I had to familiarize myself quickly with new work tools used in the National Library's reference services for specialized fields, some of these tools being the official publications reference manual, the genealogy manual and the business manual. I had to learn about the genealogy sources as well as reference policies and procedures manuals. Training sessions followed, involving specialists in genealogy, newspapers, business, government and law, and an apprenticeship in online searches using the Internet and CD-ROMs. My challenge was to master all this information as quickly and calmly as possible to make myself useful to everyone. Aside from the on-site services offered by the Reference and Information Services Division, there is also correspondence with outside researchers.
Requests arrive by telephone, by mail and by electronic mail.
Here, too, there were procedures and policies to learn. Not only do all staff members tackle reference services and answer questions, there are also those who are responsible for certain projects. Someone coordinates written responses, another person is in charge of the reference collection, or oversees the development of tools for the Internet. I joined the CD-ROM team, which attempts to make things easier for researchers and colleagues by preparing user guides for various products. The challenges afforded by each new question and the variety of the work led me to extend my stay in Reference and Information Services for another year.