In September 2006, I was called to be the Scoutmaster of my old Boy Scout Troop. Following my first committee meeting, I sat around with some of the other leaders just so that we could get to know each other better. Eventually the topic of our conversation came to what we do for our careers. The other leaders told about their experiences as mechanics or car dealers, construction foremen and firemen—all hard working, blue collar jobs—and shared how good it was to work with their hands. When it came time to say that I was a librarian at The California Maritime Academy, the conversation quickly became silent. The expressions on the others’ faces were priceless, blank and confused. They seemed to wonder how they could possibly relate to me. I took a moment to think of a way to spark an interest or to help them understand what I do. I asked the mechanic if he ever needed to look up the cause of a failed part or find a solution to a series of conditions. Of course, he responded yes. I asked the others if they ever needed to find plans or methods to build or deconstruct something. They responded yes as well. I went on to explain that is what I do at my job. I help people find answers to their information needs. At The California Maritime Academy (CMA) Library, I help students and staff research the proper way do a penetrating weld on a one inch steel plate or find the recent changes to the navigation charts for the San Francisco Bay. Boastfully, I stated that I can help anyone find the information they need on just about any subject. Suddenly they realized that my ability to perform research on any topic makes me an asset to the organization.

Finding information on a specific need requires research. Research skills are not innate in the majority of the population. Effective research requires planning. Generally it begins with the identification of a need for knowledge, the more specific the better. Next, guidelines pertaining to form, relevance, accuracy and credibility are imposed. Information professionals can suggest the use of specific sources that will aid in locating information relevant to the research. Every time information is gathered it must be evaluated according to the guidelines created. Information relevant to the specific needs of knowledge is the goal. Relevant information is used by good researchers to refine the scope and need of knowledge, using the newly discovered need to start the process all over again. This explanation of a basic research process does not reflect the fact that these skills require development and constant practice to keep them in working order. Information professionals refine these skills as part of their career, yet anyone is capable of gaining a measure of skill when it comes to research.

Conducting research is a time consuming process. Professionals, faculty and certain students must rely on their information professional to conduct research independently, so they can continue other work. Researchers must know the exact needs of their clients in order to locate and retrieve relevant information. This generally results in a meeting in which the goal of the research is outlined or the exact guidelines are presented. In LIBR 210, with Robert Aaron, I gained experience in conducting reference interviews that allowed me to understand the research needs of clients in various situations as well as locate, retrieve, evaluate and synthesize the results generated by the research. A good reference interview will take anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes to conduct. The length of time is dependent upon the preparation of the client and their ability to articulate their need. The information professional should take time to restate every important request the client has in order to ensure that no misinterpretations occur. The client should be present for a few initial information searches once the goals have been outlined. This will give the client a sense of reassurance and establish a relationship of trust in the partnership.

Professor Aaron assigned us to observe two professional reference librarians conducting day-to-day reference duties and interviews. I chose to observe at the Shields Library at UC Davis. In my observation assignment, I record my thoughts and critiques of the two librarians I observed. Sometimes it felt like they were following a prescribed script to answer patron’s inquiries, while at other times they really seemed to think about and understand the patron’s request and adapt their approach to help locate and provide the information they needed. They were not perfect in the execution of their duties, but they were able to help every student or patron that called upon their service. The successful completion of this assignment brought me a sense of reassurance in being able to conduct reference and information services. Being new to providing this level of reference services presents a challenge and opportunity to grow. The skills that I will need to succeed in this line of service need to be cultivated and constantly exercised in order to be effective.

People are mistaken in thinking that the Internet provides shortcuts to information or that everything they would need to know is found there. This notion is a partial misconception that comes from people that are fluent in information technology, but not the use of information. Practically everything is locatable on the Internet, and most relevant information can be found on the Internet if you know where to look. In another assignment in LIBR 210, Professor Aaron required us to complete research tasks on the Internet without the benefit of knowing the client’s exact desires. For the Internet Scavenger Hunt, I had to plan and think through what I interpreted to be the goal of each situation, successfully locate a reliable source for the information, provide an answer to the situation and cite my source. The scavenger hunt required me to find images, statistics, quotations, and specific information unique to specific client groups. The successful completion of this assignment demonstrates my ability to locate, retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific clients groups.

The Internet does have unique information resources that would not be able to exist with out it. Commercial databases contain collections of magazines, academic and professional research journals, legal briefs and records, public records, and government documents. One of the primary goals of LIBR 244, Online Searching with Jill Werts, was to obtain a working knowledge of the major commercial databases used in the business, legal and medical professionals. Much of the semester was spent learning and mastering Dialog. Dialog is the leading commercial provider of commercial databases. It incorporates a command line interface, which requires training and practice to use. The benefit of using Dialog is that it is capable of searching controlled vocabulary, keyword and specific record fields of multiple databases simultaneously. Dialog charges users a fee for using their service, so it is essential that searches are premeditated. Through my Dialog assignment I demonstrate my ability to effectively use the system to locate, retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups. Before each search was initiated, I wrote out the syntax for each part of the search until I was able to print the relevant articles I retrieved and then disconnect. Information professionals should perform this essential practice when using systems such as Dialog, to save the client money and show that they value his continuing patronage.

While I have tried to write about and provide academic evidence of this competency, I just received undeniable proof that I am competent in this area. Two weeks ago, working at the service desk of The California Maritime Academy Library, I assisted groups of students in researching various technologies. The students were not allowed to use encyclopedias, print or digital, for this assignment, and the CMA Library did not have non-reference printed materials on the technologies they needed to learn about in order to carry out their assignment. Instead I used the various resources made known to me by colleagues in the SLIS program to locate eBooks that would meet the students’ needs. I instructed on how to properly cite their resources only seconds before they ran off into the library again. Tonight, while working at the service desk again, one of the students approached me and thanked me for my assistance. Because of the resources I located for him his group was able to earn an A- on their assignment. Unfortunately, such gratitude is an uncommon gesture in service professions. This gesture serves to build my testimony of the importance of information professionals. Because of moments like this, I will continue to hone the skills needed to research and acquire information. I will stand better prepared than the day before to serve my patrons, and will continue to serve until the next time a student expresses his gratitude.