The librarians choice of information resources. A study of the work of nine public librarians with ten reference questions

The aim of this thesis was to study librarians approach upon reference questions and available resources and also to find out if there is any connection between the nature of the reference question and the choice of resource. The purpose was also to give a deeper understanding of the reference work. Nine librarians were given ten reference questions and their reference work was tape recorded. The study was completed with seven interviews sent by email. Some of the reflections were translated under the headlines of form, subject, time, language and availability. Various connections between the information searched for in a reference questions and the choice of resource were discussed. The information searched for was defined according to general terms such as focus, dynamism and complexity but also according to subject. One of the opinions offered was that the web was a good source for an unusual subject and/or a narrowly defined less serious subject since there seldom is enough material about these subjects to be found in the library. New phenomena not yet covered by literature were also suitable for a search on the web, with the help of a search engine, or in the newspaper archive. Specific search terms and phrases increased the inclination to use a search engine. Browsing tools were used to search for the official home pages and official databases and also in search for information about a more clearly defined subject. The libraries own material was primarily used, with an exception for official information, for document retrieval.Uppsatsnivå: