RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Details of searches could be kept in a notebook. They should include the date,
subject area, types of materials used (such as CD-ROM, catalogue, database or
reference books), whether the required information was found, and whether the
user was referred elsewhere.
TIP: Getting to know the collection
The time and effort spent on advisory services is useful to resource
centre staff, as well as users. It helps staff learn about the collection
and users’ needs. This is important for updating the collection policy
and knowing what information services to offer.
Advisory services also help resource centre staff to review what details
need to be included in the resource centre’s catalogues or databases,
such as whether materials contain illustrations.
Recording the results of searches can make searching quicker. You
could set up a database field (see Section 6.8.2) named ‘Useful for’,
listing which materials have been useful for a particular training
session, or as source material for a particular publication, or to
support a particular health education activity. Next time a similar
event takes place, you could do a quick search by seeing what was
used the last time, and use the keywords that describe these materials
to find any newly added materials that might also be useful.
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
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