The document contains various snippets of information including references to books, websites, photos and concepts. It discusses using reliable sources for information needs and offers suggestions for continuing education like joining discussion groups or watching educational videos. The document emphasizes choosing quality sources and clarifying questions to best help users.
Graphic Content Warning: The Pros, Cons, and Alternatives to ScreenshotsSteve Stegelin
Visuals are powerful and can engage an audience in ways text alone can't. In software user assistance, screenshots have been an easy go-to for visuals. But with that power comes great responsibility. In the face of localization, accessibility, and continuous deployment, screenshots may carry underestimated overhead that outweighs their contribution to the conversation with the user. Instead, consider other visuals — illustrations, infographics, simplified UI abstract representations — that may better support your message, contribute more to the conversation, and avoid some of the extra overhead. Originally given at Write the Docs Portland, 2018.
My books- Learning to Go https://gum.co/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://routledge.com/books/details/9780415735346/
Resources- http://shellyterrell.com/halloween
Graphic Content Warning: The Pros, Cons, and Alternatives to ScreenshotsSteve Stegelin
Visuals are powerful and can engage an audience in ways text alone can't. In software user assistance, screenshots have been an easy go-to for visuals. But with that power comes great responsibility. In the face of localization, accessibility, and continuous deployment, screenshots may carry underestimated overhead that outweighs their contribution to the conversation with the user. Instead, consider other visuals — illustrations, infographics, simplified UI abstract representations — that may better support your message, contribute more to the conversation, and avoid some of the extra overhead. Originally given at Write the Docs Portland, 2018.
My books- Learning to Go https://gum.co/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://routledge.com/books/details/9780415735346/
Resources- http://shellyterrell.com/halloween
Talk given by Pamela Fox (me) at Ignite Melbourne, all about my favorite type of sleepwear. Remember to submit pics of you in your onesie to footedandfabulous.com!
My books- Learning to Go https://gumroad.com/l/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://amazon.com/The-Goals-Challenge-Teachers-Transform/dp/0415735343
Resources at http://www.pearltrees.com/shellyterrell/halloween-sites-activities/id6528723
Learning to Love: Crash Course in Emotional Design - Paris Web 2013Mariusz Cieśla
Human-computer interaction is awkward. This talk is all about making it less awkward by employing psychology tips and tricks behind emotional UX design.
Talk was given at Paris Web 2013, on the 10th October 2013.
My keynote address at the Enterprise Search Summit 2011 in New York. Over the past 15 years, search got smart and we got lazy. Today, few remember what a Boolean operator is, much less hot to use one. But who really cares? When a search engine vomits thousands of results to any inane query we make, misspell, or misquote, we pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. And if we don't like these results, well, it's the search engine's fault. Perhaps we'd better create som intelligent searchers instead. It is time that we bring search users' experience expectation together with tools that will actually help them search smarter to deliver a truly intelligent search experience.
My books- Learning to Go https://gum.co/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://amazon.com/The-Goals-Challenge-Teachers-Transform/dp/0415735343
Resources at http://shellyterrell.com/playgrounds
A look at the history of the smallest element of text content: the paragraph. Where did it come from, how has typography been used to represent it and further our understanding of the content itself, and how can we translate that to the web. (This is a slightly evolved version of the talk being presented at FITC Toronto & CreateUpstate)
A look at the history of the smallest element of text content: the paragraph. Where did it come from, how has typography been used to represent it and further our understanding of the content itself, and how can we translate that to the web.
WCSYD: Three Incredibly Nerdy (But Ultimately Pointless) TopicsKenneth Scott Huntley
Scott Huntley presents on three nerdy topics at WordCamp Sydney. What is Pherlog and can you get a WP powered one? Who is WordPress' sibling? Can you lose your blog in your couch cushions?
Talk given by Pamela Fox (me) at Ignite Melbourne, all about my favorite type of sleepwear. Remember to submit pics of you in your onesie to footedandfabulous.com!
My books- Learning to Go https://gumroad.com/l/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://amazon.com/The-Goals-Challenge-Teachers-Transform/dp/0415735343
Resources at http://www.pearltrees.com/shellyterrell/halloween-sites-activities/id6528723
Learning to Love: Crash Course in Emotional Design - Paris Web 2013Mariusz Cieśla
Human-computer interaction is awkward. This talk is all about making it less awkward by employing psychology tips and tricks behind emotional UX design.
Talk was given at Paris Web 2013, on the 10th October 2013.
My keynote address at the Enterprise Search Summit 2011 in New York. Over the past 15 years, search got smart and we got lazy. Today, few remember what a Boolean operator is, much less hot to use one. But who really cares? When a search engine vomits thousands of results to any inane query we make, misspell, or misquote, we pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. And if we don't like these results, well, it's the search engine's fault. Perhaps we'd better create som intelligent searchers instead. It is time that we bring search users' experience expectation together with tools that will actually help them search smarter to deliver a truly intelligent search experience.
My books- Learning to Go https://gum.co/learn2go & The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers http://amazon.com/The-Goals-Challenge-Teachers-Transform/dp/0415735343
Resources at http://shellyterrell.com/playgrounds
A look at the history of the smallest element of text content: the paragraph. Where did it come from, how has typography been used to represent it and further our understanding of the content itself, and how can we translate that to the web. (This is a slightly evolved version of the talk being presented at FITC Toronto & CreateUpstate)
A look at the history of the smallest element of text content: the paragraph. Where did it come from, how has typography been used to represent it and further our understanding of the content itself, and how can we translate that to the web.
WCSYD: Three Incredibly Nerdy (But Ultimately Pointless) TopicsKenneth Scott Huntley
Scott Huntley presents on three nerdy topics at WordCamp Sydney. What is Pherlog and can you get a WP powered one? Who is WordPress' sibling? Can you lose your blog in your couch cushions?
Researchers, Discovery and the Internet: What Next?David Smith
A web2.0 issues and implications overview I put together for the Research Information Network as part of their workshop on researchers and discovery services.
http://www.rin.ac.uk/discovery-services-workshop
Writing For Humans: 10 Tips to Defeat Robot Overlords of CopyBloomerang
https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars/
Sheena Greer will explore how to move beyond the stale and stodgy into spectacular and stunning storytelling that will touch your donors’ hearts (and not make them fear a metallic simian apocalypse.)
http://mindpersuasion.com/subliminal/
If you want to get results, you've got to get in the game. And be open for the unexpected when it happens. Here's How: http://mindpersuasion.com/subliminal/
Adventures in Wonderland: an interactive tour of 6 impossible thing-Eslblakemore
A workshop presentation on the wonderful ups and downs of teaching with technology. Presented by Katrina Hennigan and Lucy Blakemore at the 2011 English Australia conference in Adelaide.
Writing The Science Fiction Film: Where do you get your ideas from?robgrant
The lazy way of coming up with science fiction film ideas is to take any an existing movie title and add ..in space! to it. Like High Noon ..in space! (Outland) or Jaws ..in space! (Alien). It’s become a tried and trusted method, but while it has led to the occasional classic - no-one is going to argue against Alien being a sci-fi classic - there are a lot more films in the mediocre pile.
So where do we find new ideas ripe for science fiction?
Well as you might expect they’re all around you, all you have to do is start looking, but it requires that you leave your SF prejudices at the door and open your eyes to the wider world of sci-fi storytelling.
This workshop looks at sources of new ideas, basic tools to gather and store them, explores exercises for taking an idea and turning it into a story and we’ll actually take an idea and break a story with the audience in the room.
Evolution is just a story which lacks of reason, logic and science. This presentation proves that ET (evolution theory is just a Evolution Tale , E.T. You will have fun while reading it!
Niche or Platform - what next for our institutions online?Mike Ellis
This presentation looks at the ideas behind institutions delivering a "trusted platform" rather than niche silos. It suggests that "platforms" in this context are places where communities are enabled, supported and encouraged and goes on to consider ten big ideas which often accompany platform-like approaches.
This revision of the presentation contains the original content plus a draft model of Web 2.0 and social media within a broader social spaces construct.
The Metaverse and AI: how can decision-makers harness the Metaverse for their...Jen Stirrup
The Metaverse is popularized in science fiction, and now it is becoming closer to being a part of our daily lives through the use of social media and shopping companies. How can businesses survive in a world where Artificial Intelligence is becoming the present as well as the future of technology, and how does the Metaverse fit into business strategy when futurist ideas are developing into reality at accelerated rates? How do we do this when our data isn't up to scratch? How can we move towards success with our data so we are set up for the Metaverse when it arrives?
How can you help your company evolve, adapt, and succeed using Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse to stay ahead of the competition? What are the potential issues, complications, and benefits that these technologies could bring to us and our organizations? In this session, Jen Stirrup will explain how to start thinking about these technologies as an organisation.
Welcome to the first live UiPath Community Day Dubai! Join us for this unique occasion to meet our local and global UiPath Community and leaders. You will get a full view of the MEA region's automation landscape and the AI Powered automation technology capabilities of UiPath. Also, hosted by our local partners Marc Ellis, you will enjoy a half-day packed with industry insights and automation peers networking.
📕 Curious on our agenda? Wait no more!
10:00 Welcome note - UiPath Community in Dubai
Lovely Sinha, UiPath Community Chapter Leader, UiPath MVPx3, Hyper-automation Consultant, First Abu Dhabi Bank
10:20 A UiPath cross-region MEA overview
Ashraf El Zarka, VP and Managing Director MEA, UiPath
10:35: Customer Success Journey
Deepthi Deepak, Head of Intelligent Automation CoE, First Abu Dhabi Bank
11:15 The UiPath approach to GenAI with our three principles: improve accuracy, supercharge productivity, and automate more
Boris Krumrey, Global VP, Automation Innovation, UiPath
12:15 To discover how Marc Ellis leverages tech-driven solutions in recruitment and managed services.
Brendan Lingam, Director of Sales and Business Development, Marc Ellis
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Le nuove frontiere dell'AI nell'RPA con UiPath Autopilot™UiPathCommunity
In questo evento online gratuito, organizzato dalla Community Italiana di UiPath, potrai esplorare le nuove funzionalità di Autopilot, il tool che integra l'Intelligenza Artificiale nei processi di sviluppo e utilizzo delle Automazioni.
📕 Vedremo insieme alcuni esempi dell'utilizzo di Autopilot in diversi tool della Suite UiPath:
Autopilot per Studio Web
Autopilot per Studio
Autopilot per Apps
Clipboard AI
GenAI applicata alla Document Understanding
👨🏫👨💻 Speakers:
Stefano Negro, UiPath MVPx3, RPA Tech Lead @ BSP Consultant
Flavio Martinelli, UiPath MVP 2023, Technical Account Manager @UiPath
Andrei Tasca, RPA Solutions Team Lead @NTT Data
Pushing the limits of ePRTC: 100ns holdover for 100 daysAdtran
At WSTS 2024, Alon Stern explored the topic of parametric holdover and explained how recent research findings can be implemented in real-world PNT networks to achieve 100 nanoseconds of accuracy for up to 100 days.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish Caching
Usethisnotthat
1. USE THIS NOT THAT! Concept Adapted from Author David Zinczenko of Eat This and Not That! Fame. Online Reference's Finest Hour!
2. Ngaryawahia Regatta by Craig Peihopa Copyright Craig Peihopa, used with permission.
Great stuff at www.timelinephoto.com Manaakitanga matters. Photo used with permission. Http://www.timelinephoto.com
3. Nice > Accurate “ Whither reference services? Views of some Ghanaian library school students” http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1770600&show=html ...and many others
9. Some Heads of Libraries are dreadful spellers, so you never know who's on the other end, ready and willing to sack her own daughter. Photo courtesy of @police_nz Don't Be the Spelling Rozzers.
10. We're often more daunting than we realise! "http://www.youtube.com/embed/mZHoHaAYHq8" UHF Copyright MGM Photo from www.iamstaggered.com
Studies on the rate of Patron return continue to prove that it's better to be amicable than competent. Don't tell them to do it themselves. If they could, they wouldn't ask you. (Thankfully, this generally happens more in Academic than Public.) Leave a breadcrumb for information literacy after a few repeat visits. Sharing your secrets for search strategy is an art best done over the shoulder and in person, but if this isn't possible, try a series of screen shots - like a podcasted tutorial. Try to relay your search terms so they have the option of picking up where you left off, but as in person, most Patrons will leave before you manage to do this, if you don't sneak it in the middle of the response.
Try harder online than you would in person. After all, your Patron can't see or hear you, so it's harder to convey a welcoming attitude.
Chat is a much better option than email since it allows you to conduct a proper reference interview. Asynchronous methods, such as email, make your job harder. If you receive a local email query, email back and try and get the person to either phone in or chat. The exception to this rule is a vast distance that causes a time zone hurdle.
Folks may not type as quickly as you do; just as you'd adjust your speaking speed for conversation, consider slowing your typing for someone that seems to have trouble. Be aware that a slow typer might lack sight or limbs.
Be a good online listener. Let about 30 seconds pass before you respond in addition to any time you think it might take for their question to reach your eyes. Take a field trip to different parts of Horowhenua to get a feel for network lag in a given neighbourhood. Keep a person's bandwidth in mind.
While all uppercase letters are even more offensive than my slides, do feel free to bring part of yourself to the virtual world. Customise your avatar. Hyperlink your findings and citations to make them easier for a Patron to follow. Do what you have to do to make a patron feel at home when they might feel a little out of place. Try to ensure that you'll not be interrupted if you're staffing the virtual desk. If this isn't possible, type something like “I need to go away from the keyboard for a few minutes to check what's on our shelves. Is that okay?” As a Patron myself, I once encountered two Librarians manning the same Reference Desk. One was wearing an Absolut vodka T-Shirt, the other a full suit. Which do you think I chose? The worst part was the man in the suit kept trying to filch the query, only to find that he couldn't field it at the end of the day, when yer man in the Absolut shirt could.
After all, someone might feel like we have all the answers and they've naught but a stupid query. Try to convey that there is no such thing.
If you can hold your own in a bar or at a party, you're no stranger to the reference interview Just like at the pub, avoid closed questions that will lead to a simple yes or no response early on. Just like chatting someone up, you can never go wrong with "Oh that's fascinating!" provided it's true.
Broken the ice? Time to ask some probing questions! It's hard to talk about what you don't know, so often in the discussion, a Patron will form a clearer picture of their information need. Probing questions will help get to the bottom of things.
(Is it for a presentation, is it for a school project, is it just for fun?) If you've timed this right, the Patron should really start to open up, and you should be able to start forming a clear mental picture of what they're after. The what do you hope to accomplish question is always a bit tricky, so I usually preference it with “I hate to be nosy, but I'd really like to be sure I'm on the right track...”
Close the deal. Just like you'd ask "So are we on for Saturday?" or "May I get your number?" you want to be sure that you're heading in the right direction. Like a well trained parrot, recite as well as you can what they've just told you. Follow it with Did I get that right? Does that make sense? Am I understanding that properly?
Are you talking to the wingman? Forced queries are bad! Just like you want to talk directly to the person that has the information need in person, you want to do this virtually. Watch this with parents and children in especial. If the kid has a school project, do your damndest to speak directly to the child. It's their grade, not Mum or Da's. It also happens regularly with corporations and politicians. However, with those two subsets, it's much harder to get a direct query the first time round. There's nothing wrong with developing a strong rapport with an aide.
Wikipedia is a good starting point. There was a study done in Science quite a while ago that equated wikipedia to other standard print encyclopediae in terms of reliability. (The big exceptions are corporations and politicians. Don't ever trust those to be accurate.) Children's nonfiction - provided it's current - is a good way to get up to speed on a topic. Have an ear and an eye for words that are unique to a given topic or field these will help you pick good search strings
Limiting your search can save substantial time! It also will help lead to more reliable sources if you have an academic term at your disposal. Know how to limit by site : type (.edu, .govt, .org) If a Patron is searching for a picture, look by images, or consult Grove Art if you've a friend with a subscription. Quotation marks are your friend! Google scholar is usually more fruitful than plain google.
Not everyone will have in depth knowledge of every topic, so f all back to bibliographers and uberlibrarians. And I simply won't hear that rural Libraries can't have bibliographers. Mine were volunteer and they all loved doing it. Many were also financial donors. Suppose you get a pottery question that you *know* Rosalie would know the answer to. Unless you've got a rapport with a Patron you don't want to hand off _right away_; that might make them feel uncomfortable or give the impression that you're cold. Instead, walk through the reference interview anyway AND THEN tag Rosalie. Know who you're handing the baton to in advance. Someplace in the Library keep a morbid interest cheat sheet outlining who fields what, and be sure to kindly ask the Patron to wait as you check with your friend. You don't want to waste any of the Patron's time if at all possible.
Doing so will help you, other staff, and Patrons save time later. Doing enough of this sort of thing will provide a valuable content silo, and you'll develop reknown.
Get on with it! Here are some examples. :)
The Queen would surely not steer you wrong, at least not in this case.
Nothing says nerd like “Science.”
Citations and fences are good signs in terms of reliability. Conversely, adverts are generally a sign of poor reliability.
These are actually quite interesting as a set of partnered sites, or ring. They're a sort of push back for free government information in contrast to West. While they aren't usually the official sanctioned version of the Law, they are reliable. Explore the icons at the bottom to see how things link up worldwide. Since most Lawyers are dinosaurs, look for black and blue on white as in web 1.0, and it'll generally steer you in the right.
Adverts again! If that wasn't enough of a hint, they all but admit that they're brokering in rumour if you examine the disclaimer in the lower left. Informal diction in the domain name choice is another nail in the reliability coffin.
The more localised you can go for botanical information while staying authoritative, the better. If you're assisting a Patron with a gardening query, this increases the likelihood that their crops will grow properly.
Lingua Latina Est Optime! At least for plant information. Big sciency words, like ecosystems are also a happy indicator of a sound site.
At first glance, this might not seem so bad. It's a flash layout very similar to my alma mater's horticultural extension. Indeed, if a Patron is just looking for some pictures, or is in search of a source for their purchasing plants for their garden, this could be appropriate. However, as an information source, it's commercial in nature, and closer scrutiny of their diction and citation work leaves a lot to be desired. Again, we've a small print disclaimer to back up our hunch that we might be traipsing down the primrose path.
When in doubt, ask Ema, ask Ema, ask Ema! Don't be afraid to hand off, rather than make a mistake. It should be noted that this is one of very few sites I'd consider both reliable and widely accessible. It's written for a general audience, but it's authenticity is wonderful, and one doesn't feel as though the content is dumbed down.
While there are certainly some blogs worth reading for information purposes, the lion's share of the lot wouldn't pass muster. I used this as an example of what could come up on a search for “Te Reo”. Note that for North America, there are many reliable sites that aren't the “definitive” tribal site thanks to a sticky recognition process. Tribal affairs are super sticky, but that shouldn't stop you or a Patron from learning. Did I tell you to ask Ema?
As with everything, you'll get better as Patrons lie to you and tell you how bril you are. As long as you don't introduce them to Nancy Pearl, Linda Smith, or Sue Searing, none will be the wiser. Excepting the case of jr's paper being due tomorrow morning at 8AM when it's 5 past close, you always have more time than you think. [Even in that case, if your Head of Libraries is smart enough not to shut the door on a Patron's fingers, they come back to help you when funding is shy since I guarantee they'll remember the favour and return it.] Defer in depth questions. Give the Patron a time frame and then be sure to get back to them. If you suspect it'll take longer than your initial aestimate, fess up straight away. Don't push it off too far no matter what. In general, I'd not do it any more than one delay, since you stand to irritate your Patron into not returning.
It is the “Would you like chips with that?” of Reference. Unfortunately, unlike “Would you like chips with that?” not enough of us ask it. This accomplishes three things: it demonstrates that you care about your Patron, if they say “No” it leaves the door open to further exploration or another query, and that if they say “Yes.” it signals the end of the transaction. Without these words, you'll never know if you gave this particular person too much or too little information.
This is the path of Reference. You start not knowing a thing at all, and you beat round the bush until you're bloody specific. Archiving your searches is key, in particular for visual or musical references, since they're so difficult to dredge up a second time. Bookmark, bookmark, bookmark. Following the path is particularly vital in honing queries for localisation. Often general information just won't do – it has to be relevant to the Patron, and a lot of times that begs that the information be local. Familiarisation saves steps!
The more of a game you make of reference, the better you'll become at it.
Sorry, can't get the last three to link properly, and I'm tired of wrestling with Impress.