books. This gives the searcher more information on each book beyond
a simple abstract.
Answer:
2 Titles with reviews:
Ross, J. W., Weill, P., & Robertson, D. (2006). Enterprise architecture as strategy:
creating a foundation for business execution. Harvard Business School Press.
Reference & Research Book News, 11/01/2006
In their research from 1995-2005 on how information technology (IT) can help make
companies successful, the authors realized that they were focusing on the same thing
whether studying enterprise architecture, IT infrastructure transformations, or e-business.
Ross and Peter Weill (information systems research, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology) explain details of the pattern they saw across their studies: top-performing
firms (e.g., Toyota, UPS) create a stable, efficient IT base by defining their operating
model and automating core processes. The other author is a Swiss professor. Annotation
2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Smith, H., &Fingar, P. (2003). Business process management: the third wave. MeghanKiffer Press.
According to the authors, every significant breakthrough in business technology has been
underpinned by mathematics. They explain how Pi- calculus provides the theoretical
computer science foundation for a new type of business software that allows business
people, not just technicians, to design, implement, and adapt business processes. Smith
has 24 years of experiences in the IT industry; Fingar is affiliated with a digital strategy
firm. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)