MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES
Subject:
REFERENCE POLICY
Date Issued:
2/12/2015
Last Revised: 2 / 2 5 / 2 0 1 6
_____________________________________________________________________________
The mission of Monterey County Free Libraries is to bring ideas, inspiration, information and
enjoyment to our community.
Policy Statement
The mission of the reference staff of MCFL is to provide excellent, consistent and nonjudgmental assistance to library users who need help identifying, locating, and using
information resources.
A reference transaction is defined as a response to a patron’s information need that
requires the knowledge, use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use
of one or more sources, including the online catalog, Internet, computer software, print
and non-print materials, other libraries and institutions, persons both inside and outside
the library. The help may take the form of one or more of the following: research on a
specific question (finding answers to patrons’ questions), providing direction on the use
of printed and electronic resources (technology instruction), obtaining materials from
different sources (placing holds, requesting ILL or recommendation for purchase),
readers’ advisory.
The staff of MCFL strives to meet the information needs of those they serve in an
accurate and efficient manner. Questions may be received in person, by telephone, by
computer (Instant Message, text message, or email), by fax, and/or by mail.
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Reference Policy
MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES
Goals of Reference Service:

Determining the information needs of individuals and groups and answering those
needs in an accurate, consistent, unbiased and timely manner using appropriate
library resources.

Providing quick referral and effective follow-through on questions that cannot be
answered adequately with onsite resources.

Assisting patrons in the use of reference resources and the development of
research strategies.

Keeping the community well-informed about the reference services and resources
available from the library.

Selecting and maintaining a collection of print materials and electronic resources
that meet the needs and interests of the communities we serve.

Providing qualified staff to assist patrons in an efficient and courteous manner.
Ethics, Confidentiality and Impartiality:

MCFL ascribes to the American Library Association's Librarian’s Code of Ethics.

The needs of library patrons must be treated with respect.

Reference staff strives to handle all inquiries with impartiality and confidentiality in
a courteous and efficient manner.

Effort is made to answer all kinds of questions with no distinction made about the
purpose of the inquiry or use of the information.

Requests for information and resulting patron records shall be kept confidential
and shall not be made available to others unless specifically required by court
order or unless cleared with the patron.
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MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES
SCOPE OF SERVICE
Availability of Service:
All types of questions fitting the scope of service will be answered with no discrimination
made about the purpose of the inquiry or the use of the information. Reference service
is available all hours the library branches are open.
Staffing:
Reference service will be provided during library operation hours. It is understood that
all staff dealing with direct customer service will provide ready reference.
More difficult reference questions should be referred by library assistants to available
librarians in the branch or to System Reference.
Levels of Service:

Staff will complete a thorough search of in-house and on-line sources to locate
information
needed
to
answer
a
reference
question.
During
in-person
transactions, patrons may be asked to assist in checking materials for the
information sought and retrieving them from the shelves.

Generally, staff will provide the answer to a question if the information is available
in the library’s resources.
However, if determining the answer to a question
requires a great deal of reading and evaluating an extensive amount of text, the
staff may gather and/or suggest resources for the patron to look over.

Whenever possible, answers to questions will be provided during the patron’s visit
or telephone call.
However, depending on the nature of the question and the
amount of research involved, sometimes it may not be possible. Questions will be
answered within the same day or referred to System Reference.
A longer
response time will be negotiated with the patron if staff foresees unusual difficulty
in answering the question.

During busy periods, staff may have to limit the amount of time spent serving an
individual patron.
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MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES

Requests received by letter, fax or email will be acknowledged by the next
business day and answered within one week. Some photocopies may be sent free
of charge.

When a question comes in by phone, and staff can answer the question quickly,
the patron may be put on hold for a short period of time while staff finds the
answer to the question. When more time is needed, staff will take the patron’s
name and number and return the call with the answer as soon as possible. When
material is too lengthy to read over the phone, the patron will be encouraged to
come to the library to look over the material. Likewise, because of the possibility
of error, lengthy or complicated statistical, medical or legal answers cannot be
given over the phone. Short definitions only will be given.
Types of Reference Service:

Assistance in Locating Library Materials:
Library staff will help patrons locate
needed materials in the library. However, when a great deal of material must be
gathered, patrons will be shown how to locate and pull the materials themselves
using
our
online
catalog.
If
such
material
is
not
available
in
house,
recommendation for purchase or Interlibrary Loan can be offered.

Class Visits: Class visits and other group instruction on the library and its
resources are encouraged.
However, scheduling will depend on the time
constraints of the branch and at the discretion of the Branch Manager.

Computer/Internet Instruction: It is assumed that patrons wanting to use the
Internet or software such as Microsoft Office applications have enough expertise to
work independently. Staff cannot provide lengthy, one-on-one instruction in the
use of software or the Internet but may be able to refer the patron to a volunteer
teacher, or other local community computer classes. Staff cannot assist with filling
out online forms, setting up online accounts or other personal business, like
buying plane tickets, social networking, etc. Staff will not proofread resumes etc.
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Reference Policy
MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES

Homework Questions: Homework questions will be treated like all other reference
questions. However, when lengthy help is needed, students may be referred to
the Homework Center if there is one in the branch. For extensive reports that
require a large amount of materials, students will be instructed in the use of
materials.
Students will be expected to understand the nature of their
assignments and to do most of the research themselves.

Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL): Books and other materials may be borrowed from
other libraries via Interlibrary Loan Service. Requests should be made in person at
the branch and a nonrefundable $3.00 processing fee paid at the time of the
request. Some lenders may refuse ILL requests but the processing fee remains
nonrefundable.

Local History and Genealogy: MCFL maintains a Californiana collection of books on
the history of California and Monterey County which are cataloged in the online
catalog and located at the Prunedale Branch. Some materials from this collection
can be loaned to another MCFL branch for the patron’s use in the library only.
MCFL’s collection of historical local county newspapers is housed at the Monterey
County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum in King City and some branches also
have local newspapers available on microfilm or in print format.
A collection of
historical photographs, papers, pamphlets and maps is located at the library
administrative offices in Marina. Access to the collection is available during open
hours and is by appointment only. Some of the photographs have been digitized
and are viewable online at:
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/library/localhistory.html. Staff will provide answers
to basic genealogical questions using available resources, but cannot undertake
original research.

Cost of the obituary search is $5, 00 per name.
Medical, Legal and Financial/Tax Questions: Library staff will provide published
information, and referrals to websites and databases, but not advice. Staff may
give a verbal disclaimer as needed to indicate to patrons that they are information
providers, not physicians or health professionals, lawyers or tax advisors. Brief
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Reference Policy
MONTEREY COUNTY FREE LIBRARIES
definitions and descriptions can be given from published sources such as legal or
medical dictionaries and financial documents.
verbatim with no interpretation by the staff.
These sources will be quoted
Since current information in these
areas is especially crucial, users will also be encouraged to consult professionals
rather than relying on printed sources alone.
Information is provided over the
telephone if it is brief. Stock price quotations will be provided when available. Tax
forms will be provided, along with books related to taxes, but no advice will be
given by staff about choice of forms or how to fill out tax forms. Patrons may be
referred to sites on the Internet or the question may have to be referred to the
System Reference.

Personal Interest Searches: Social networking, shopping, job searches, and other
personal interest websites cannot be accessed by staff for detailed inquiries. In
these cases, patrons will be given a brief introduction to the resources available so
they are able to conduct their own research.

Readers’ Advisory:
When patrons seek book recommendations library staff will
suggest appropriate materials. Staff may use printed or on-line readers’ advisory
materials or use their own knowledge.

Ready Reference: Questions that can be answered quickly while the patron is
waiting
and
using
identifiable
sources
such
as
encyclopedias,
almanacs,
directories, etc. should be answered by trained staff in the branch.

Reference Referral: When an answer to a question cannot be found in the branch,
questions will be referred to System Reference for further research.

Questions from Prison/Jail: We do not provide information to inmates. If a letter
from a prison/jail is received we answer to acknowledge the request, explain that
we are unable to help and recommend that the librarian in the facility is contacted
to help with the matter.
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Reference Policy