Research
Help


Using
the
READ
Scale

✚ 
Answer
requires
the
least
amount
of
effort
 ✚ 
Direc;onal
inquiries

✚ 
No
specialized
knowledge
skills
or
exper;se
 ✚ 
Library
or
service
hours

✚ 
No
consulta;on
of
resources
 ✚ 
Service
point
loca;ons

✚ 
5
minutes
or
less
 ✚ 
Rudimentary
machine
or
technology
assistance


✚ 
Answers
given
which
require
more
effort
 ✚ 
Call
number
inquiries

✚ 
Requires
minimal
specific
knowledge
skills
or
exper;se
 ✚ 
Item
loca;on

✚ 
Answers
require
nominal
resource
consulta;on
 ✚ 
General
library
or
policy
informa;on

✚ 
More
complex
machine
or
technology
assistance


✚ 
Answer
requires
some
;me
and
effort
 ✚ 
Requires
consulta;on
of
specific
reference
sources

✚ 
Consulta;on
of
ready
reference
resource
material
 ✚ 
Basic
instruc;on
on
searching
the
online
catalog

✚ 
Minimal
instruc;on
of
the
user
 ✚ 
Direc;on
to
relevant
subject
databases

✚ 
Reference
knowledge
and
skills
come
into
play
 ✚ 
Introduc;on
to
web
searching
for
a
certain
item

✚ 
how
to
scan
and
save
images

✚ 
increasingly
complex
technical
problems


✚ 
Answer
requires
consulta;on
of
mul;ple
resources
 ✚ 
Instruc;ng
users
how
to
u;lize
complex
search

✚ 
Subject
specialists
may
need
to
be
consulted
 techniques
for
the
online
catalog,
databases,
and
the

✚ 
More
thorough
instruc;on
and
assistance
occurs
 web

✚ 
Reference
knowledge
and
skills
needed
 ✚ 
How
to
cross‐reference
resources
and
track
related

✚ 
Efforts
can
be
more
suppor;ve
in
nature
for
user
 suppor;ng
materials

✚ 
Exchanges
can
be
more
instruc;on‐based
as
staff
 ✚ 
Services
outside
of
reference
become
u;lized
(ILL,

teaches
users
more
in‐depth
research
skills
 Tech
Services,
etc.),
collegial
consulta;on

✚ 
Assis;ng
users
in
focusing
or
broadening
searches

(helping
to
re‐define
or
clarify
a
topic


✚ 
Substan;al
effort
and
;me
spent
assis;ng
with
 ✚ 
False
leads

research
and
finding
informa;on
 ✚ 
Interdisciplinary
consulta;ons/research

✚ 
Subject
specialists
need
to
be
consulted
 ✚ 
Ques;on
evolu;on

✚ 
Consulta;on
appointments
with
individuals
might
be
 ✚ 
Expanding
searches/resources
beyond
those
locally

scheduled
 available

✚ 
Efforts
are
coopera;ve
in
nature,
between
the
user
 ✚ 
Graduate
research

and
librarian
and/or
working
with
colleagues
 ✚ 
Difficult
outreach
problems
(access
issues
that
need

✚ 
Mul;ple
resources
used
 to
be
inves;gated)

✚ 
Research,
reference
knowledge,
and
skills
needed

✚ 
Dialogue
between
the
user
and
librarian
may
take
on

a
‘back
and
forth’
dimension


✚ 
The
most
effort
and
;me
expended
 ✚ 
Crea;ng
bibliographies
and
bibliographic
educa;on

✚ 
Inquiries
or
requests
for
informa;on
can’t
be
 ✚ 
In‐depth
faculty
and
PhD
student
research

answered
on
the
spot
 ✚ 
Relaying
specific
answers
and
supplying
suppor;ng

✚ 
At
this
level,
staff
may
be
providing
in‐depth
research
 materials
for
publica;on,
exhibits,
etc;
working
with

and
services
for
specific
needs
of
the
clients
 outside
vendors

✚ 
This
category
covers
some
‘special
library’
type
 ✚ 
Collabora;on
and
on‐going
research

research
services

✚ 
Primary
(original
documents)
and
secondary
resource

materials
may
be
used


READ Scale developed by Bella Karr Gerlich and is accessible at: http://www.dom.edu/library/READ/read-scale.html