1. Becca Baker, Casey Fox, Mary Rayme, Pamela Wiggins
2

2. Evaluation of Reference
Answering Services

3. Which is the best
reference? And why?
?

4. [CLOSED-ENDED]
When was Lincoln
assassinated?

5. Pro
s
Question 1
When was Lincoln assassinated?
(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 social
 entertaining
Cons
 slow
 not cited
 sloppy
 inaccuracies
Q&A
?

6. Pro
s
Question 1
When was Lincoln assassinated?
?
Information found by librarian in Webster’s Biographical
Dictionary (1995). Also found in the World Book
Encyclopedia.
 fast
 well-negotiated
 authoritative
 cited
 professional
Cons
 travel to library
 parking
 have to get dressed
to go out in public
f2f[ face-to-face ]
(Even Lincoln had bad hair days!)

7. Internet
Pro
s
Question 1
When was Lincoln assassinated?
?
(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)
Cons
 slow
 may not be cited
 inaccuracies
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 social
 entertaining

8. databasePro
s
Question 1
When was Lincoln assassinated?
?
(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)
Cons
 cumbersome
 visually unappealing
 not really fast or accessible
for ready reference
 authoritative
 accurate
 scholarly

9. chatPro
s
Question 1
When was Lincoln assassinated?
?
(April 15, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
by John Wilkes Booth of Maryland.)
Cons
 slow
 not cited
 must type to negotiate
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 provided transcript of
transaction via email

10. [OPEN-ENDED]
Where do babies
come from?

11. Pro
s
Question 2
Where do babies come from?
“When a man and a woman come together,
a baby is often conceived.”
~ anonymous user on WebAnswers.com
?
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 social
 entertaining
Cons
 slow
 not cited
 sloppy
 inaccuracies
 impersonal
Q&A

12. Pro
s
?
 fast
 well-negotiated
 authoritative
 cited
 professional
Cons
 travel to library
 parking
 have to get dressed
to go out in public
f2f[ face-to-face ]
Question 2
Where do babies come from?
“It’s NOT the Stork! A Book about Girls, Boys,
Babies, Bodies, and Families, and Friends,”
by Harris and Emberley, recommended by
a librarian at the Lawson McGhee Library.

13. InternetPro
s
?
Cons
 slow
 not cited
 inaccuracies
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 social
 entertaining
Question 2
Where do babies come from?
eSchoolToday.com provides a scientific explanation
about human reproduction.

14. databasePro
s
?
Cons
 cumbersome
 visually unappealing
 not really fast or accessible
for ready reference
 fee wall
 authoritative
 accurate
 scholarly
Question 2
Where do babies come from?
Gale’s InforTrac Junior and Gale Virtual Reference
Library provided information for young people about
human sexuality and reproduction.

15. chatPro
s
?
Cons
 slow
 not cited
 must type to
negotiate
 fast
 easy
 anonymous
 provided transcript of
transaction via email
Question 2
Where do babies come from?
“It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth,
Babies and Families” by Harris and Emberley, recommended by a librarian online via the
Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore, Maryland.

16. So…which reference answering
service was best and why?