86 · SPEC Kit 296
Pennsylvania State University
Can I check out materials from Special Collections?
How much does it cost to have a rare book
photocopied?
How much does it cost to photocopy a letter from a University Archives’ collection?
Can you copy a football video for me? How much will it cost?
How do I obtain scanning services?
Do you offer tours of the Library?
Can I arrange for instruction about the role of the Eighth Air force in World War II?
Do you ever loan materials?
Can I make photocopies of this oral history transcript?
Can I scan a photograph from a literary manuscript collection and post it on my
website?
I need to include a photo from an HCLA collection in my forthcoming book. How
much will this cost?
Do I need permission to include some video footage of Penn State students in a
documentary that I am creating for PBS.
Request for Known Item
If a patron knows exactly what he/she is looking for, and reference staff members can find
the answer by referring to one or two handy resources, the patron’s query is a request for
a known item. This also is called a ready reference question. Requests for known items
typically require brief, factual information, or simple retrieval of a book or other resource,
for which the patron has the call number, title, author/creator, or other bibliographic
information. Sample questions for a known item include:
Do you have any photographs of Beaver Stadium?
Do you have the rare book As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann?
I just looked up a book with the call number E487.G26 1997. According to the
CAT, this book is located in the University Archives. Do you have this book?
Do you have any meeting minutes of the Cigar Makers International Union of
America?
Can I review the Atherton family letters? The call number is MSVF AN 7180.
In-depth Research Queries
In-depth research queries entail thorough searching. You will need to invest some time—
anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours—digging for answers in multiple resources. If,
during the reference interview, you are uncertain about where to find relevant information,
and must search in several resources to find answers, you are answering an in-depth
research query. To help find relevant information, ask yourself these questions. Are you
looking for the answer to a specific question? Do you need to collect information from a
variety of sources? Do you need to browse by subject or narrow a broad topic? Do you
need a general overview of a subject, or a detailed research? If the patron’s goal is to
locate a few good sources of information on a particular subject area, get as specific as
possible. Inquire into the type of information the patron requires, e.g., statistics, articles,
photographs, etc. subjects, places, or persons on which information is needed amount
and scope of information necessary desired format and relevant date or time frame.
Sample in-depth research queries include:
Do you have any information about my great-grandfather, William Layton, who
taught Literature at Penn State in 1900?
Do you have any information about Black Lung in your labor collections?
Do you have any nineteenth century literary manuscript collections of women
authors?
Do you have any information concerning the Civil Rights Movement?
Do you have any Civil War era diaries written by Confederate soldiers?
Reference Resources
Retrieval Procedures
Retrieving PSUA Books
Check The CAT to find which collection and location of the book in question.
If the book is not on The CAT, check the shelf list cards for the informatio
Locations of PSUA books:
Collection Room
Reference books Reference Room
University Publications (LD4481 call Processing Room
Pennsylvania State University
Can I check out materials from Special Collections?
How much does it cost to have a rare book
photocopied?
How much does it cost to photocopy a letter from a University Archives’ collection?
Can you copy a football video for me? How much will it cost?
How do I obtain scanning services?
Do you offer tours of the Library?
Can I arrange for instruction about the role of the Eighth Air force in World War II?
Do you ever loan materials?
Can I make photocopies of this oral history transcript?
Can I scan a photograph from a literary manuscript collection and post it on my
website?
I need to include a photo from an HCLA collection in my forthcoming book. How
much will this cost?
Do I need permission to include some video footage of Penn State students in a
documentary that I am creating for PBS.
Request for Known Item
If a patron knows exactly what he/she is looking for, and reference staff members can find
the answer by referring to one or two handy resources, the patron’s query is a request for
a known item. This also is called a ready reference question. Requests for known items
typically require brief, factual information, or simple retrieval of a book or other resource,
for which the patron has the call number, title, author/creator, or other bibliographic
information. Sample questions for a known item include:
Do you have any photographs of Beaver Stadium?
Do you have the rare book As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann?
I just looked up a book with the call number E487.G26 1997. According to the
CAT, this book is located in the University Archives. Do you have this book?
Do you have any meeting minutes of the Cigar Makers International Union of
America?
Can I review the Atherton family letters? The call number is MSVF AN 7180.
In-depth Research Queries
In-depth research queries entail thorough searching. You will need to invest some time—
anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours—digging for answers in multiple resources. If,
during the reference interview, you are uncertain about where to find relevant information,
and must search in several resources to find answers, you are answering an in-depth
research query. To help find relevant information, ask yourself these questions. Are you
looking for the answer to a specific question? Do you need to collect information from a
variety of sources? Do you need to browse by subject or narrow a broad topic? Do you
need a general overview of a subject, or a detailed research? If the patron’s goal is to
locate a few good sources of information on a particular subject area, get as specific as
possible. Inquire into the type of information the patron requires, e.g., statistics, articles,
photographs, etc. subjects, places, or persons on which information is needed amount
and scope of information necessary desired format and relevant date or time frame.
Sample in-depth research queries include:
Do you have any information about my great-grandfather, William Layton, who
taught Literature at Penn State in 1900?
Do you have any information about Black Lung in your labor collections?
Do you have any nineteenth century literary manuscript collections of women
authors?
Do you have any information concerning the Civil Rights Movement?
Do you have any Civil War era diaries written by Confederate soldiers?
Reference Resources
Retrieval Procedures
Retrieving PSUA Books
Check The CAT to find which collection and location of the book in question.
If the book is not on The CAT, check the shelf list cards for the informatio
Locations of PSUA books:
Collection Room
Reference books Reference Room
University Publications (LD4481 call Processing Room
