Reference Questions on Your Web Site

Elizabeth Thomsen

Many libraries have created files with selected reference questions and their answers, or at least pointers to where the answers can be found. Some of these are frequently asked questions, often of local interest. Some are questions that only came up once, but were so hard to answer that the librarians who found the answers wanted to make sure that they would never have to go through that particular hunt again. These files may be in almost any format, from handwritten index cards held together with a rubber band and thrown in the top drawer of the reference desk, to a database accessible to all members of the staff. Where these files really belong, however, is on your library’s Web site, where they will be accessible to staff, your own patrons, and potentially everyone else on the Web.

There are many advantages to publishing frequently asked question (FAQ) files on your library Web site. You’ll be helping a lot of people find the answers to questions that interest them, but that they would never think of asking. You’ll be adding interesting content to your Web site, something that will encourage people to visit often and browse and read. You’ll also be providing the best possible advertising for library reference service, since instead of telling people what you do, you can show them. Most people have no idea of the range of questions that public library reference departments handle every day but once they see the kind of questions that you get, and the kind of answers that you give, they’ll be encouraged to ask their own.

Depending on the current format of your questions, getting started may mean converting existing files or creating them from scratch. The nice thing about working on the Web is that once you get started, you can always continue to develop and improve your resources as time allows. You can create your reference files using any HTML editing program, but before you begin, there are a few things that you should consider:

Review your answers. Every answer should be reviewed before it is transcribed. You may have answers provided by many different staff members over the years, in various formats and degrees of accuracy and completeness.
Cite your sources. Every answer should have a citation that lists the source of the information, and, if appropriate, a pointer to a source with more information. If there are differences of opinion about the answer to a question, as is often the case with questions about the origin of a phrase or custom, you should provide information about contrasting theories and citations for them.
Don’t tell them, link them. Don’t just tell people where they can find something, like the recipe for Anzac Biscuits or pictures of Old Faithful—link them directly to Web sites. Of course, you can also mention related books and other library materials, but if you can provide people with a direct and immediate link, do so. Remember that many people will be accessing your site from home, at hours when your library is closed and sometimes from many miles away.
Plan for maintenance. Every answer that you include should be checked for accuracy and currency on a regular basis. It’s especially important to check links to other Web sites to make sure they still work. Many software applications are available that will do this for you.
Be careful about copyright. Some frequently asked questions are for poems, essays, song lyrics, and other things that are protected by copyright. Putting the full text for these on your Web site without permission is copyright infringement. This includes such popular requests as the poem “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann, which is frequently miscited as “Found in Old St. Paul’s Church, Dated 1692.” Investigate further anything that’s supposed to be of unknown origin, before you post something on your Web site.
Be concerned about confidentiality. Post only general questions, or make sure that you generalize any before you post them. If you accept questions by e-mail, for example, you may get some very specific questions that are full of identifying personal details. Answer those privately, and if you think the question is of some general interest, make sure that you remove all personal information before using the question on your site.
Make it searchable. As your site grows, it’s helpful if you can provide some kind of search engine or other search feature. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but there should be some way to get to individual questions without reading through them all.
Get local. Public library Web sites are a perfect place to put local information. After all, there are any number of places on the Web where you can look for the name of Paul Revere’s horse, but where else can people find out the story about the big tree in front of town hall, the site of the oldest grave in the town cemetery, and the origin of the name of ponds, streams, hills, and neighborhoods?

For an example of one public library that’s done a great job with posting FAQs on its Web site, see the Chicago Public Library’s Frequently Asked Reference Questions. There’s nothing fancy here, just good, solid information, including many questions that experienced reference librarians will find familiar—the names of Santa’s reindeer, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the reason barns are traditionally painted red. There are lots of local questions, such as the origin of Chicago’s nickname—the Windy City—and the legend of a local cemetery haunting. All answers include citations and are dated, and links are given to relevant Web sites. There’s a complete list of questions that includes just the most significant terms, like “Barns—red” or “Chicago—tallest buildings,” which makes the list easy to browse or search using the browser’s Find command. All the answers are separate files that can also be searched through the Web site’s search engine.

Any library, large or small, can add this kind of information to its library Web site. After all, the material is something that we all have. We’re all carefully researching and answering questions and providing citations all day long, and with just a little effort we can use some of those questions and answers to provide interesting information to others. After all, just because someone didn’t think to ask the question, doesn’t mean that they won’t be interested in the answer!