TEAM 2Becca Baker, Casey Fox, Mary Rayme, Pamela Wiggins 2

PURPOSEEvaluation of Reference Answering Services

Which is the best reference? And why?

Q&A, CHAT, F2F, DATABASE, INTERNET ?

QUESTION ONE[CLOSED-ENDED]

When was Lincoln assassinated?

1

Pros

Question 1When was Lincoln assassinated?(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)

fast easy anonymous social entertaining

Cons slow not cited sloppy inaccuracies

Q&A?

Pros

Question 1When was Lincoln assassinated? ?Information found by librarian in Webster’s Biographical Dictionary (1995). Also found in the World Book Encyclopedia.

fast well-negotiated authoritative cited professional

Cons travel to library parking have to get

dressedto go out in public

f2f[ face-to-face ]

(Even Lincoln had bad hair days!)

InternetPros

Question 1When was Lincoln assassinated?

?(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)

Cons slow may not be

cited inaccuracies

fast easy anonymous social entertaining

databasePros

Question 1When was Lincoln assassinated?

?(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)

Cons cumbersome visually unappealing not really fast or

accessible for ready reference

authoritative accurate scholarly

chatPros

Question 1When was Lincoln assassinated?

?(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)

Cons slow not cited must type to negotiate

fast easy anonymous provided transcript of

transaction via email

QUESTION TWO[OPEN-ENDED]

Where do babies come from?

2

Pros

Question 2Where do babies come from?“When a man and a woman come together, a baby is often conceived.”~ anonymous user on WebAnswers.com

?

fast easy anonymous social entertaining

Cons slow not cited sloppy inaccuracies impersonal

Q&A

Pros

?

fast well-negotiated authoritative cited professional

Cons travel to library parking have to get

dressedto go out in public

f2f[ face-to-face ]

Question 2Where do babies come from?“It’s NOT the Stork! A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, and Families, and Friends,” by Harris and Emberley, recommended by a librarian at the Lawson McGhee Library.

InternetPros

?

Cons slow not cited inaccuracies

fast easy anonymous social entertaining

Question 2Where do babies come from?eSchoolToday.com provides a scientific explanation about human reproduction.

database

Pros

?

Cons cumbersome visually unappealing not really fast or

accessible for ready reference

fee wall

authoritative accurate scholarly

Question 2Where do babies come from?Gale’s InforTrac Junior and Gale Virtual Reference Library provided information for young people about human sexuality and reproduction.

chatPros

?

Cons slow not cited must type to

negotiate

fast easy anonymous provided transcript of

transaction via email

Question 2Where do babies come from?“It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth,Babies and Families” by Harris and Emberley, recommended by a librarian online via the Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore, Maryland.

CONCLUSIONSSo…which reference answering service was best and why?