ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries June 1987 / 327 T h e Q u estion B o a r d By D o n n a P ittm an Assistant Undergraduate Librarian University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A n anonymous, short-answer reference service in an academic library. w hy do women shave their legs?” “How are marshmallows made?” “W here is Ethel Merman buried?” Who would be daring enough to ap­ proach a reference librarian in an academic library with any one of these queries? Should academic reference librarians worry about those less than daring individuals with curiosities about not quite academic subjects? No doubt most librarians have enough to do without tracking down answers to questions about Ethel M erman and m arshm al­ lows. Would sober-minded professionals actually encourage such questions? Why would they do such a thing? Librarians at the University of Illinois Under­ graduate Library did just that when they created the “Question Board” as an extension of the refer­ ence desk, providing an outlet for those patrons with questions about things that nearly everyone wonders about but may be afraid to ask. How it works The Question Board is an anonymous short- answer reference service that, in contrast to the tra ­ ditional reference desk, is an 8 x 10-foot section of wall that has been covered with particle board and burlap. Library users, predominantly undergrad­ uate students, write questions on slips of paper and drop them into a box attached to the Board. Li­ brarians and graduate assistants research the infor­ mation requested and post the answer attached to the original question for all to read. The answer in­ cludes the source or sources where the information was located, the initials of the person who an ­ swered the question, and the date. The service al­ lows the patron to remain anonymous and elimi­ nates face to face interaction with a librarian, since all interactions are on paper. Since its inception in the early 1970s the Ques­ tion Board has been popular w ith students and other patrons of the library, perhaps because it pro­ vides an alternative to approaching a reference li­ brarian with queries a patron might feel are too in­ significant or unim portant or embarrassing to ask. The risks of “bothering” a librarian at the reference desk, showing one’s ignorance, or asking a question th at might elicit a funny look from the librarian are all eliminated for the patron. Some 600 to 700 ques­ tions per semester are submitted to the Question Board, an average of about 160 questions per month, or about one–tenth the number asked at the reference desk each month. While information sought at the reference desk frequently pertains to topics selected for term p a­ pers or course assignments, use of the card and on­ line catalogs, and the location of books or other m a­ terials in th e lib ra ry , questions posed to the Question Board run the gamut of hum an curiosity, from requests for sports statistics to queries about the nature of love. Questions of a personal nature are asked of the Question Board th at are rarely, if ever, asked of reference librarians, such as, “If I seek drug or alcohol counseling at the student health center, will this go on my university rec­ 328 / C&RL News o rd ?” O r “W h a t should I do if I am failing a course?” A sizable portion of questions (nearly 10 % last semester) seek addresses, from Cyndi Lauper to the CIA. Many queries, nearly 25 %, pertain to the campus and its history, from questions about the school’s colors to the ratio of men to women in the freshman class. Frequently questions are about the library itself, such as “W hy is it so hot (or cold) in here?” “W here is the fiction?” and “W hat can be done about the noise in here?” The B oard is divided ra th e r a rb itra rily into seven broad categories under which answers are sorted when posted. These categories change from tim e to time, the latest being Sports, E ntertain­ m ent, Science and Nature, Addresses, Campus and Community, Library, and General. Answers to questions are typed on colored slips of paper. Every two weeks the Board is cleared of old questions and answers, and new ones w ith paper of a different color are affixed, thereby alerting Question Board followers th a t new questions and answers have been posted. Old questions are saved for the d u ra­ tion of the semester, counted and then destroyed unless they are questions likely to be asked again. Those are filed for fu tu re reference. Questions which prove difficult or impossible to answer are posted w ith an explanation of how the answer was researched, perhaps a request for more inform a­ tion, or a referral to the reference desk. In certain instances, phone numbers or addresses are given w ith suggestions of how the patron m ight proceed on his or her own if the inform ation called for is not w ithin the scope of the library’s collection. W hy it works While the great majority of questions are sin­ cerely asked and are conscientiously researched by the staff, some are clearly posed in a humorous vein, such as the question, “How much dirty laun­ dry will a 1980 Chevette hold?” subm itted shortly before Thanksgiving break. Both types of questions afford library staff members the opportunity to communicate w ith library users in a unique way. Staff members provide answers to questions for all to see and read and can add a touch of geniality or hum or in their m anner of answering. The process provides an uncommon channel of exchange be­ tween library staff and users, valuable to both. In an article entitled, “Inform ation Needs of H um an Beings,” Yates lists four basic needs of individuals m et by libraries, one of which is diversion, “the search for an escape from the monotony, physical and m ental exhaustion, frustration, confusion, c o n flic t, f a i l u r e ,a n d d is a p p o in tm e n t of th e w o rk in g -d a y w o r ld .” 1 F or university students whose work is never done until the semester ends, the need for diversion is clearly evident and is re­ flected in the popularity of the Question Board, xBrian Yates, “Inform ation Needs of H um an Be­ ings,” International Forum o f Inform ation and Documentation 9 (January 1984):24-28. from the hundreds of queries subm itted each se­ mester to the num ber of students who can be con­ tinually observed perusing the Board. This service also answers a need of a different type, the need of the library user to request infor­ m ation in the most non-threatening way possible, so th a t he or she doesn’t decide th at getting the in­ form ation is not w orth the process required to ob­ tain it. In a study of university students, Swope and Katzer found th a t a majority of students did not make use of the reference services of the library be­ cause they did not w ant to “bother” the librarian, they felt their question was too simple, and they did not w ant to appear stupid.2 Lederm an focused on “com m unication apprehension” or a fear of talking w ith another individual as a possible factor which inhibits some library users from seeking the assistance of a reference lib rarian .3 O ther authors have speculated th at the reference desk itself is a barrier to communication, distancing the patron from the professional.4 W hatever the reasons, it does seem apparent, both from the literature and from observation, th at there are library users who are reticent to ask for help in finding information or finding their way around the library. By provid­ ing a reference service which allows patrons to ask any question, anonymously, no m atter how seem­ ingly trivial, the library conveys a message to the patron which says, “Ask questions—no question is too small, too silly, too bothersome to answ er.” The public relations benefit this service affords the library has been continually evident, from newspa­ per articles featuring the Question Board to the calls and letters from alumni and others who re­ m em ber or have heard about this service. Many re­ quest inform ation th at they have been unable to lo­ cate, indicating th a t the Question Board is their last resort. Another way in which this service functions as a public relations tool is th a t it allows staff members to communicate w ith patrons about m atters con­ cerning the library and its operation. A consider­ able num ber of questions subm itted to the Ques­ tion Board are about the library, from inquiries about tem perature fluctuations in the building to online catalog downtime. By responding to these kinds of inquiries the Question Board staff is able to provide inform ation regarding library practices, policies and problems to m any patrons at one time. It can only benefit public relations to let irritated patrons know th a t the staff is indeed aw are th a t the library is too cold and th a t steps are being taken to remedy the situation. 2Mary Jane Swope and Jeffrey Katzer, “The Si­ lent Majority: W hy They D on’t Ask Questions,” RQ 12 (W inter 1972): 161-66. L i nda Costigan Lederm an, “Fear of Talking: W hich Students in the Academic Library Ask Li­ brarians for Help?” RQ 20 (Summer 1981):382-93. 4L arry Larason and Judith Scheik Robinson, “The Reference Desk: Service Point or Barrier?” RQ 23 (Spring 1984):332-38. June 1987 / 329 Students seek diversion as well as information at the UIUC Question Board. The boot camp of reference service In addition to providing library patrons with a place to ask any question anonymously, the Ques­ tion Board also provides an excellent training ground for reference staff. The Undergraduate Li­ brary employs students from the University of Illi­ nois’ Graduate School of Library and Information Science who assist the librarians in a variety of tasks, including supervision of the circulation desk, cataloging, bibiliographic instruction, and refer­ ence service. Because of the many duties graduate assistants are expected to perform, training at the beginning of the fall semester, when most begin work at the library, can be hectic and difficult, both for the students and the librarians. Incoming graduate assistants, usually new to the campus and the library, must learn a great deal in a short time about the various roles they are expected to fulfill, while librarians must orient the newcomers during the busiest time of the academic year. Because working on the Question Board allows graduate as­ sistants a gradual transition into work at the refer­ ence desk, the Question Board has functioned as a kind of “boot camp” for reference service. Graduate assistants begin training by working on questions submitted to the Board, enabling them to become familiar with the reference collec­ tion and individual reference tools without the pressure of a patron looking over their shoulder. The “trainees” are able to search for information at their own pace and to consult with reference li­ brarians when necessary. Prior to searching for an­ swers to questions, graduate assistants meet with a librarian who supervises the Question Board and are given a number of handouts consisting of an outline of the procedure, a guide to searching vari­ ous types of questions, including names of refer­ ence tools and subject experts within the library, and a bibliography of commonly-used sources. Af­ ter spending at least ten hours working on the Question Board, each graduate assistant works with a librarian at the reference desk for approxi­ mately five hours. Once both phases of training are complete, graduate assistants are well prepared to assist and substitute for librarians at the reference desk. Any drawbacks? A good question There are limitations to this type of reference service. One drawback is that questions are not an­ swered instantly and, in order to prevent library users from believing that their question will be an­ swered immediately, a sign is posted on the Board encouraging those who need information right away to visit or phone the reference desk. A second limitation, inherent to this type of ref­ erence service, is the elimination of the reference interview. Library users do not have the opportu­ nity to clarify, interpret or modify their requests in consultation with a librarian. Of course, that may be what they are actually trying to avoid when they approach the Question Board with their questions. Staff members must take the written question at face value and attempt to provide the information requested. However, if more information or clari­ fication is needed, the question is put on the Board with a request for such. Third, this service is also limited to questions 330 / C&RL News W hy we arrange books as we do By Constance A. Mellon East Carolina University “Why must we do these things just so?” Young catalogers w ant to know. “There are good reasons,” I reply. “So listen, and I ’ll tell you w hy.” Old Melvil Dewey, clever lad, Once said, “The state of things is bad. There is no order to the way That books are shelved. I’ll start today.” And after days of thought and toil, And nights of burning midnight oil, He cried, “Oh yes! I’ve got it now! It’s easy. Let me show you how. You take nine hundred ninety-nine, Then break it down. This plan of mine Will revolutionize our w ork.” Then Melvil, never one to shirk, Created, in a careful frame, The system th at still bears his name. But LC kept collecting books. They sat on shelves. They hung on hooks. They covered tables, chairs, the floor— Arranging them was quite a bore. So LC said, “I guess it’s true. Nine hundred ninety-nine won’t do. These categories cannot grow As we expand the things we know. Though once the decimal was fine, The numbers can’t fit on the spine. It’s all those numbers—th at’s the worst. So let’s use letters. They’ll come first. We’ll use this way in every college To classify the world of knowledge.” Said OCLC, “Hold the phone! Why do we always work alone? We work through winters, summers, springs, To catalog the same darn things. And though we’re working day and night, Our backlogs still are out of sight. If we could just communicate, Then we could all stop working late. And, since we have computers now, Let’s work together. Here is how: We’ll catalog from east to west, From north to south. It’s really best To let us guide you.” So they did. We still are doing as they bid. “And so you see, there is no mystery. It’s simply cataloging history.” calling for single fact information or short answers. It is a type of ready reference which doesn’t strictly adhere to the definition of ready or quick refer­ ence. Some questions are not readily answerable and must be researched extensively, and the pa­ trons don’t receive a quick answer in the sense th at they receive the answer im m ediately...they must w ait for the answer to be posted. Since new ques­ tions and answers are posted every two weeks, it could be a w ait of two days or two weeks depend­ ing on when the question was submitted. Finally, despite everyone’s best efforts, it is vir­ tually impossible to answer every question submit­ ted. As one staff member pu t it, “The more we an­ swer, the more they ask.” G raduate assistants and a librarian spend a combined total of thirty hours per week answering questions, probably the maximum num ber of hours this library can afford to devote to the service at this time. In order to alert users there is a sign posted on the Board which explains th at due to the num ber of questions received we have been unable to answer every question, and encour­ ages use of the services available at the reference desk should the answer not appear w ithin two weeks time. It may be w orth noting th at our goal is to answer or at least respond to every question sub­ mitted. Conclusion It is apparent th at students and other users of the library prize this service th at has become some­ thing of an institution since its inception in the early 1970s. One can observe students continually perusing the Board. The campus newspaper has featured the Question Board in a num ber of arti­ cles; at one tim e it ran a series featuring interesting questions answered each week on the Board. Stu­ dents often write their own comments or sugges­ tions on posted questions and answers. As one p a­ tro n , a visiting public lib ra ria n , noted, “T he questions and answers are interesting, but it is the interaction between staff and students and among students themselves th at is especially appealing.” P erh a p s b ecause of th e an o n y m ity , th e interaction—like the questions—tends to be lively and uninhibited. Students don’t hesitate to critique or expand on answers or give their own suggestions. It may be this aspect more than any other th a t li­ brary users find the most captivating. While not a service which is typical of academic libraries, it has proven to fit in well in the academic setting, espe­ cially in a library designed for and used prim arily by undergraduates. Despite its limitations, provi­ sion of this service in conjunction with conven­ tional reference service meets a broader spectrum of needs than would the reference desk alone. The Question Board provides students w ith a place to ask silly, curious, trivial, consuming, nagging, im­ portant questions...and provides the answers as well. ■ ■