Successful enquiry answering every time: thinking your way from problem to solution

摘要

Answering enquiries, whether made by email or using online enquiry forms or in person, is a core activity for most archive services, yet it has not lent itself to deep consideration of its methods and practice. An archive repository may well have policies for how long staff should spend searching for information for users, the level of service which can be expected, or when enquiries are deemed to fall within the scope of a paid research service. However, when staff guidance for enquiry answering exists, it is probably more likely to focus on where information can be found rather than on the skills which should be used. In this book, now in its seventh edition and originally titled Success at the Enquiry Desk, experienced enquiry answerer and trainer Tim Buckley Owen provides a well-written instruction manual covering such skills, principally in the context of library services. Although each new edition has taken account of technological developments, the book is not technology led. Its focus is on the thinking skills which information professionals need, irrespective of the nature of the enquiries they receive.