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What Is In An FAQ?

In late February the National Library first made searchable FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) available to the public through its home page. Prior to this there had been a static page of 22 FAQs, but the idea of a frequently updated, unmediated and searchable service had not previously been tried. Originally the Library was testing the searchable FAQs as a ‘proof of concept’ idea, but their use has increased so dramatically that during the month of June a very substantial 42 817 hits were recorded. So it seems the FAQs are here to stay!

While many commercial Internet sites make use of the concept of FAQs, surprisingly few libraries use this system as a resource to answer and anticipate enquiries. The Library’s FAQs are mostly reference enquiries from external clients and are stored in the database of the Reference Enquiry Manager, which is software that manages enquiries for several areas of the Library. These questions are selected and edited by librarians who ensure that all identifying and personal information is removed before questions and their answers are made available through the searchable interface at www.nla.gov.au/infoserv/faq/index.php?action=show&cat=1.

At present there are around 120 questions, organised by topic and searchable by keyword. They contain anything from library specific practical information, such as ‘Why register?’, to more general information, such as ‘Where can I get an ISBN?’ or ‘What barbeque facilities are available in Australian National Parks?’. The range and number of questions is continually expanding. There is also a Spotlight section that appears on the front page, generally consisting of five topical questions. These are changed each fortnight to keep them current and interesting.

At the time of writing the current Spotlights are:

  • How can I find popular music from a particular decade?
  • Does the National Library support EndNote?
  • What is legal deposit?
  • How can I get a copy of a map from the NLA collection?
  • What is NAIDOC Week?

These have received a total of 3190 views in 12 days.

The statistics indicate that the FAQs are providing important unmediated access which is increasingly being used by the public. In the long term, it will be interesting to see what effect such services have on the quality and quantity of reference enquiries from other more traditional sources such as email and telephone.

We would be interested to hear from you regarding the FAQs, or if you would like to suggest a question to be answered. Please use the form found at www.nla.gov.au/infoserv/rf_form.html. Happy exploring!

Elizabeth MacKenzie