REFERENCE SERVICE POLICY

I. Purpose

It is the purpose of the Adult and Youth departments to meet the informational and recreational needs of the community by bringing the library’s resources and potential users together through a variety of means.

II. Availability of Service

Reference service will be provided whenever the library is open and is available to any user requesting it regardless of residency. The Reference Desks will be staffed by the appropriate number of professionally trained librarians necessary to provide quality service. When on duty at the reference desks, service to the public is the priority.

III. Forms of Inquiry/Response and Priorities of Inquiries

Reference service will be provided in response to all forms of inquiry, including in-person and those that come by telephone, electronic means and mail. Inquiries will be answered in the form that is most appropriate. Priority is given to in-person requests. Staff will, however, complete a telephone conversation in process before attending to an in-person request. An attempt will be made to answer reference questions at the time of the request, but this may not be possible during busy times or if the question is complex. In such situations, the staff will inform the individual that a longer response time may be necessary and will provide timely follow-up.

IV. Answering Questions

An effort will be made to answer all types of questions. Distinctions will not be made regarding the purpose of the inquiry or use of information.

Reference staff will conduct a thorough search of appropriate in-house and electronic sources to answer a reference question. Users will be given the source citation for the answer to their question.

If the answer to a question requires reading and evaluation of extensive information, the staff will provide guidance and sources for the individual to use. The user will be responsible for the review and evaluation of the material.

Whenever possible, library staff responding to reference inquiries will attempt to guide and instruct individuals in the use of library resources.

For legal, medical, investment, or tax reference questions, the staff will only guide the user to the material available on the topic of interest. The staff will not evaluate or interpret the information provided.

If a question cannot be answered in-house, a referral may be made to an appropriate outside source.

IV. Ethics

The Algonquin Area Public Library subscribes to the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics (attached). All transactions with patrons are confidential and handled with impartiality.

Approved 9/23/09