IPL Internet Public Library

1. IPLInternet Public Library http://www.ipl.org Prepared by Catherine Van Buren Drexel University Student Chapter American Library Association October 21, 2008

2. Internet Public Library • Started in 1995 at University of Michigan • Moved to Drexel in 2006 • Now hosted on Drexel servers • Some staff are based at Drexel • Offers links, original content, and an email reference service

3. Internet Public Library

4. Internet Public Library Subject Collections provide links and quick descriptions in various categories

5. Internet Public Library Ready Reference provides links to reference resources (dictionaries, grammar, etc.)

6. Internet Public Library Reading Room provides links to free books, magazines, newspapers, etc.

7. Internet Public Library KidSpace

8. Internet Public Library TeenSpace

9. Internet Public Library Special Collections are original resources developed or hosted by the IPL

10. Internet Public Library

11. Internet Public Library Exhibits are multimedia collections, e.g. photographs and music

12. Internet Public Library FAQ is Frequently Asked Questions, e.g. salary of the president, “publish or perish”, plots in literature

13. Internet Public Library Pathfinders are like subject guides; each has an introduction to the subject, print sources, and internet sources, with a short description of each source

14. Internet Public Library Student Involvement • I view the IPL as a sort of “teaching hospital” for library and information science students. It calls itself a laboratory. • Students work on reference service and pathfinders. • Internship and practicum opportunities.

15. Internet Public Library Ask an IPL Librarian

16. Internet Public Library • Volunteers (students, former students, MLIS, experience in reference) answer the questions • There is an extensive “training manual” - it has the technical details, as well as content and format standards • You sign up and get your logon information after checking out the training manual • Then the first step is the practice question, which is just like a real question, but the answer goes to IPL staff instead of a patron

17. Internet Public Library Real Questions • Reviewed by IPL reference administration - fake email addresses and unanswerable questions identified • Split up into reference and factual, categorized, youth questions labeled • Sometimes admin will give advice on what the user might really want or where to look for resources • Patron information is included – location and age of the patron can help you with the answer, just like face-to-face reference • Patrons can specify when they need the answer, they are told they will get an answer in one week if their question is accepted

18. Internet Public Library Answering Questions • You “claim” a question when you want to answer it, thus two or more people are not working on the same thing • You have 24 hours to respond once you claim a question • You can “unclaim” a question if you decide you can’t answer it

19. Internet Public Library Answering Questions • You can give the actual answer if it’s a factual question, but you’re mostly identifying resources – generally ones that are free, online, and authoritative • Can use Wikipedia, etc., but you must include a disclaimer, which the IPL provides • Three resources minimum • Explain why they are authoritative and how you found them, cite them correctly • You have the option to include your name in the response to the patron

20. Internet Public Library Answering Questions • You can post and ask for help from other volunteers • You can ask patrons for clarification (reference interview), but the IPL warns against this because patrons often don’t respond • Sometimes you get feedback from users after answering their questions

21. Internet Public Library Answering Questions • For INFO 511, we had to answer seven questions and then write up a self-evaluation for each • One thing I forgot to do was keep track of sites I didn’t use in my responses, which my professor wanted me to include

22. Internet Public Library What I liked • Chance to answer real reference questions • Some of the pressure (time crunch) • Much less pressure than if dealing with people at a face-to-face reference desk • Forced to reflect for final project

23. Internet Public Library What I didn’t like • “Reference interview” not really feasible • Can be cumbersome to format questions – hard and/or tedious to explain to patrons how you found the resources • Sometimes I worried no one would bother to read what I wrote

24. Internet Public Library Advice for Answering IPL Questions • Start early and check the questions often, then you can pick questions that interest you or at least questions that you know where to find authoritative, free resources for (What is a “reference interview”?) • Use the IPL for resources! If you’re familiar with the IPL’s own resources, you can pick questions that you know will be easy to answer.

25. Internet Public Library“Ask an IPL Librarian”Reference Questions Answered • 1995 – 1,116 • 1996 – 4,007 • 1997 – 8, 281 • 1998 – 13,850 • 1999 – 20,850 • 2000 – 27,910 • 2001 – 35,060 • 2002 – 40,462 • 2003 – 46,721 • 2004 – 52,383 • 2005 – 57,521 • 2006 – 62,186 • 2007 – 71,723 • 2008 – 77,686 (July 2)