Here are some basic tips on how to assist with Library Search (or what we call Primo). You can access Primo from the Foley homepage. It is the white search box in the middle of the page:
For this example, we are going to run a search for “food desert.” Running a search from the main page will bring up all available results, whether they are physical items here in the building, physical items available through Summit, or electronic resources such as eBooks and journal articles.
The default scope of your results will be automatically set to “Gonzaga Libraries + Summit”. You can change the scope of your search in the drop-down menu to the right of the search term. For example, if you were only interested in searching for physical items here at Foley, you would change the scope to “Foley Physical Books and Media.”
You will also notice that the left-hand column has a number of filters to refine your results. You can filter your results by categories such as Resource Type, Subject, Author, or Location. You can also filter by “Peer-reviewed Journals” if you are only interested in seeing articles that have been peer-reviewed.
The library has research guides for every major, which can be found under the main website heading "Research Help by Topic."
Research guides are curated by subject specialist librarians, or what we term as "liaison librarians" here at Foley.
Take a moment now to browse the research guide for your major.
Referring Questions
When you are working at the desk, you will be fielding questions related to circulation, directions, information, reference, and research. With so many question types, it can be difficult to determine which questions you are equipped to answer, and which you should be referring to librarians or other people who can help the patrons.
How do I know which questions I should be referring and which ones I should be answering?
You should be equipped to answer questions related to circulation, directions, information, and reference. However, determining whether a question is a "reference question" or a "research question" can be tricky.
As a general guideline, reference questions are questions that can be answered in a few minutes by consulting a ready reference resource (for example, the Oxford English Dictionary, Google, etc.)
Examples of reference questions that you can answer on your own.
On the other hand, research questions are questions that don’t have a defined answer. These questions are more complex and require a “reference interview,” as well as a discussion with the patron about what they are looking for. These questions cannot be answered by consulting just one resource or database.
Examples of research questions that should be referred to a librarian:
If you are ever unsure about whether a question falls under Reference or Research, refer the question to a librarian. The librarian can best assess and assist the patron with their needs. You should always encourage patrons to make an appointment with a librarian regardless of whether you are answering research or reference questions.
"Librarians are really busy and I don’t want to bother them. Shouldn’t I just try to answer research questions on my own?"
Our librarians are very interested in helping our patrons locate the resources they need to succeed!
It's always better to refer a question that might not have needed to be referred than to not refer a question that did need to be referred!
How do I refer a research question to a librarian?
There are a couple of ways that you can use our online booking system, LibCal, to help a patron get in touch with a librarian.
The link to “Schedule A Research Appointment” is on Foley Library's main webpage.
From there, you can select a librarian to view their availability for research consultations.
Any librarian can help with research questions no matter what the subject might be! However, the librarians all specialize in different subjects. Hover over the “i” to see their subject specialties.
You can select each librarian to find the soonest available time. In this case, we could refer the patron to make an appointment as soon as Aug 17 at 10 am.
Determine the time that would work best for the patron, select that time, and hit continue. This will bring you to a booking page where you can fill in their information for them.
Consultations can be made in person, over the phone, or via Zoom, so be sure to check which method the patron would prefer.
Be sure to hit the "Confirm Appointment" button to send the appointment information to both the librarian and the patron.