LTA Reference & Information Services 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a secondary source?
- A diary written by a Civil War soldier
- A biography about Abraham Lincoln written by a historian (Correct answer)
- A photograph taken during the Civil War
- A congressional speech from 1865
Correct answer: A biography about Abraham Lincoln written by a historian
Secondary sources analyze or interpret primary sources; a biography written by a historian is a secondary source.
Question 2: A patron asks for help finding peer-reviewed articles on climate change. What is the BEST tool to recommend?
- Google News
- Academic database such as JSTOR or EBSCOhost (Correct answer)
- Wikipedia
- General web search engine
Correct answer: Academic database such as JSTOR or EBSCOhost
Academic databases like JSTOR and EBSCOhost provide access to peer-reviewed scholarly articles.
Question 3: What does 'Boolean operator' mean in database searching?
- A keyword that ranks search results by relevance
- Words like AND, OR, and NOT used to combine or exclude search terms (Correct answer)
- A filter that limits results to a specific date range
- A symbol used to truncate words in a search
Correct answer: Words like AND, OR, and NOT used to combine or exclude search terms
Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) are logical connectors used to broaden or narrow database searches.
Question 4: Which reference tool would help a patron find the address and phone number of a business in another city?
- City directory or online phone directory (Correct answer)
- Statistical abstract
- Trade bibliography
- Union catalog
Correct answer: City directory or online phone directory
City directories and online phone directories provide contact information for businesses and individuals.
Question 5: A patron is looking for book reviews published shortly after a novel's release. Where should you direct them?
- Book Review Digest or Book Review Index (Correct answer)
- Library of Congress catalog
- WorldCat
- Publisher's Weekly archives
Correct answer: Book Review Digest or Book Review Index
Book Review Digest and Book Review Index compile and index reviews from periodicals, organized by title and author.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'pathfinder' or 'research guide' in library services?
- A tool to track overdue materials
- A compiled guide listing key resources on a specific topic to assist researchers (Correct answer)
- A map of the library's physical layout
- A reading list generated by patron purchase requests
Correct answer: A compiled guide listing key resources on a specific topic to assist researchers
A pathfinder is a curated guide that lists recommended databases, books, and websites on a specific research topic.
Question 7: When evaluating a website for reference use, which criterion relates to whether the information is current?
- Authority
- Accuracy
- Currency (Correct answer)
- Coverage
Correct answer: Currency
Currency refers to how up-to-date the information on a website is, which is critical for many reference questions.
LTA Reference & Information Services 3
Which of the following is an example of a secondary source?