Success at the Enquiry Desk

Citation

Buckley Owen, T. (2004), "Success at the Enquiry Desk", Library Review, Vol. 53 No. 3, pp. 189-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530410526628

Tim Owen's book, Success at the Enquiry Desk, is obviously a great success for Tim Owen and Facet Publishing: four editions in 7 years – you cannot argue with that! This pocket‐sized primer, first published in 1966 in The Successful LIS Professional series, has a clear pedagogic aim. Chapters start with a list of aims, contain lots of headings, bullet points and boxes, and conclude with “A recap”. There are some of us who are suspicious of breaking down the complexities and nuances of reference work into headings, bullet points and boxes, but Tim Owen, no lightweight himself when it comes to enquiry work (London Research Library, Westminster Central Reference Library, City Business Library), succeeds well in disarming such doubts. Owen certainly has bottle: with bags of examples, a knowledge of what he is writing about, humour, and a clear focus on practicalities, he covers the essentials of enquiry work in a mere 100 pages!

“What do you really want?”, the title of the first chapter, is where all enquiry staff start – ask the right question, agree what is needed, and find out how long you have got – all sound advice. “Not too much, now” (chapter 2): too much information is as bad as too little, consider the needs of the enquirer, and the level of detail needed. Sometimes we are too keen to impress. “Help! My mind's gone blank”: chapter 3 looks at techniques for getting started, while “More on choosing sources” (chapter 4) considers the type of sources (print, electronic, etc.) which might be suitable. Then there are the times we realize we are floundering – “Do I really know what I'm looking for?” – and we need tips for effective search strategies (chapter 5). “Quick! Time's running out” (chapter 6) and “Can't find the answer – what now?” (chapter 7) look at “vital versus urgent”, progress reports, and what to do if your chosen sources fail. Chapter 8, “Success! Now let's add some value”, stresses the neglected area of presentation and reality checks (Have you really answered the question?) Finally, what can we learn from the enquiry? (chapter 9), how can we do better?

The book focuses mainly on the practical generalities of enquiry‐answering, the psychological dimension – but the sources that can be used for feature as well. Chapter 10 is a guide to key reference sources, giving full details and annotations. This complements the “Twenty five multi‐purpose reference sources you can't afford to ignore!” which starts the book. Nice to see the 2002 award‐winning Know It All; Find It Fast, and The Public Librarian's Guide to the Internet both included, and Web sites too.

Of course, subject specialists and experienced reference staff will spot gaps, but for novices, neophytes and students, this little primer will be a god‐send. Old sweats and hardened Ref. campaigners easily forget the helplessness, terror even, which newcomers feel on first facing the public. The sub‐title, Successful enquiry answering – every time, maybe over‐ambitious, but all enquiry staff will benefit from a read, and reread, of this little gem.