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Reference << Services << Your Library
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General Reference
Library staff members are available to find answers to your questions. The answer to your reference question may be a short fact, require an extensive search for substantial amounts of information, or involve recommendations on where to search for detailed information. Topics for reference questions may be related to a formal course of study, to your business, or to your personal interests. Your questions are confidential, but may be referred to other library staff.
Our main Decatur Library has the largest collection of reference resources. The four area libraries (Chamblee, Dunwoody, Redan-Trotti, and Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown) also have large reference collections and staff devoted specifically to reference services. Questions which smaller branches do not have the resources to handle may be referred to one of these larger branches. Anytime you are undertaking a large research project, it is a good idea to begin at Decatur or one of the area libraries.
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Telephone Reference Services
Catalog checks
You can phone any library to request a search for a particular title. Requests for searches for up to three specific titles will be honored at any one time. If the titles are on the shelf at the branch you called, they will be set aside for you. If the titles are checked out or at another branch, you may submit a Hold.
Subject searches will be handled by phone if the subject is narrow enough or if the Library has a relatively small number of titles on the subject. Interlibrary Loan requests for materials not owned by the Library must be placed in person.
Asking a Reference Question Over the Telephone
In general, short answers to questions can be given over the phone. Answers to telephone reference questions can include definitions, short poems, quotations or passages, statistics, figures and dates.
In general, more complex questions which may require interpretation or extensive research cannot be answered over the phone. For these questions, reference staff can determine if there is enough material available to warrant your making a trip to the Library.
When you ask a reference question over the telephone, you will be put on hold while a staff member attempts to answer your question. If the answer cannot be found in 3 to 5 minutes, reference staff will take your number and attempt to get back to you with the answer within 24 hours. Your call may be transferred to another branch with better resources to handle your question.
General Guidelines for Telephone Reference Questions
- Medical/Legal/Tax Questions
- Definitions of terms will be read, but no interpretation of the information will be offered since staff members are not qualified doctors, lawyers, or accountants.
- Homework Questions
- Answers to questions which can be answered in five minutes or less will be given. Students requiring more extensive information are urged to come to the library.
- Contest Trivia
- Answers to media trivia contests will be handled like any other question.
- Translations
- Basic translations of foreign words or phrases will be attempted using basic dictionaries. For more extensive translations referals will be made to agencies and individuals who perform these services.
- Statistics/Mathematics
- Statistical figures, such as the consumer price index or population figures, will be given. Figures requiring compilation or calculations will not be attempted. Similarly mathematical formulas or measurement equivalents will be provided, but calculations based on these formulas will not be performed.
- Criss Cross/City Directories/Real Estate Data
- Information from these sources is intended for in-library use and cannot be provided over the phone. See Directory Service Policy.
- Consumer Evaluations
- Evaluation of consumer products requires interpretation and background reading. Consumer product evaluations will not be provided over the phone, but a search will be done to determine if a product has been rated.
- Financial Information
- Stock and bond quotations and other financial information related to personal investment cannot be given over the phone. Extensive resources for such inquiries are available in the larger branches and on the Web.
- Identification of Animals and Collectibles
- Identification of wild animals is too difficult to make based on partial, verbal descriptions. You may bring a photograph of the animal to a library, but live animals (except those assisting disabled persons) are not allowed in any library branch. Similarly, accurate identification or valuation of coins, stamps, books, antiques, etc. cannot be made based on verbal descriptions.
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E-mail Reference Services
The E-mail a Librarian service provides brief, factual answers to questions submitted via the e-mail request form. For example, "What is the trade-in value on my car?" "When was the battle of Waterloo?" "What is the population of Georgia?"
Anyone with a valid e-mail address can use this free service. Your local telephone number is requested in case clarification of your question is needed.
You will receive an immediate response confirming receipt of your question. Every effort will be made to provide requested information within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
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Fax Reference Services
Information from library resources can be faxed from one branch to another branch or from one branch directly to a patron's local fax number. The library does not offer public fax service but can refer you to nearby services. Ask library staff for further details.
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Reference Materials
Reference works are designed to be consulted for specific information rather than to be read cover to cover. All library branches have reference collections available for research, but these books may not be checked out. In addition, staff librarians maintain a list of reliable web pages categorized by subject, and can refer you to reference resources in electronic format in the Library's reference databases and GALILEO .
