Reference & Information Services Flashcards

A patron asks for legal information about their landlord-tenant dispute. What is the appropriate role of the library assistant?

Answer: Provide access to legal reference materials and suggest consulting an attorney for legal advice

Library staff can provide access to legal resources but must not provide legal advice, which requires a licensed attorney.

What is 'WorldCat'?

Answer: A union catalog containing holdings of thousands of libraries worldwide

WorldCat is a global union catalog maintained by OCLC that aggregates holdings records from libraries worldwide.

Which resource is BEST suited for locating biographical information about a living US politician?

Answer: Current Biography

Current Biography profiles notable living individuals including politicians, updated annually.

A patron needs to find the latitude and longitude of a foreign city. Which reference source is MOST appropriate?

Answer: World atlas or geographic reference

World atlases and geographic references provide coordinate data including latitude and longitude for cities worldwide.

What is the function of a 'serials list' in a library?

Answer: A record of periodicals, journals, and newspapers the library subscribes to or holds

A serials list documents the library's periodical subscriptions and holdings, including coverage dates and format.

When a patron cannot find a source that the catalog indicates is on the shelf, what should library staff do FIRST?

Answer: Check the surrounding shelves and reshelving carts before declaring it missing

Items are often misshelved or on reshelving carts; a thorough physical search should precede any assumption the item is lost.

Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of subject headings in library catalogs?

Answer: To group materials about the same topic under consistent terminology for easier searching

Subject headings use standardized terminology to collocate all library materials on the same topic, improving search consistency.