The artifact I chose to represent my mastery of this standard was an assignment requiring me to evaluate the reference services of different libraries using different techniques and methods to retrieve, evaluate and synthesize information, as well as to interact successfully with the patrons. This interaction occurred across three different technology platforms, phone, email, and chat, and for each platform I contacted multiple libraries.
On the whole, I found the email reference service to be lacking, and very often more a vehicle for promoting the institution than providing a successful reference interaction, if a response was received at all. Phonecall interaction was somewhat better, but offered lists of resources that I, then, had no immediate access to. Using the phone, I would still have had to go to a library or get on the computer to find a second time what the librarian had just found the first time. Chat reference services I found to be the best of all, in one case offering excellent resources that were, for the most part, immediately accessible from the chat window. In the second case, the pace of the chat conversation allowed for an excellent reference interview.
Evaluating these interactions, techniques, methods, and platforms from the perspective of the patron gave me insight into the best ones to use to help them locate information resources and tools. As a result, I believe this artifact shows my understanding and mastery of this standard.
Indy Librarian 