Librarian, NMAH Branch Library,Smithsonian
One of the problems we librarians often have is with the way a question
is asked. It's often a struggle to understand just what a researcher is
really after. Sometimes the main victory in answering a reference
question is in figuring out and helping the researcher frame the
question. The same thing applies to seeking info. on the Internet. If
one has said what sources they have used, that they are familiar with
so-and-so and have consulted the basic resources then I'm more willing
to help them because I have a handle on what they want. The
cast-a-wide-net approach, "I'm seeking information on ..." is less
likely to get a response from me because of the time involved. However
I'm glad that there are people who are willing to help even with the
general questions. I think that's important and goes to the heart of the
potential of on-line discussion groups.
 
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