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This page provides a selection of sample archives reference questions. The questions support training and orientation for new employees in the Dalhousie University Archives. Reference questions are divided into three categories:
Type of question | Description | Example |
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Known- |
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item | User has particular item(s) in mind and is generally searching for specific items where the author or title is known. User expects to quickly find the most relevant results. | Do you have a program from Julian Bream’s 1978 concert in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium? |
Discovery / Exploration | User is trying to discover sources that will help address a research question. Some users bring a well-developed search strategy, others needs help creating one. The search process may involve basic and advanced searches, faceted browsing, and following navigation trails. | I am looking for annual enrollment data from over the past 100 years. |
Questions that involve referrals | User is looking for information or services that another unit or colleague typically provides. These questions can involve expertise from a colleague in the Archives, approval from a supervisor, or engagement with another unit. Includes requests for archival digitization. | I am looking for maps that show the location of railway bridges in Cape Breton. Can you help? |
Known-item reference questions
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Can I look at poetry manuscripts written by Florence Murray, a medical missionary and writer that did mission service for the Presbyterian Church in Korea?
My name is _____. I did a Google search and found an archival file with information about me. Can you please provide a copy of these records?
Research data
Do you have data from “The Impact of Universal Medicare on the Previously Insured Poor and Nonpoor,” a study on the impact of medicare in Nova Scotia by Murray G. Brown and Vernon A. Hicks?
Can I access research data related to the Africville Relocation Study conducted by Don Clairmont and Dennis Magill?
Restricted records
Can we access patient records from 1921-1936 that were kept by a physician who was acting director of the Massachusetts-Halifax Relief Commission?
My grandparents lived in Africville and were displaced during the Africville relocation project. It looks like you have records related to the relocation. Can I access any records related to my grandparents?
Special Collections
I searched Novanet and found a call number for a book that is located in Special Collections. How do I access this book?
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I need to find information on plants in Southeastern Nova Scotia.
Special Collections
Dalhousie What books by Rita Joe do you have in Special Collections?
Questions that involve referrals
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