As part of an assignment for my Reference class, I worked for the Ask an ipl2 Librarian Digital Reference Service. Many of the questions I answered were asked by children who wanted help with their homework. This experience highlights my ability to support student learning by providing students with information and the processes they need to obtain that information. While I cannot share any actual questions for ethical reasons, here is the transcript of a sample question that I answered.
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ipl2 Sample Question
Question:
Dear Internet Library,I have just finished reading Louis L'Amour's 'The Walking Drum'. In the back of the book it states that he was going to write a sequel. I have searched everywhere but cannot find it. Can you help me?
Answer:
Greetings from the ipl2.
I understand that you are trying to find the sequel to Louis L'Amour's novel, "The Walking Drum." The answer to your question is that the sequel to "The Walking Drum" does not exist because L'Amour died before he had the chance to write it. This information appeared on the “Louis L'Amour Official Website.”
http://www.louislamour.com/community/faq.htm#walkingdrum
1. First, I went to the “Google” search engine at http://www.google.com/
2. I typed in the following phrase: '"the walking drum" sequel
3. The second result was the “Louis L'Amour Official Website.” Directly under this link was another link labeled "Is there a sequel to THE WALKING DRUM?"
4. Clicking on this link took me directly to the answer. I chose this source because authors’ official websites usually contain reliable information about authors and their works.
I also used “eNotes.com” to find this answer. http://www.enotes.com/walking-drum-salem/walking-drum
1. First, I went to the “Google” search engine at http://www.google.com/
2. I typed in the following phrase: "the walking drum" sequel
3. The eighth result down was labeled "The Walking Drum Summary - Louis L'Amour - Magill's Survey of..." I clicked on this link.
4. The answer appeared on this link just above the bibliography. I chose this resource because it is used by researchers and students and has a strong focus on literature. You should know that this source is maintained or edited by a community of users. Because some members of this community may be non-experts, you should verify information from this source using other, more reliable sources.
Thank you for coming to ipl2 with your question. If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.