Know it All, Find it Fast: An A‐Z Source Guide for the Enquiry Desk

Citation

Crofts, S. (2009), "Know it All, Find it Fast: An A‐Z Source Guide for the Enquiry Desk", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 239-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330910954488

First published in 2002, with a second edition in 2004, KIAFIF, as it is now familiarly known, has surely proved a valuable source of help for many desperate enquiry desk staff. The introduction acknowledges that there are many sources to which staff can turn for help, such as Walford (Lester, 2005, 2007), but many libraries and information services will welcome a single, reasonably priced volume. Benefits added to the second edition, for example a “General sources” section and an index, have been maintained and references to subscription databases are now included as it is the view of the authors that, by now, many libraries will have access to some or all of these.

The contents page is now more clearly laid out with breaks between the letters and the first line of a new letter emboldened. The General sources section provides an outline of the sort of print titles most enquiry desks are likely to have to hand, such as Whitakers (A&C Black, 2009), as well as suggestions for internet sources. After the General sources, there are 160 sections covering a variety of subjects from “Abbreviations” to “Writers & writing”. Some of the divisions seem slightly artificial, for instance the Utilities section takes a more consumer perspective whereas the Energy section is perhaps more aimed at business enquirers.

Each section follows the same format; these examples are from the “Journals & periodicals” section:

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  “See also” references, e.g. “Articles in journals”.

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  Typical questions, e.g. “Where can I get a journal you don't have?”

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  Considerations, e.g. “No library can have them all and many enquiries are about getting issues the library does not have.”

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  Sources which include directories, journals, market research, statistics as appropriate for the subject.

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  Tips and pitfalls, e.g. “Beware journals that have changed their titles, have amalgamated with others, have titles identical with others, or have simply ceased.”

Looking at my own subject area, law, I found the opening paragraph full of good sense, for example always advising the enquirer to obtain legal advice from a qualified legal expert, checking the jurisdiction. Suggested guides range from the expensive and exhaustive Halsbury's Laws of England (Halsbury, 2008), probably only available at specialist or central reference libraries, to more accessible sounding titles such as The Complete A‐Z Law Handbook (Martin and Gibbins, 2003). The summary on law reports provides a clear explanation as well as suggestions for other ways of finding cases, e.g. newspapers and indexes. A cross reference to the European information section might have been useful as the Law section does not make any reference to European law.

Are there any missing subject areas? I spent some time searching for information on dance which does not have its own entry. I tried “Theatre & acting”, “Performance”, “Art & Design, the Arts” but had no luck. There may be other subjects that are not included but any omissions are far outweighed by the usefulness of what is there. The sections on “Family history & genealogy” and on “Local history” look extremely useful for any public library in particular; the Considerations section alerts staff to three dangers of which the second is that “other people's ancestors can be incredibly boring and ‘family tree‐ers’ amazingly garrulous. Be careful not to yawn!”

New sections making an appearance in this edition include “Homework” and “Research & Study” perhaps reflecting the increasing use made of public libraries by school and university students.