#library tips

Message to library sent from ask-a-question form: My assignment is to read "This is an Article Title" by Name McNamerson. Please advise how to find that.

My research post is going around again (RIP my activity page), which always brings a bunch of fresh comments on a variety of related topics, and I always wish I could add some little addendums that people should keep in mind:

The original point of the post is that you shouldn't automatically assume a mid-high research familiarity with anyone, even people who have previously completed university degrees (outside of specifically-demonstrated proficiency as an admissions requirement or something). The post was particularly sparked because the master's program that student was in, at the time, did not include a library orientation that even showed students what databases were or the program-specific guide, and I hated that the program thus relied on students to realize they should use the library and just intuit how to find everything.This has since changed.

It was also sparked because, as seen in the dialog, the student did not demonstrate even basic computer-search semi-critical thinking skills like "maybe I should try rephrasing my search."

Yes, it is fairly common AFAIK in the US for first-year college/university students (or students in beginning-level college courses) to get some sort of library or research instruction. To my knowledge it's also pretty common in certain disciplines to have a dedicated research methods-type course at a higher undergrad level before graduation.

It's a reasonable assumption that students in a master's program have had information literacy instruction (or a full research class) before since everyone had at least one prior college degree, but I strongly believe all programs need, at a minimum, a basic library introduction (even a virtual tutorial, which is what this program now does) so they know/are reminded of what resources exist.

Pretty sure it's not uncommon to get some sort of instruction in high school, and even basic skills earlier than that. IDK what's widespread at pre-college levels, guys, I was homeschooled. But educational standards vary from state to state, and education is, if you haven't noticed a notoriously politically-influenced profession (in that often people spouting opinions and making rules are not educators).

That said, I have personally seen many instances where students did get a very good introduction, tutorial, or in-depth lessons on how to research, and they didn't pay attention or take it seriously. This is not a problem that lies solely with people designing educational courses or standards. The problem of equating "I can google for basic questions on a phone" with "therefore it's easy to look for academic and/or specialized publications and research in subscription databases or other less-public locations" is something students also do all the time.

Research is also a skill, meaning that if you don't use or practice it, you'll likely lose some of that knowledge. This isn't a judging statement; it just means if it's been a while since you had to use those skills, even if you knew stuff before, you might need some help to refresh that knowledge.

This was true when I wrote the post and it's true now: reaching out for help is a good option.

My dear library patrons,

I have noticed that many of you are filled with trepidation about ringing the bell beside the sign that says “ring bell for service.” I understand, it feels weird and maybe kinda rude to get attention with a bell like a nineteenth-century Englishman summoning a butler to appear out of the shadows who then murmurs “Very good, sir” when directed to replace Aunt Araminta’s decor with slightly smaller versions in the hopes that she will feel uncomfortable yet be unable to understand why and finally leave your house where she has been vacationing for six long weeks.

To that end, I have prepared this helpful quiz so you can determine whether pressing that button is really warranted!

1) Can you see someone behind the service desk? IF YES > talk to them. Say “hi” or “excuse me” if they haven’t noticed your presence IF NO > go to next question

2) Is there a sign that says something to the effect of “create a noise and someone will assist you”? IF YES > make noise as directed IF NO > look around for someone who looks like they know what’s going on. Ask people nearby if they know what’s going on. IF YES BUT MAKING THE NOISE INTIMIDATES YOU > go to next question

3) Will understanding the purpose of the noise make you feel better? IF YES > the reason you have been directed to make that specific noise is because the employees understand that for varied reasons, they cannot pay full attention to that desk right now. To make sure you are not standing around awkwardly wishing you weren’t standing around getting annoyed, they have developed a tool to alert an employee when you need help. Like a bell. If they hear the bell, they will think, “ah, I need to go to that desk.”. They are not paying attention to people standing in front of the desk otherwise. They might not even see you. They want you to make the noise if you need assistance. It is not rude. IF NO > sometimes we have to do things that we don’t like, sorry. Please rest assured that I assume, upon hearing the bell, that someone wants to check out dry-erase markers and do not associate you with Lady Featherstonehaugh’s haughty command for the maids to clean up the disappointing afternoon tea because she found the scones too crumbly.

BONUS) Were you standing around because you somehow missed the sign that says “ring bell” and now you feel kinda silly? YES I FEEL SILLY > one time I walked around a small square store smaller than a Taco Bell, which had advertised a shawarma place inside, couldn’t see food anywhere and asked at the front counter, only to be pointed to the back left corner that I had directly faced at least twice as I walked the aisles looking for food. There was a counter and a big menu on the wall. I came within 10 feet of it. I did not see it. It was not hidden. I died inside, but more importantly, I bought shawarma and it was delicious and now I know for next time. 

Or, What We Really Need People to Understand in Order for this Whole Thing to Work Smoothly and Ideally Without Any Angry Messages or Snarky Social Media Comments or People Giving Up and Paying the Publisher $45 for a Single Stupid Article, None of Which is the Library’s Fault

What is interlibrary loan (ILL)? When you want an item that your library doesn’t have, but they can request it (or a scan of it) from another library. Most commonly this is books or book chapters, articles, or journals. Some libraries may allow things like DVDs, microfiche, and audiobooks, but many do not (loan or borrow). Usually [in the US] this is free to you, a card-holder of the library you make the request through, but there may be exceptions for budgetary reasons or if the sending library charges a fee. They’ll tell you.

How long does it take go receive? / I submitted my request [X] days ago, why isn’t it available? On the other side of the form you submitted with your request is a human. It takes time for humans to do each of the following steps: 1) confirm we really don’t have the item being requested AND that it’s not available through, like, Google Scholar or other immediately-available-via-internet means, 2) find library with item, 3) people at other library must locate, possibly scan, and/or mail the item, 4) if physical item, mail service time, 5) person at receiving library might have to do things, like receive and process a physical item, or alert the requester about how to access a digital item.

ILL is a human process facilitated by computers. How much is easily automated depends on the specific request and the specific libraries involved, but none of it is as simple as “push button and have computer spit out The Thing.”

Email received (sent to general library email address):

[Subject:] “Video Activity: Social Problems Among Americans.”

[Body:] “Please help me with this video. My assignment is due [date two days from now].”

There’s a moment, when I receive emails like these, when I just have to stop and catch my breath. There is so much information missing that it’s hard to know where to start because I don’t want to scare the student off, but look: is the subject the name of the video, or your assignment? What do you need help with? Are you trying to find it? Do you need information related to it? Do you think I know what your class and assignment are? Because I don’t! I don’t know anything at this point.

So of course I am going to reply to the student and clarify, but if you find yourself in a similar situation, here’s an example of what an email could look like that will help the librarians help you faster and better:

[Subject:] “Finding video 'Social Problems Among Americans’”

[Body:] “Hello, I’m supposed to watch the video ‘Social Problems Among Americans’ for my class and the professor said it was in a library database, but I can’t find it. Can you help me?”

or

[Subject:] “Finding videos on library website”

[Body:] “Hello, I am working on an assignment and need to watch and respond to videos about social problems in America. How do I find videos with the library?”

What do you see in these two examples? Let’s break it down.

The subjects are both have short but descriptive. The first one makes it clear they’re searching for a specific video, and the second example clarifies they just need help finding videos altogether. They don’t need to be super specific, because that’s what the actual message is for. Both put the most important words (”finding video”/”finding videos”) at the beginning, so even if the rest of the subject gets cut off, it’s easy to see at first glance what they need.

The message starts with the most important information: what they need help with. (I am leaving out the greeting from this analysis, but like...greetings are polite, y’all. I recommend them. Same with a signoff.) Both examples are very short, to match the length and tone of the real email I’m basing them on, but you can absolutely include more information. Just add any extra info after the main point.

In the first example, the student knows and communicates the specific video title, and that they’ve been told it’s accessible via the library. That gives the librarian a good place to start! The student could also include any extra information about the video, if they knew it (“It’s from a PBS series called Titles of Stuff and came out in 2015″), because extra details never hurt, but what they have in that short email would be enough to easily get started.

In the second example, they student could include information about what “social problems” are--if I got this email in real life, I might ask to clarify that, because when searching, maybe “social problems” as a search term don’t bring up a lot of useful video results when I’m in the right database, but “poverty” or “educational inequality” will. Or they might just copy-and-paste the explanation from their syllabus into a new paragraph, deciding that it explains what they’re looking for best. The key thing here is that after they say what their problem is and what they need help with, then they provide that additional information.

An Explainer for College Students and Anyone Else Using Library Resources for Research

Many journals cost money. Like, ridiculous amounts of money, even to libraries, even to big university libraries. It’s a big problem--just google “Elsevier” (a huge publisher of academic journals that lobbies against open-access) if you want a start in seeing how cost affects access decisions.

Journals and databases (where you often find said journals/articles) are usually a subscription, not a one-time purchase. So ongoing access usually requires ongoing payment.

Libraries generally do not have a lot of money. Libraries are often devalued (”everything is online,” “it’s easy to search for things with the internet,” “physical books are on their way out,” “students grew up with computers and so don’t need librarian help as much as the past”) and are easy targets when trying to reduce funding, so your library cannot subscribe to every journal or database.

Sometimes a library’s database might only have access to specific years of a journal. Maybe because a publisher pulled their support (or wanted more money or something) after a specific date.

Sometimes publishers put embargoes on journals. That means access to those journals’ articles is restricted for a period of time after publication, often 12-18 months. Therefore, even a library that normally has access to The Journal of Fake Journal Naming Procedures might actually have embargoed access that ends 365 days ago.

Libraries will often have the abstract of an article--the description, basically--even if they don’t have access to the article itself. So when you’re searching, you may often find articles that sound great only to find that you can’t read the article itself.

So why do you need to know this?

First, because it explains why you might not be able to find everything you need the night before your paper is due. When librarians and professors (and professor librarians) say to start research early, this is one of the big reasons why. It’s not scaremongering, it’s that you legitimately might not be able to adequately find or get everything you need if you wait until the last minute.

Because you usually can get access (legally) to that article your library doesn’t have! If the library doesn’t have it, I usually check Google Scholar (see if it’s linked anywhere else), and a normal internet search--sometimes it turns out the journal is open access and has the articles all on its own website, sometimes an author will have a PDF on their personal website, etc. And if those don’t work, most libraries should have something called interlibrary loan (ILL), which allows them to request that a library that does have the article send it to them and you.

But ILL relies on humans, who have work schedules, need time to see and reply to emails and locate articles, might need to scan them into a PDF, etc. I’ve seen ILL article requests fulfilled within a few hours! And I’ve also seen ILL article requests take a business week. At my library, the average is about 2.5 business days.

Second, you should know about availability because it’s possible for access to change at any time. The library could change database availability. A journal might change its access. A journal might increase fees and the library might have to stop subscribing. If you have an article that you are using, referencing, or even just potentially using, the best way to make sure it stays available is to download a PDF. If you’re using a citation management program (like Zotero, RefWorks, or others), many will let you attach a PDF to your reference, instead of just linking to it. If you save a PDF where it’s accessible to you, you will never have to worry about losing access to that article.

Third, if you understand the difference between “abstract only” and “full text available,” you can tailor your search to better fit your needs. If you have time--say, a week or more before it’s due--then absolutely abstracts might help, because you likely have time to request and receive the full text through ILL. Your library helps you find sources, even when the library itself doesn’t have access, and thus you have a huge amount of options for finding the right articles for your project.

*AKA Seriously Just Ask Us, It Will Help You In The Long Run

What are the library hours, and where are they posted (so you can check without physically walking to the library)?

What and where are the different collections (main/general, reference, specific subject collections, etc)?

Where are databases located (for doing research)? How do you sort through them/decide which are best for your needs?

Where are study rooms, and how are they accessed (first-come, first-served? Check out keys)? Are different areas of the library set aside for different noise levels? Can you reserve any rooms?

How do you check things out (what ID, what desks)? Is there somewhere that lists what your checkout privileges are (types, amount of books/items, renewals allowed, fine amounts)?

Is there a way online you can see your record (what’s checked out, when due, online renewal)?

Who do you go to for library help (finding resources, citation help–and what else does “library help” cover?), or what ways can you talk to someone? Can you set up an appointment if you need a lot of help, and how?

Can you put books on hold? How?

What is interlibrary loan and how does it work? And how early should you be doing your research so you can get requested items in time so you're not contemplating paying for access at the last minute?

Rules/acceptability of food and drink? Does location with the library matter? Is there anywhere within the building to buy food or drinks?

Can you make suggestions or give feedback? How?

What about library-adjacent services like tutoring, writing help, IT/computer help, etc? Part of the library, or separate?

Technology–how do you print? Does it cost? Can you check out any tech?

Are there any “library secrets” or under-utilized things that the library staff thinks more people should know about or use?