# Applications of ICT in Libraries/Locating Information

This page is designed for the use of students undertaking the
**Diploma** (Diploma ICTL) or the **Advanced
Diploma** (Advanced Diploma ICTL) in
**Applications of ICT in Libraries**.

These qualifications were developed by the **Scottish Library and
Information Council (SLIC)** and are validated by the *Scottish
Qualifications Authority (SQA)*\'

**Locating Information on Behalf of Clients** is a core unit in both the
Diploma and Advanced Diploma programmes.

## Introduction

This unit aims to develop your skills in **working logically through the
steps of a reference enquiry**, typical for a public library, using
Internet resources.

**Reference and enquiry work** has always been an integral part of the
public library service. Nowadays many queries are answered using
**electronic** rather than print sources. However, the **processes** and
**strategies** used are the same with both print and electronic
searches. So, any **experience** you have gained in answering queries
through printed reference sources will enhance your competence in
electronic searches.

Enquiry work can provide library staff with a great deal of **job
satisfaction**. No two enquiries, or enquirers, are exactly the same --
so searches for information are varied. Sometimes an information search
will present a real intellectual challenge and require you to adopt an
innovative or ingenious approach to tackling the enquiry. In such cases
getting the required result for the enquirer is doubly rewarding. An
effective enquiry service enhances the library's **reputation** with its
clients and creates a positive image for library staff -- as
professional, efficient and helpful people.

If you are a member of staff in a public library who deals with
information enquiries from clients and answers them using the Internet,
you will have developed some or all of the expertise required for this
unit. Read through the following information carefully. It summarises
the **knowledge and skills** which you need in order to produce evidence
of your competence.

The unit involves interacting with library clients, establishing their
information needs and using the Internet to search for the required
information. This must be done in a real library environment and you
will need access to the Internet, preferably broadband. Specifically you
are asked to:

**Define the precise nature of the enquiry in conjunction with the
client**

The main knowledge and/or skills required are:

-   reference interview techniques
-   open and closed questions
-   determining the nature of information to be provided-- quantity,
    level, format
-   constraints -- deadlines for completion, currency of information and
    language

**Create a search strategy to fully satisfy the enquiry**

The main knowledge and/or skills required are:

-   choice of search terms
-   structuring the search
-   common search engines
-   directories
-   meta crawlers
-   portals
-   bibliographic databases

**Evaluate the results of the search in terms of validity of information
found and its appropriateness in meeting the client's needs**

The main knowledge and/or skills required are:

-   validity of information - reliability, accuracy and currency
-   measuring success of search in terms of client's requirements --
    sufficiency, format and language
-   structuring and saving of search results for presentation to client,
    later retrieval, future updating

**Assessment**

The unit is assessed through four short searches and one extended
search. These will be searches related to typical information needs of
public library clients. Some examples are:

**Short Searches**

Finding out:

-   the current community charge rates in your locality
-   the sequel to a novel which the client has recently read
-   the post code of a firm for which the client knows name, street and
    town
-   whether UK citizens require a visa to visit Thailand

**Extended Search**

A client wishes to explore the topic of asylum seekers in Britain. You
would produce information giving Government policy, views of other
political parties, statistics on immigration etc.

## Defining the precise nature of the enquiry in conjunction with the client

### The Reference Interview

Defining the precise nature of the enquiry in conjunction with the
client is often referred to as the **reference interview**. However, you
may not carry this out face to face. Instead you may carry out the
interview over the telephone or through a series of e-mails. It is
undoubtedly easier and quicker though if you can manage to meet the
client.

There are three main stages here:

-   Finding out what the client wants to know
-   Finding out why the client wants the information
-   Finishing off the reference interview

#### Finding out what the client wants to know

Before you can answer a question posed by a client, you must **find out
exactly what that question** is. Experienced colleagues will be able to
tell you of many situations where there has been a **misunderstanding**
with a reference client, resulting in wasted time and effort and
sometimes embarrassment.

Whichever means of communication you use, do remember that the reference
interview is a **two-way interaction** or **dialogue** and you must take
responsibility for the **efficiency** of the communication process.

The interview is likely to begin with the client asking you a question.
Your task is to probe further until you are **fully satisfied** that you
are clear exactly what the client wishes to find out. Remember to ask
for **clarification** from the client about the topic, e.g. ask them to
spell uncommon words, expand on the topic under investigation etc.

#### Finding out why the client wants the information

It is extremely helpful if you can establish early on in the interaction
the reason **why the client wishes the information** requested. Tact may
be required here, however, as some clients may be unwilling to give this
information. This is especially likely where the enquiry is of a
**sensitive or confidential nature**, such as a medical or financial
problem. If the client appears uncomfortable or evasive when asked why
the information is being sought, then it is unwise to probe further.

You should ascertain the **starting point** of the enquiry in order to
avoid time being wasted on finding information which the client already
knows. Ask whether the client has already undertaken any research on the
topic and what the results of this were. This can give guidance on
successful and unsuccessful information searching approaches. But do not
write off a particular approach just because a client assures you that
it has yielded no information. Remember the client is not an information
specialist -- you are! -- and so the client may not have searched as
thoroughly or as efficiently as you would.

#### Finishing off the reference interview

By the end of the reference interview you should be confident that the
nature of the enquiry has been fully explored and that the information
required by the client has been specifically defined. The reference
interview also provides the opportunity to establish any special needs
of the client e.g.: visual or auditory impairment.

And finally, do remember to record contact details for the client. In
the excitement of exploring the enquiry and establishing the client's
precise needs, it is all too easy to forget this important information.
So make sure that every reference interview ends by your recording name,
address, telephone, fax, e-mail details, as appropriate. If you will be
phoning the client, it is also polite to note when it is convenient for
the client to receive your call.

YouTube How not to conduct the reference interview
1 Auckland City Libraries
The reference interview
2

### Spoken and written communication

Good communication skills are key to the reference interview. This topic
provides a good opportunity for practising and refining your
communication skills.

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![](T_cap.gif "T_cap.gif"){width="50"} Before proceeding, list the key
factors you think would lead to good communication in a reference
interview. Write these down on a piece of paper.

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#### Factors leading to good communication

We think the important factors are:

-   Appropriate spoken language
-   Appropriate body language
-   Good feedback especially on the telephone
-   Good note taking skills
-   Clear and grammatical e-mails

#### Spoken language

You should use language which is appropriate to the client, avoiding
talking down to the client or, at the other extreme, baffling the client
with specialist jargon. If you do have to use a term which the client
may not understand, e.g. "bibliography", be sure to explain it.

For example, how would you explain "search engine" to a client who is
not familiar with this term?

You might say something like "A search engine allows you to search for
websites related to a particular topic. To use a search engine, you have
to choose and type in appropriate key words describing the topic

#### Body language

In face-to-face situations, use appropriate body language designed to
set the client at ease and promote effective communication. Smile and
greet the client by name if possible. Lean forward slightly and use eye
contact to show your interest in the conversation. Try to carry out the
interview in a place where both you and the client are sitting
comfortably and at the same level, preferably side by side.

What would you deduce from the body language of a client who fidgeted
during the reference interview?

The most likely explanations are that the client:

-   is in a hurry, perhaps because of another appointment
-   may feel nervous in the library environment or about asking for your
    assistance with their query.

Test your understanding of body language with this simple quiz -
<http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/nvc.htm>

#### Feedback

With telephone communications you will have to be careful in order to
make sure that you fully understand what the client says because you
will get no clues from their body language. You should use appropriate
feedback techniques to ensure understanding of the client's responses.
For instance, you might:

-   Rephrase what the client has said and repeat this back to them
-   Ask if you can read out a summary of the enquiry based on the notes
    you have made.

See if you can pick up clues from the tone of the client's voice.
Conversely, make sure that your tone is positive and encouraging.
Smiling as you speak into the phone generates a pleasant tone of voice
which encourages helpful responses.

#### Note taking

In both face to face and telephone interactions, it is essential to take
**written notes** of the main points of the conversation. These notes
are your reference for checking that you have fully understood the
details of the client's enquiry.

You may have to put the query on one side for actioning later or you may
pass it on to a colleague to deal with. In both cases a written record
will be essential.

#### Writing e-mails

If you are using e-mail to communicate with the client, it is important
to establish a cordial tone while remaining concise and to the point.
Writing clearly and grammatically is key to this, as is structuring your
e-mail so that the client can follow it easily and respond
appropriately.

The correct sequence for actioning an e-mail enquiry is as follows:

1.  Thank the client for the enquiry
2.  Summarise what the enquiry consists of
3.  Give your proposals for how you will action the enquiry
4.  State when you will provide the search results
5.  Request confirmation from the client that your proposed actions and
    timescale are acceptable

### Open and Closed Questions

In the reference interview, you will use both **open and closed
questions**. These have different uses. It is important to be able to
distinguish between the two types of question and to use them
appropriately.

**Closed questions** prompt yes/no or short factual answers, such as:

Q. What time did you come to the library? A. 9 o'clock

Q. Is your daughter called Amelia Austin? A. Yes

Closed questions are mainly used in the reference interview context to:

-   elicit specific pieces of information from the client
-   gain confirmation that the your understanding of what the client has
    said is correct - an important feedback tool

The following are examples of closed questions:

*Do you use a left-handed mouse?*

This is a closed question which will be answered by yes or no.

*What is the charge for printing a page of A4 text?*

This is a closed question which will be answered by a specific sum of
money such as 10p.

**Open questions** encourage longer answers, such as:

Q. Why did you ask for a dictionary? A. I wanted to check whether there
was a difference in meaning between "main" and "mane".

The main uses of open questions in the reference interview context are
to:

-   establish rapport with the client
-   set the scene for the enquiry
-   gain background information which is relevant to the enquiry

The following are examples of open questions:

*What will your students be using this information for?*

A typical reply might be: \"These are students undertaking an initial
course in professional cookery. They will need the data to understand
the calorific content of the foods in the recipe."

*Can you tell me how you went about looking for this information?*

A typical reply might be: \"I started off looking up autism in the
encyclopedias but the information was too general and not up to date
enough.

You will use both open and closed questions at appropriate times. When
framing a question, always think of the type of response you hope to
generate and word the question so as to encourage either a brief or an
extended answer.

### Nature of information required

Apart from the actual topic of investigation, there are other factors
which need to be taken into account before a member of library staff
will embark on the information search.

There are three main factors:

-   the quantity of information required
-   the level of information required
-   the format of information required

#### Quantity

What appears to be the same request for information could produce
results differing in quantity by orders of magnitude. You must clarify
the scale of information required by the client in order to fully
satisfy their needs.

It may be that reference to a single book or website is required.
Alternatively many in-depth sources of information may be required so
that the client can analyse a breadth of opinion on the search subject.

Providing too much information is just as unhelpful as providing too
little.

#### Level

It is essential that the information provided is at a level of
complexity which enables the client's full comprehension but does not
patronise the client or tell them what they already know.

The following points are a good guide:

-   the client's age (but remember age does not automatically bring
    wisdom!)
-   the client's educational attainment
-   the client's display of specialist knowledge
-   the client's linguistic ability
-   whether the information is intended for the client themselves or for
    use by other people.

Tactful questioning can be used to make an estimation of the points
listed above.

#### Format

The results may include information in various formats.

Difficulties may arise if the client has expressed an initial preference
for a format in which the information is not actually available. If the
information is only available in a limited number of formats, you must
alert the client to this and ascertain if any of these formats are
acceptable.

If the search is not carried out with the client present, you must
ascertain if the client can visit the library at a later time to access
the search results or if the information must be in a format which can
be e-mailed or posted to the client.

There are many formats available, including several as a result of the
introduction of ICT. Your search may direct the client to items of
library stock, to be used in the library or borrowed for home use. This
could include:

-   Printed reference sources or information CD-ROMs
-   Books, audio or video material for home borrowing
-   Magazines and journals
-   Pamphlets or leaflets

The search results may be bibliographies or lists of website references
for the client to follow up. The results may be viewed on screen by
client, in the form of text, audio or video.

## Create a search strategy to fully satisfy the client's enquiry

### Choosing search terms

Searching for information using the most appropriate key words is
important in any reference enquiry. But it is arguably even more
important in an Internet search than when you are looking through
printed indexes. When carrying out a manual search, the human mind can
make links and jump from one search term to another. Computers on the
other hand stick strictly to the script and will only find information
which matches what you have instructed them to look for.

Let's look at how you can derive the search terms for an enquiry. You
must be able to analyse a topic and break it down into its component
parts. At its simplest you just extract the significant words, usually
the nouns and verbs, and use these as search terms. An example would be
a client asking for information about "How would you cook a vegetable
like fennel?" Which word(s) would you choose as search term(s) in this
enquiry?

The best choice would be \"cook\" and \"fennel\" - these two words are
the essence of the enquiry. \"How would you\" is too general and
\"vegetable\" would only be needed if there was some ambiguity over the
nature of fennel.

The above is not necessarily true depending on the search tool you are
using. For example if you use YouTube and type in - how do you\... for
almost any subject you will find video showing exactly what you want to
know.

#### Examples of search terms

Here are some further examples of enquiries where you would be able to
use one or more words from the client's initial question as search
terms. The search terms are in bold.

I need some advice on keeping a **greyhound** as a **pet**.

What are the **symptoms** of **diabetes**?

Who is the **chief executive** of **CILIP** (the Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals)?

What **colour** is the flower commonly known as **ragwort**?

Of course, the question as posed by the enquirer may not contain words
which are the best search terms. You may need to think of alternatives
in the form of synonyms (words which mean the same) and words related to
the terminology used by the client.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.1**

List some reasons why synonyms and related words might be better search
terms.

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#### Synonyms

It is important to consider synonyms of a search term because the word
given to you by the client may be one of many which describes the
concept to be searched for, e.g. if a client wishes to know about
illness, it may be useful to carry out a search with the word disease
instead.

Try this example for yourself. Carry out two searches using the same
search engine, the first with sports competitor as your search term and
the second using sports opponent and look at the differences in the
results.

The term suggested by the client may be a less commonly used or out of
date expression, so it is vital to think of more usual or appropriate
synonyms. The client might ask about Ceylon when requiring information
about the country now known as Sri Lanka. It would therefore be
appropriate to search under both Ceylon and Sri Lanka.

If you have time test your knowledge of the English language here -
<http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/synonyms.htm>

#### Related terms

Sometimes it is useful to use a related term for the word given by the
client. When a client asks for information on malnutrition in Africa, a
related term could be used instead of the rather broad one. An
individual country could be substituted, such as Sudan. Of course, you
must take into account that using related terms can change the nature of
your search. In this example, using Sudan will give you results which
are influenced by the particular problems suffered by this country which
differ from other parts of the continent.

Can you come up with one or more potentially useful related terms in
searching for each of the following?

-   web 2.0 applications in a library context
-   genetically modified crops
-   popular music in the 1960's
-   saving using insurance policies
-   capital punishment in the USA

Some examples are:

For web 2.0 applications you could use social media

For genetically modified crops: Frankenstein seeds, Monsanto, soya

For popular music in the 1960's: the name of any singer or group from
this era -- the Beatles, Dusty Springfield

For capital punishment in the USA: death row, electric chair, gas
chamber, names of individual states where capital punishment is used
e.g. Texas

Another aspect to be considered when choosing search terms is that while
the client may give you descriptive terms for the information required,
it may be more effective to search on actual names of individuals or
organisations or concepts. Taking the earlier search regarding
malnutrition in Africa, the description malnutrition could lead you to
search using the key words World Health Organisation. This will lead to
the WHO site where information on diseases in specific African countries
is quickly located.

Can you come up with a name of an organisation or individual which could
be a useful specific term in searching for each of the following?

horse racing the royal family relativity theory college courses

There are many related terms which apply to each of these. Here are the
examples which we thought of:

Shergar, British Horse Racing Board

The name of any member of the royal family, such as the Prince of Wales

Albert Einstein

The name of your local college

Note that the previous three techniques depend both on your ability to
interpret the client's description and on your own general knowledge.
With experience and in discussion with knowledgeable colleagues, your
skills will increase.

#### Ambiguity

You should also keep in mind that some words are ambiguous. China can
mean a country in the Far East or pottery products. The English language
is particularly rich in such ambiguities. In the reference interview you
will have clarified the meaning of any such ambiguous words. Now at the
search stage, you should either use a non-ambiguous synonym (if one
exists) or add an additional search term to remove the ambiguity.

Some simple examples are:

Cycle -- is it the bicycle or a rotation? Yarn -- could mean thread or a
tall story. Kids -- could lead to children or young goats.

### Structuring an Internet search

As an information professional, you need to know all the shortcuts to
information that client's request. This means more than just typing
search terms into Google!

Structuring the search involves the choice of different search engines,
metacrawlers, directories and portals or, where you are already familiar
with appropriate websites and their content, direct interrogation of
these.

In order to search effectively on the Internet, you need to be familiar
with the different types of websites used to search for information.
Three general types are the search engine, the metacrawler and the
directory. Each operates and is used in a different way, although
several sites incorporate more than one type. For example the Google
site consists of both a search engine and a directory.

#### Search Engines

A **search engine** is a website that allows you to input words
representing your search terms and uses these to come up with a list of
websites which should be relevant to your search. Repeating the same
search using different search engines may lead to different results due
to the way in which the various search engines search the web and order
the sites found. You should have experience of a selection of search
engines to understand their similarities and differences. It can be
illustrative to make identical searches on a number of search engines
and observe the different results.

There are many different search engine sites. It is important to have a
grasp of a few of the most important sites, i.e.: those that lead
quickly to useful information. This can be because they specialise in a
particular sector are well funded and thus comprehensive. (Such sites
are popular and so command large fees for their advertising services.)

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.2**

Start by familiarising yourself with some of the popular search engines
which will be important in your information searching. Go to each search
engine listed below and try out the search term **British planes**. Do
not bother to use capital letters in the search terms as the search
engines do not really take them into account.

Note down what you find in the layout and types of information
displayed.

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You will find four rather different results. Even if the same results
were displayed (which is unlikely given the slightly vague search term),
each search engine presents the information in a different manner.

#### Differences between search engines

Google and Yahoo are somewhat similar with a simple list but Google
presents Wikipedia pages and news near the top.

Ask Jeeves starts off with a list of commercial sites, all wanting to do
business with you and only lower down shows you 'real' results. But in
its favour, there is a list of related searches down the right hand
side.

Clusty is at first similar with a list of results and a few
advertisements but there is a very useful feature in that down the left
hand side, it clusters the results in categories which it has discerned.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.3**

Try Clusty out with the search term **organ** and you will see the value
of the category feature. Because organ is ambiguous as a search term,
Clusty very neatly categorises its results into organ as a musical
instrument and parts of the body. You can see that in this way Clusty
can lead you to a set of results more focused that the other three
search engines.

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Of course none of these search engines is perfect and it would unwise to
rank one above another.

#### Compound queries

Note that our search terms consisted of two words, **British** and
**planes**. When you look down the results at all four websites, you
will see that only sometimes are the two words adjacent and that some of
the results only have one of the words present. Most search engines have
the convention that to indicate the compound term the words should be in
quotes i.e.: **"British planes"**.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.4**

Try this out with **Jersey cows**. Enter the two words with and without
quotes and compare your results.

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Try to get as much experience as you can in using different search
engines. You will learn that although using only Google, say, will give
you lots of results, the use of a few different engines may give you a
better overview of the range of information available for any chosen
search topic.

#### How search engines work

It is helpful to know a little about how search engines work. In simple
terms, they search the Internet and look at the websites and their
contents. They index the information they find on the site and in the
metadata descriptions placed on each site by its creator. This
information is used to lead from your search terms to the results. Of
course each search engine uses its own particular methods. You can find
out more about this either by doing a search or looking for information
on the actual search engines.

This matching does have its pitfalls and if using ambiguous search terms
you may get at best many useless results and at worst offensive ones.

#### Metacrawlers

Based on the maxim that more is better, Metacrawlers apply your search
terms to several search engines simultaneously. Metacrawlers come in
many forms and are sometimes described as **meta search engines**.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.4**

Familiarise yourself with some of the popular metacrawlers which you can
use in your information searching:

Go to each metacrawler listed below and try out the search term
**British planes**.

-   **Dogpile** at <http://www.dogpile.co.uk/>
-   **Surfwax** at <http://www.surfwax.com/>
-   **Mamma** at <http://www.mamma.com/>
-   **Ixquick** at <http://www.ixquick.com/eng/>

Note down what you find in the layout and types of information
displayed.

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Again there are different results and some very different layouts.

One major reason for using metacrawlers rather than individual search
engines is that you hope to get a good spread of the best information.
We would suggest that this works best early in a search to get and idea
of the breadth of the information available.

Using a metacrawler also saves you having to visit each of the
individual search engines.

#### Web directories

Unlike search engines, web directories do not search for you but are
arranged as an alphabetically ordered index to the web, developing into
a **tree structure** of levels of sub-categories. This is somewhat
similar to the subject index in a print encyclopedia.

Directories can be very useful in allowing you to home in on the general
area of a reference search. However there are countless directory sites,
many of which are poorly maintained. Poor maintenance manifests itself
with broken links or links to inappropriate material. You should make
yourself familiar with the good examples of directories and we will
examine some of these now.

General purpose directory sites are provided by many search engines:
Google and Yahoo are examples. Most confusingly they show both the
categories which you can descend and a search facility which looks like
the web search but is in fact used to search the categories.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.5**

Examine some of the general purpose web directories which you can use in
your information searching:

Go to each directory listed below and try to look for information on
flower arranging:

-   Yahoo at <http://dir.yahoo.com/>
-   Open directory at <http://dmoz.org/>

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#### Differences between directories and search engines

One key difference between the directory and the search engine is that
the entries in the directory should be compiled 'by hand' and not
through automated searching. This may be seen as an advantage if you
consider that a human is better at categorising the sites i.e. spurious
sites may be eliminated.

We feel that the really useful directories are the more focused relating
to environmental information. You can also appreciate that browsing
through the tree structure of the directory can be time-consuming and
will not automatically lead to a result.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.6**

There is a tremendous amount of information available at
<http://searchenginewatch.com/> covering every conceivable aspect of
information providing websites.

Have a look at this website for further tips.

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An alternative approach is the use of Portals.

#### Using portals

A portal is, at its most general, a website which offers grouped links
leading to information. General purpose portals, such as www.msn.co.uk
or www.yahoo.com, are often used as home pages by users and have links
to life style sites. These sorts of general portals are rarely of use in
answering information enquiries.

Some more specialised portals are tailored to be used say, to provide a
child friendly web experience (e.g.: <http://home.disney.co.uk/>), as
they give relative safety from inappropriate material.

Other specialised portals focus on particular topic areas and it is
these which can save you time in answering reference enquiries.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.7**

Familiarise yourself with some of the portals which you can use in your
information searching. Go to each portal listed below and get a feel for
the information you could access through it.

-   **DirectGov** at <http://www.direct.gov.uk/Homepage/fs/en>
-   **Wine.Com** at <http://www.wine.com/>
-   **Visit Scotland** at <http://www.visitscotland.com/>
-   **Irish Abroad** at <http://www.irishabroad.com/>
-   **Connects** at <http://www.connects.org.uk/>

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There are thousands of portals. With experience you will get to know a
number of useful ones for sourcing specific information.

#### Using bibliographic databases

Bibliographic databases permit the retrieval of information in a variety
of formats and media. Some of these are commercial subscription
services, e.g.: www.booksinprint.com. You must be aware which databases
your library subscribes to. If you do not know this already, check it
out now.

Other bibliographic databases which are free of charge include the
catalogues of major libraries -- such as the British Library's
catalogues containing over 12 million books, serials, printed music and
maps. University libraries usually have online catalogue access, as do
public libraries. Booksellers' databases can also be useful sources of
online bibliographic information.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.8**

Familiarise yourself with some of the bibliographic databases which you
might use in your information searching: Go to each site listed below
and get a feel for the information you could access through it.

-   **British Library** at <http://www.bl.uk/>
-   **Cardiff University Library** at <http://library.cf.ac.uk/>
-   **Blackwell's** at <http://www.blackwell.co.uk/>

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### Frequently-used websites

It is useful to acquaint yourself with sites of major organisations
which hold information relating to commonly asked enquiries. Examples
are government departments, your own local authority, major voluntary
organisations and organisations of local interest.

\-\-\-- ![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"}
**ACTIVITY 3.9**

Familiarise yourself with some websites which will be important sources
of information for you:

Locate the Government's **Home Office website** and find the telephone
number for General Enquiries Locate the website for your **local
authority** and find a list of the local councillors Locate the website
for the **UK Citizens Advice Bureau** and find the location of your
local bureau. Locate the website for your **nearest airport** and find a
list of destinations flown to.

Now expand on this by thinking of other likely sources of specialised
information and check out these websites for yourself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Internal searches

As well as using search terms in search engines, you should notice that
you can conduct a search within a website using the internal search
facility provided by the site. A good example is the search facility
within www.scottish.parliament.uk which permits searching by subject
terms within specific areas of the site and for specified types of
documents. This site has both simple and advanced search facilities.

Use the Advanced Search facility to find **debates in the chamber**
which relate to **apprenticeships**.

### Website suffixes

When you are looking at websites, it is useful have an understanding of
implications of the common suffixes used in the addresses for websites
(called URLs). Some suffixes give a clue about the nature of the
organisation which owns the website. Note, however, that for some
suffixes there is no absolute fixed rule for their use. Thus you would
find that gov.uk always indicates a local or national government site in
the UK. By contrast, although .org suggests a non profit-making
organisation, there is no guarantee that this applies to every .org
website.

Here is a list of common organisational suffixes and their meanings.

-   **.ac** **Academic**
-   **.biz** **Business**
-   **.co** **Commercial**
-   **.com** **Commercial**
-   **.edu** **Educational**
-   **.gov** **Local or National Government**
-   **.int** **International**
-   **.net** **Network**
-   **.org** **Non profit making**

#### Geographical suffixes

There are also **geographical suffixes** with .uk for the United Kingdom
and .ie for the Republic of Ireland. The United States is the only
country which does not use a suffix. The .us suffix exists, but is
seldom seen.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 3.10**

Go to <https://www.norid.no/en/om-domenenavn/domreg/> or another similar
site and find the suffixes for Internet sites for the following
countries:

-   **Australia**
-   **Canada**
-   **France**
-   **Germany**
-   **India**
-   **Pakistan**

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## 1.3 Evaluate the results of the search

### Validity of information

Information found on the Internet can sometimes be problematic. It is
always important for the information professional to validate
information found during a search, whether this results from printed or
electronic sources. However, the information found in reference books
and other printed materials in public libraries has usually undergone a
rigorous selection process. Thus some of the validation of information
has already taken place through the selection process.

This is not the case with Internet sites. Individuals or organisations
can, at almost negligible cost, upload information to websites which are
then accessible throughout the World. Such sites may present information
which is out of date, biased to one point of view or just plainly wrong.
So all information found on the Internet must be critically evaluated.
This is an important role for the information professional.
Non-specialists are less likely to query the information found on the
Internet -- perhaps they assume that it has been vetted in some way,
just like the reference books in our libraries.

There are three main criteria for validating information:
**reliability**, **accuracy** and **currency**.

#### Reliability

There are a number of criteria which can be used to give you confidence
in the **reliability of the information** on a website.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

![](T_cap.gif "T_cap.gif"){width="50"} Before proceeding, list what you
think are the criteria for establishing the reliability of a website.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Reliability criteria

We think that the following three points are very important:

-   **the expertise and reputation of those connected with the website**
-   **evidence of lack of bias**
-   **evidence of equal emphasis towards all aspects of the search
    topic**

#### Expertise and reputation

If you can see that the website is supported by a reputable organisation
or contributed to by a person with known expertise then it is reasonable
to accept the website as being reliable. Examples would be where a
website giving medical advice was run by a government department or a
well respected charity e.g. **NHS direct** at
<http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/> or **Cancer Research UK** at
<http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/>

Another more trivial example is that you would expect to find reliable
recipes at **Delia Smith's** website <http://www.deliaonline.com/>

#### Lack of bias

Individuals can be **biased** in their opinions. Even well known experts
may **represent only one aspect** of a topic.

Many websites by their very nature present information from only one
viewpoint and are thus biased. While such information need not
necessarily be excluded from the results presented to the client, you
must indicate any identified bias and, if possible, provide information
from other sources which present opposing points of view. This is
particularly important when the client is seeking information on
**potentially contentious matters** such as politics, religion, race or
issues related to pressure groups.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 4.1**

As an exercise in looking for bias in websites, search for a pair of
websites giving opposing points of view on the following topics.

-   keeping a monkey as a house pet
-   the need for the UK Monarchy
-   the greenness of nuclear fuel
-   the usefulness of homeopathy

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Opposing views

The following example sites were available at the time of the latest
review of this section.

-   Opposing views on keeping a monkey as a house pet can be found at
    **Pet Assure**
    <https://www.petassure.com/maxscorner/can-monkeys-make-good-pets/>
    and at
    <http://www.aspca.org/adopt/adoption-tips/exotic-animals-pets> the
    website of **American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
    Animals**.
-   Opposing views on the need for the **UK Monarchy** can be found at
    the official UK Monarchy site at <http://www.royal.gov.uk> and a
    Marxist perspective at <http://www.marxist.org.uk/>
-   Opposing views on the greenness of nuclear fuel can be found at the
    **Greenpeace** website <http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/> and that of
    the **World Nuclear Association** <http://www.world-nuclear.org/>
-   Opposing views on the usefulness of homeopathy at the site of the
    **British Homeopathic Association** at
    <http://www.trusthomeopathy.org/> and the **National Council Against
    Health Fraud (NCAHF)** Position Paper on Homeopathy found at
    <http://www.ncahf.org/pp/homeop.html>

Although the exercise and the results may seem a little trivial, it is
useful. The problem when you are faced with queries about these sort of
contentious issues is that you will initially retrieve a site as a
result of your information search which gives only one side of the case.
You must then search for the opposite, just as you have done here.

#### Equal emphasis

Emphasis differs from bias in that it is **omission of information**
rather than deliberate over-statement of one point of view. For example,
US sites may devote little space to British developments. Another
pertinent example in UK public libraries is that sites for UK government
departments may include information only for England on devolved issues.

You should be aware that **emphasis can be more difficult to detect than
bias**. A solution is to apply the technique of **cross checking** with
other sites on the same topic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 4.2**

Look at the government website for the Department for Education
<https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education> .
Education is a devolved responsibility and thus varies considerably
between the four UK nations. Much of the information on the DfES website
applies only to England and sometimes Wales.

Compare the information about literacy strategy in schools with that
given on:

-   <http://www.deni.gov.uk> **Department of Education Northern
    Ireland**
-   <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/education> **Scottish Government
    Education and Training**
-   <http://www.learning.wales.gov.uk> **Welsh Assembly Government
    Education and Skills**

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Accuracy

When you are looking for factual information you can usually assume that
a reliable site based on the points above will attempt to provide
correct data. However, mistakes can be made and you should cross check
data using more than one reliable site wherever possible.

#### Currency

In using the Internet you often come across websites which are seriously
out of date. In fact some of them are actually abandoned and will never
be updated again. When you use websites in your information searching,
you must make sure that the information is current. Of course with a
reference book you can look at the publication date. However for
websites it is not just so easy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

![](T_cap.gif "T_cap.gif"){width="50"} Before proceeding, list some
points you could look for on a website to establish its currency.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Establishing currency

We can think of a few possible ways of establishing the currency of a
website. Obviously they depend on finding date information. This can be
explicit:

-   You can check the **"Last revised"** date on a website. This is
    usually found on the first screen. Note that this may only indicate
    the last time a change was made to a particular part of the website
    and that it does not imply that **all** the content was updated on
    that date.
-   You can look to see how recent are the **publication dates** of the
    documents referred to on the site
-   You can look out for **dates quoted** within text and make an
    estimate of currency
-   You might find a **"Forthcoming events"** list where all dates
    should be in the future, or in the very recent past.

In the absence of any explicit date information you may need to look at
Indirect methods of establishing currency

#### Indirect methods of establishing currency

If there are no actual dates mentioned, you will need to look for more
subtle indications that the site is regularly updated.

-   You can look for **regulations or laws** mentioned in the site and
    find their dates of introduction.
-   You can look for the **names of institutions or Government
    departments.** These do change name and can be used to give a date
    range.
-   You can look for the **names of personalities** involved in the
    topic which can show currency.
-   Finally you can simply look for reference to **recent news items**
    which will date the site's information.

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 4.3**

Look at <http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/littlebritain/> This is a reputable
site and it clearly states whether the site has been recently updated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

### Measuring the success of a search

At the start of the enquiry process, during the reference interview you
should have determined clearly the client's requirements. At the end of
the enquiry process you must review the results of the search against
these requirements in order to check that the search has been fully
successful.

In some cases you may not be able to fully satisfy the client's
requirements. If this happens, the reasons for this must be explained to
the client e.g.: information does not exist in the format specified. You
should propose some **alternatives** if these are possible.

There are three main criteria, **sufficiency**, **format** and
**language**.

#### Sufficiency

Is there **enough information** or **too much?** If it is a
straightforward fact being sought then you should have no difficulty
here. However for a more complex search you must make sure that you have
not overdone the amount of data retrieved to prevent swamping the client
and if necessary trim it a bit. Conversely you must check that you have
supplied enough information. If the client suggests that more would be
appreciated, you can indicate tactfully that you have provided what was
asked for but offer to search further if required.

#### Format

Make sure that the client's requests for **particular formats**, such as
text, print-out, e-mailed results, audio or video have been met with.

#### Language

You should make sure that the client's requests for information in a
**particular language** have been followed.

### Structuring and saving of search results

The raw data should be presented in a structured way which facilitates
understanding by the client. In particular, it is important for the
client to be informed of the **source(s)** of the information found.

For **simple searches**, the result is likely just to be a **short
statement of fact**. Here all that is required is that the information
is presented **clearly** and **unambiguously**. However simple the
information, we do recommended that it is given to the client in writing
and that you keep a copy. That way there can be no argument later about
the results. And having a written record means that the client does not
have to depend on their memory to recall the information.

For searches which result in a considerable amount of information, you
should present the results in some sort of **logical order**. Different
orders suit different types of enquiry.

#### Ordering results

You might adopt one or a combination of:

-   **Following the progress of the search** -- "First I looked at the
    Food Standards Agency site and this told me....., then I moved on to
    the Association of Farmers Markets where I found.... etc.
-   **Geographical order** -- grouping information from a country
    together
-   **Chronological order** -- to show how a topic developed
-   **Alphabetical order** -- if the result of the search is a list of
    references
-   **By point of view** -- information on one side of the argument,
    then the opposing side.

These are only some possibilities and you should not feel compelled to
choose one of these. The important thing is that your structure for
presenting the information suits the topic and is helpful to the client.

#### Bibliographic references

If the results of your search include **bibliographic references**,
these should be quoted in a consistent and accepted style. You can find
advice on this on the websites of most universities. A good example is
Anglia Ruskin University
<http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm> or you could try
the University of Warwick at
<http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/help/guidespublications/bib_cit/>

It is important to realise that your search and its results represent
useful work, which does not simply end when the results are handed over
to the client. We can think of two straightforward cases where reference
will be made to your work in the future.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

![](T_cap.gif "T_cap.gif"){width="50"} Before proceeding write down two
possible reasons for archiving searches for future use.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

#### Archiving searches

Ignoring the possibility that the first client loses the data and wants
another copy of it (this can happen!), the most likely scenario is that
another client comes into the library and asks the very same query.
Here, if you have stored the enquiry information properly, you can
simply go to the search and produce a copy of the results.

In this case, the search results should be archived in such a way that
the search can be retrieved by appropriate key terms. These will be
subject key words.

Ideally the library should have a formal system for recording the
results of **frequently asked questions**. You should be aware if your
library service does this and, if so, make sure that you know how to add
your information search results to this.

#### Frequently asked questions

One good example of a library database of frequently asked questions is
Edinburgh University's "Previously AnsweRed Questions -- PARQs".

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![](A_Cap_Digital.svg "A_Cap_Digital.svg"){width="50"} **ACTIVITY 4.4**

Examine Edinburgh University's "Previously AnsweRed Questions -- PARQs"
site on <http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/faqs/parqs.shtml> and find the answer
to the question "How much did the Forth Bridge cost?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We think you will agree that this facility is very easy to use. Note
how, in addition to answering the questions, the site points the
enquirer to further sources of information by means of hyperlinks.

If your library service does not have a formal service-wide system like
this, you should consider setting up a simple version for yourself and
colleagues at your service point. This is relatively simple to do using
a database package available in your library.

#### Updating data

Another situation where you may wish to revisit your search is where the
same client reappears and wants you to **repeat the enquiry** at a later
point in order to **update the data** or **include new developments**
which have taken place since the original search was undertaken.

In this case it is important to save not just the **search results** but
also the **search strategy**. You will need to repeat the strategy in
order to update the information found the first time.

You may find that certain enquiries have a habit of repeating at the
same time each year. An example would be where pupils always undertake a
school project on a particular topic at the beginning of each academic
year. You know that every September a group of 12 year olds will descend
on your library desperately seeking information on young people and
drugs in the locality. In this case, you can even prepare yourself in
advance by repeating your search **before** the question is posed, so
that you are prepared to assist the young people with their information
needs.

