Yes, I know that this guide is pre-internet, so it does not really
consider it a resource. However, as our Australian disabled brothers and
sisters have pointed out, learning about and selecting resources is
mostly about framing problems and issues and developing paths for
solutions. We often need assistance in knowing what to ask for before we
can get any information and resources.
kelly
NICHCY Technical Assistance Guide
Volume 1, December 1994
OPERATING A LOCAL INFORMATION
AND REFERRAL CENTER
by Suzanne Ripley
________________________________________________________
A publication of....
NICHCY
National Information Center for Children and Youth with
Disabilities
P.O. Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013
1-800-695-0285 (Voice/TT)
(202) 884-8200 (Voice/TT)
E-mail:[log in to unmask]
URL:http://www.nichcy.org
This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to
copy and share it, but please credit the National Information
Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY).
___________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Preface
Who This Guide is For
What's in this Guide
What is NOT in this Guide
1 -- The Basics
Basic Activities of an I&R
Determining Your Audience's Needs
Defining the Mission of Your I&R
Setting Up Your I&R
Staffing Your I&R
2 -- Your Resource Collection
Developing Your Resource Collection
Organizing Your Resource Collection
Suggestions for Keeping Staff Informed
Updating Your Resource Collection
Summary
3 -- Your Referral Network
Organizations to Include in Your Network
Building the Network
Using Your Referral Network
Updating Information on Your Network
Summary
4 -- Staffing
Legal Matters in Employing Staff
Defining Jobs
Training Staff
Preventing Burnout
5 -- Conducting Outreach
6 -- Responding to Requests
Developing a Variety of Response Types
Targeting Responses to User Needs
Sending the Right Amount of Information
Handling a Volume of Requests
Giving Advice and Making Recommendations
versus Providing Information
People's Right to Privacy
Other Response Issues
Summary
7 -- Evaluating Your I&R
Ongoing Evaluation
Summative Evaluation
In Conclusion...
Readings
Preface
Welcome to the exciting world of information and referral in
the disability field! You are embarking on an exciting mission
during what has been called the Information Age, and you are part
of that explosion.
This guide offers an overview of the many areas important to
operating an information and referral (I&R) center and contains
many "design and management" suggestions. You will also find it
helpful to talk with other I&Rs, even if their focus is not
disability-related. The principles of information and referral
are the same, regardless of the subject matter. Disability
organizations, parent centers, special interest associations, and
the like can share their special experiences and helpful insights
with you, and you can share yours with them.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide has been written for a specific audience --
those of you who are operating, or who wish to operate, a
"grassroots" information and referral center. We've made certain
assumptions in writing this guide:
** that your staff consists of a fair number of volunteers,
with only a few part-time or full-time employees;
** that your primary audience is individuals or groups within
your local community or within a limited radius beyond your
community (in other words, you are not, at present, providing
information or referral to a national audience);
** that your funding does not extend to equipping your office
with the latest and most sophisticated computers or other
technology;
** that you may already know a good deal about operating an
I&R, based on your experience to date, but are curious as to ways
to improve, streamline, or expand your operation; and
** that you are looking for pragmatic, commonsense,
nuts-and-bolts suggestions on how to run an effective I&R on what
seems, more often than not, a shoestring and a lot of interest
and dedication.
What's in This Guide
This guide explores, in basic terms:
** the function of information and referral centers in the
disability field;
** the process of organizing an I&R;
** how to put together and organize a basic resource
collection;
** the daily functioning of an I&R;
** staffing an I&R, including the role of information
specialists;
** the nature of the information and referrals an I&R provides;
** the necessity of outreach;
** effective dissemination processes for timely responses to
your audience; and
** the importance of evaluating your work.
To make it easier for you to locate information, we have
divided this guide into the following chapters:
1 -- The Basics
2 -- Your Resource Collection
3 -- Your Referral Network
4 -- Staffing
5 -- Outreach
6 -- Responding to Requests
7 -- Evaluation
What Is NOT in This Guide
There are several key issues that this guide does not
explore. The first is funding -- how to find it, how to
secure it, how to expand it. Because this is a critical issue in
the continuing life of your I&R, we have listed some resources on
funding in the bibliography at the end of this guide. Another
issue this guide does not discuss is how to manage a budget --
again, an important issue, but one that is and must be driven by
the specifics of your funding situation and the scope of your
I&R's mission. We urge you to consult an attorney or an
accountant regarding how to manage your I&R's finances and to
talk with experienced managers within your community about how to
set up and maintain a budget.
1 --
THE BASICS
Basic Activities of an I&R Center
It's important to understand the basic activities of an I&R
center. Essentially, information and referral centers:
** provide callers with information on specific subjects;
** refer callers to appropriate service agencies,
organizations, and groups; and
** provide practical information on how to get help and
services when needed.
There are two "rules of thumb" for the I&R provider:
Know a little about a lot of issues, and know a lot about whom to
contact for more information or assistance.
This tall order is accomplished by being actively involved
in the field. I&Rs collect information from diverse sources in
various subject areas, network with other agencies, and are
proactive in letting people know that their services are
available. They are staffed with dedicated people who do not
claim to know all the answers, but who do understand the
questions being asked and the concerns of those asking the
questions. The staff also know what type of information will be
useful in answering these questions and where to obtain that
information.
Determining Your Audience's Needs
The people who will be using your I&R are your customers or
audience. A clearinghouse is always customer-driven (or it
should be). Thus, it's vitally important to know who your
customers are, what they need, and what sort of information they
will find helpful.
You may have a good idea of who will be calling you, and
why, as well as the range of concerns they will express. And
while you may be right, it's equally possible that your
predictions about your audience may be wrong or incomplete. That
is why it is critical to research the information needs of the
people your I&R plans to serve. This is called conducting a
needs assessment.
When properly done, a needs assessment will give you crucial
information on what type of I&R is needed, a clear understanding
of what the issues are, and insight into local resources and
networks. The needs assessment will also help you determine what
kind, how much, and in what form information will be most useful
to your customers. Additionally, the documentation from the needs
assessment can be of future use in evaluating the I&R and in
reporting to your funding source(s).
Space limitations do not permit a thorough discussion of the
needs assessment process. However, needs assessment is an
important activity, and a detailed understanding of the process
would be very beneficial. The bibliography section of this guide
lists resources you may consult for additional information. A
brief overview of the basic steps to conducting a needs
assessment is presented below.
Decide What You Want to Find Out and Select the Method for
Gathering Information. You may be able to find pre-existing
information describing your audience, but it is more likely that
you will need to go out into the community and talk to people.
------------------------
Some Issues to Consider
During This Planning Phase
What do you want to know about your audience? Be specific.
Will your questions be open-ended (meaning that people can
respond in any way they choose, giving an answer of any length),
in a multiple-choice format (meaning they'll choose their answer
from a range of possible answers you suggest), or a mix of both?
Will people respond verbally or in writing? If you want them to
respond verbally, how will you record their answers?
Will you have them respond individually or will you convene focus
groups to discuss issues and concerns?
--------------------------
Select Your Informants. You can focus on a specific group
of informants (such as parents or family members), choose to
interview a large number of people in the community, and/or
decide to hold a town meeting or community forum. The majority
of people from whom you gather information should be selected
from the population you plan to serve.
Conduct a Pilot Study. Before you go out into the community
and begin surveying potential customers, it's VERY important to
conduct a pilot study. The purpose of the pilot study is to find
out if the questions you plan to ask and the way you plan to ask
them (and record answers) are going to produce useful and
meaningful results. Ask a few people to answer your questions
and give you verbal feedback on how understandable those
questions were. This will help you avoid conducting your entire
needs assessment only to find out that no one understood Question
4 or that everyone understood Question 10 differently!
Similarly, you may discover that there are questions you hadn't
planned to ask that you should.
A pilot study, in short, can save you from making costly
mistakes in your needs assessment.
Assign Responsibility for Conducting the Needs Assessment.
People will need to be assigned roles and responsibilities in
collecting information from the respondents you've selected.
These individuals should have some experience in collecting and
recording information in a systematic way. They will probably
also need orientation to and training in the specifics of your
questionnaire and in the methods you've chosen to collect and
record answers.
Gather the Information. Check progress as the needs
assessment is conducted to be sure that all steps are being
properly followed and that the information you need is being
collected. Encourage your data collectors to tell you
immediately of any difficulties they encounter in gathering
information. If you mailed out a questionnaire for people to
complete and return, keep track of forms that haven't been
returned, so that you can send "reminder" postcards or place
telephone calls to encourage people to respond!
Analyze the Findings. Analyzing and reporting quantitative
data and qualitative information are important parts of the needs
assessment process. If you are not familiar with analysis,
identify someone who is and ask for assistance. Individuals with
the necessary research or statistical skills may be located at
universities, community colleges, high schools, or consulting
firms.
These steps are the basics of conducting a needs assessment.
Because this is such a vital activity for an I&R, we encourage
you to read some or all of the resources on needs assessment
listed at the end of this guide.
---------------------------
Important!
To maintain accurate information about your audience, it is
essential to continue many of these needs assessment activities.
Staying current on the needs of your audience will help you plan
what type of information to collect for and disseminate to them
and what formats (e.g., large print, braille, audiocassette) they
will find most useful.
-----------------------------
Defining the Mission of Your I&R
Before you talk to people about your I&R, before you send
out any notices, before you answer your first phone call, it is
valuable to define your mission. Whatever the scope of the I&R,
be clear about what you are providing and why. A mission
statement -- agreed upon by those of you who are forming or
operating this center -- is necessary. Begin by articulating
your basic philosophy and your specific goals.
Clearly stating the mission of your I&R helps you organize
your activities, train your staff, introduce your center to other
organizations, and measure your effectiveness.
Setting Up Your I&R
There are many legal and logistical concerns to be addressed
when opening and operating an I&R.
Legal Issues. If you have not already done so, it's a good
idea to consult with a lawyer to develop an understanding of the
legal concerns involved in your endeavor. For example:
** Are you going to operate as a nonprofit business (usually
referred to as a 501-C3 business) or a business for profit? Will
you incorporate? Find out what paperwork needs to be completed
and filed in order to establish yourselves in keeping with your
plans.
** What system of accounting is appropriate? Running an I&R
requires money as well as a legally acceptable system for
spending and keeping track of funds coming in and going out.
** What labor or other state or federal laws should you know
about? A lawyer will be able to tell you about applicable labor
laws and other legal requirements for operating your business.
Beyond the legal issues in setting up for operation, there
are a host of logistical concerns as well. At a minimum, these
include: obtaining office space and equipment, developing a
resource collection, developing a referral network, and staffing.
Office Space and Equipment. Obviously, every I&R needs an
office or a place from which to operate. If you are reading this
guide, you probably have found a place your I&R calls home.
Standard office equipment such as phones, typewriters, computers,
and a duplicating machine (or access to one) may be already set
up and in use. Additional items you may need to consider
include:
** a fax machine,
** a text telephone (TT) or other device for those with hearing
or speech impairments,
** a place to house a resource collection, and
** a place and system for getting out the mail.
The size of your office and the amount of equipment you need
depend on the scope of your work and your budget. Regardless of
the size of your operation, however, your facilities must be
fully accessible to people with disabilities, and people should
be able to contact you on TTs or electronically.
Resource Collection. You will need information for your
staff to consult and materials to distribute to your customers.
This is the information component of the I&R center. The
resource collection may consist primarily of printed materials
but may also include materials on audio or videocassette or in
another format (e.g., computer disk, large print). Your
collection may consist of:
** basic materials in multiple copies to be send out to
customers,
** materials for staff use which may be copied as necessary,
and
** materials which may not be copied but which are used by
staff for research.
The materials you distribute may be written by the I&R
staff, collected from other sources, or both. A basic rule is:
Never re-do what someone else has already done well, especially
if they'll give it to you.
Issues associated with developing your resource collection
are discussed in some detail in Chapter 2 of this guide.
Referral Network. You'll also need the names, addresses,
and phone numbers of organizations, groups, individuals, offices,
and other sources of additional information and assistance. A
concise description of the services each organization, group, or
other resource offers is necessary as well, since these are the
groups that comprise your referral base -- where you'll go when
you need more information, and where you'll send (refer) your
customers when they need specific information or assistance you
do not provide. How to assemble and make use of this referral
network is the subject of Chapter 3.
Staffing Your I&R
How many staff you have (including those who serve as
volunteers) depends on the resources and goals of your I&R. The
more you do, the more staff you'll need. Of immediate need are:
** at least one information specialist;
** someone to answer phones, write letters, and pay the bills;
** someone to develop materials; and
** someone to get out the mail.
These jobs may be done by the same person or several people
working part-time or as volunteers. However, it is helpful to
have at least two people on staff, so the office can remain open
consistently throughout the day.
Ideally, your staff should reflect your audience, that is,
the people who will be using your services. For example, if your
audience is bilingual, then it would be very helpful to have a
bilingual information specialist. If your audience reflects a
variety of cultures, then staff should reflect this, too. Issues
associated with staffing are discussed more fully in Chapter 4.
2 --
YOUR RESOURCE
COLLECTION
Your resource collection -- the books, articles, journals,
newsletters, and magazines you collect; the materials you
yourself produce; and your files on various organizations -- is
vital to your ability to respond to your audience's needs.
There's a lot of information out there, and you need to identify
it, obtain it, organize it, and maintain it. Here are some
suggestions for doing just that.
Developing Your Resource Collection
Defining What Type of Information You Need. The first step
in developing a resource collection is to determine what types of
materials you need. What you collect depends, in part, on the
mission and scope of your I&R. Your needs assessment should
provide information on what sort of resources to include in your
collection. What are the subject areas you should cover? What
questions do you anticipate your clients asking? What answer
format will your audience find most useful? What alternative
formats (e.g., audiocassette, large print, braille) are needed by
customers with disabilities? Will you need to make information
available electronically (e.g., accessible by computer through a
bulletin board system or on disk)?
When collecting print resources, identify the topic areas
you think are of primary importance and begin collecting basic
materials in those categories. In all likelihood, key subject
areas will include:
Audiovisuals
Early intervention
Employment
Financial information (including Social Security)
Housing
Laws and policy, regulations, and interpretations
Medical and other health care information
Multicultural issues
Research
Respite care/child care
Special education
Technology
Transition
Transportation
You may not need information in all of these areas. Some
areas may be addressed by organizations or agencies within your
network, leaving you free to refer callers there and concentrate
instead on collecting information on other, less well-covered
topics. Typically, some parts of the resource collection will be
much larger than others. The materials you collect should be
specific to your audience and your areas of interest.
Finding Materials. When building your collection, make
sure to contact organizations and agencies within your referral
network (see Chapter 3), since many may be able to provide
materials for your resource library as well as for dissemination.
In addition, the staff of organizations in your network will be
able to advise you on cost-effective means of building your
library. Try to speak in person to the organization's
information specialist, who may be able to direct you to
resources not otherwise mentioned in the organization's general
catalogue. It's always useful to talk to others in your field
who have expertise.
It's also useful to know that the majority of books on
disability issues are published by a few publishers (listed
directly below). Contact the major disability publishers for
catalogues of their books. Many publishers are willing to
provide free review copies of books to organizations such as
yours, in the hope that you will, in turn, tell your customers
about the publications. If you find that you must buy the books
but have a limited budget, having the publishers' catalogues is
still useful: You can use them to refer inquirers to books they
may find helpful. Knowing what is available can also help you
decide some of your future budgetary needs.
------------------------------------------------
Selected List of Publishers
and Providers of Disability Materials
Clearinghouse on Disability Information, Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Room 3132, Switzer
Building, 330 C Street S.W., Washington, DC 20202-2524.
Telephone: (202) 205-8241 (Voice/TT).
Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston,
VA 22091-1589. Telephone: (703) 620-3660.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, 1920
Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091-1589. Telephone:
1-800-328-0272.
James Stanfield Publishing Company, P.O. Box 41058, Santa
Barbara, CA 93140. Telephone: 1-800-421-6534.
National Information Center for Children and Youth with
Disabilities (NICHCY), P.O. Box 1492, Washington, DC 20013.
Telephone: 1-800-695-0285 (Voice/TT).
PACER Center, 4826 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
55417-1055. Telephone: (612) 827-2966.
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, P.O. Box 10624, Baltimore, MD
21285-0624. Telephone: 1-800-638-3775.
Pro-Ed, 8700 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Austin, TX 78758. Telephone:
(512) 451-3246.
Special Needs Project, 3463 State Street, Suite 282, Santa
Barbara, CA 93105. Telephone: 1-800-333-6867.
Woodbine House, 6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817.
Telephone: 1-800-843-7323; (301) 897-3570.
--------------------------------------
Also contact disability organizations, clearinghouses,
schools, medical facilities, and nonprofit organizations; many
such groups offer some or all of their information free of
charge. Always ask if free copies are available, or if there are
reduced prices for I&Rs.
Don't overlook your local public library. You may find many
useful resources there. Ask the librarian to send you a list of
titles in the library's collection of disability materials. Most
libraries also accept requests for purchases; if they have a
limited collection of disability-related books, you may be able
to convince the librarian to buy some selected titles. This will
be useful to the staff of the I&R and especially to the community
at large.
You may find it useful to develop criteria for selection of
resources. Examples of points to consider are:
* accuracy
* currency
* coverage of an issue
* point of view of the writers/organization
* reading level and educational level of materials
* format
* cost
Consider making one person responsible for reviewing and
purchasing materials.
-----------------------
Important!
When you obtain a resource for your collection -- whether it's
a brochure, a newsletter, a catalogue -- always write or stamp
the date on the resource. Always. This lets you keep track of
the age and currency of materials in your files.
------------------------
Collecting and Maintaining Information on Organizations.
Other resources for your collection come from your referral
network -- materials about (and from) specific organizations
and agencies at the local, state, and national level. Such
organizations include clearinghouses, voluntary and community
organizations, professional organizations, disability
organizations, parent groups, medical and other health care
providers, and local, state, and federal agencies that deal with
disability or education issues.
You will want to create files on these organizations.
Include in each organization's file such materials as a brochure
describing the organization and any catalogues or other useful
publications the organization produces. Suggestions on how to
identify and utilize these organizations are given in Chapter 3,
where developing your referral network is discussed.
Organizing Your Resource Collection
The organization of your resource collection will depend on
the size of the collection, the scope of your topic(s), and your
budget. Some collections are computerized, cross-referenced, and
designed to produce bibliographies and other information. Other
collections are organized more simply.
Simplicity should always be your goal. In the beginning, it is
of primary importance.
I&R libraries/reference collections are used more by staff
than by the public and, therefore, your library should first meet
the needs of your staff. Yours is not a professional library and
does not need to imitate one. Organizing a collection in
alphabetical order may be all that's necessary for effective
staff use.
Books. Books should be shelved. It may be useful to place
the books in alphabetical order by title. While shelving by
title may seem simplistic, it does work.
If you have access to a computer and can pay a programmer,
you can create a database of your resources, cross referencing
your titles, authors, and subjects to include books, periodicals,
and articles.
Subject Files. An important part of any I&R resource
collection is typically its subject files. Housed in filing
cabinets, generally in alphabetical order by subject, these files
can include quite a range of information that information
specialists and other staff will use to conduct research or
respond to requests.
Each subject file may contain a vast amount of information,
including:
** articles focusing directly on the subject;
** photocopies of the title pages of books on the subject;
** bibliographies on the subject;
** small booklets or newsletters on the subject; and
** a list of consultants or organizations that can provide
additional support or guidance on the subject.
It's essential to identify what subject files should be
called and to set them up in a way useful for staff. One method
of identifying subject names is to consult the Thesaurus of ERIC
Descriptors. The ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)
system includes a bibliographic database that provides abstracts
of articles and other documents. The documents listed in ERIC
include pamphlets, booklets, program reports, instructional
materials, and conference papers which come from over 780
journals and magazines. These documents are indexed using key
words (called descriptors), which allow individuals to search the
database and identify documents in a specific area of interest.
The Thesaurus contains about 10,000 vocabulary terms; more than
half of these terms are main-entry descriptors. For each
descriptor, the Thesaurus also includes broader and narrower
terms that might be used instead, as well as related terms and
more (the box below gives an example of this). The Thesaurus is
available from Oryx Press (4041 North Central at Indian School
Board, Phoenix, AZ 85012-3397); you may also be able to locate it
in a large public library, a university library, or your school
system's professional library.
-------------------------------------
Example of an ERIC Descriptor Listing,
with Narrower and Related Terms
ERIC Descriptor: DISABILITIES
Narrower Attention Deficit Disorders
Terms (NT) Behavior Disorders
Communication Disorders
Congenital Disorders
Developmental Disabilities
Diseases
Hearing Impairments
and so on...
Related Ability
Terms (RT) Accessibility (for Disabled)
Adapted Physical Education
Adaptive Behavior
Assistive Devices
At Risk Persons
Deinstitutionalization
Exceptional Child Research
and so on...
---------------------------
ERIC's terminology offers you a ready list of terms that can
be used to name your files. Your system will then be consistent
with commonly used terminology in the disability and education
fields. It also makes good sense to use terminology that is
compatible with ERIC because, as your resource collection grows
and staff conduct their own research, ERIC will be an important
tool. In addition, people using your I&R may already be familiar
with ERIC.
Newsletters, Magazines, and Periodicals. Magazines,
newsletters, and journals are also staples of any resource
collection and can be shelved in cases next to the books.
Periodicals are a valuable resource since they are
subject-specific and offer the most recent information on topics
of interest to your I&R. You will want to allow room for this
collection to grow; back issues are often useful and should not
be thrown away just because new issues arrive.
Publications that deal with one specific topic or one
specific audience might be filed either in a subject file (e.g.,
Accessibility) or in the files of the organization that produced
them. Periodicals that address a single disability, such as
"Speech," may be filed under that subject area. It is also
worthwhile to select articles that address the information needs
of your audience and file them in the appropriate subject files
for easy reference. If your collection is computerized or
annotated on a database, you can also include specific reference
to selected articles in the database (e.g., author, name of
article, date, title, journal, keywords).
Much of how you organize your newsletters, periodicals, and
magazines will depend on the mission of your I&R and the size of
your resource collection. Remember, your collection should be
useful for your purposes. It should be set up to provide the
information your staff needs to do their work efficiently. You
will need to make your own decisions about what system of
organization will work best for your collection, based on your
needs, resources, and staff.
Information on and from Organizations. Files on the
organizations in your referral network are probably best placed
separately from subject files. Information on (and from)
organizations can be filed in alphabetical order by name of
organization and, within any organization's file, can be
subdivided as necessary.
Subdivisions within each organization's file might pertain
to the organization's services, publications, areas of interest,
activities, and so on. For example, the file for a large
national organization might be subdivided into: General
Information (about that organization, including a brochure or
publications list), Children's Issues, Adult Issues,
Vocation/Employment Issues, and Newsletters.
Newsletters from a particular organization can be kept for a
year, or less, depending on the space available and the nature of
the newsletter. If the newsletter contains only local events,
then it may become out of date quickly. If the newsletter offers
practical advice, a review of policies, or a listing of local
facilities, then it may be worthwhile to keep it longer. You
will need to make this judgment individually for each newsletter.
Suggestions for Keeping Staff Informed
As your collection grows, you will face the challenge of
keeping up to date on the types of information your collection
includes. A collection, after all, is only useful if it is used!
So how, in the midst of all other activities, do you keep
yourselves informed about the ever-increasing resources in your
library?
The answer will depend, in part, on how many staff you have
and how large your resource collection is. Each I&R must develop
a system to facilitate distribution of materials to all relevant
staff. One method is to attach to new material what is known as
a "routing slip;" this slip lists the names of all relevant staff
who are to receive the new information. The material is then
sent around the office; when staff members are finished looking
at it, they check off their name and pass the journal or article
on to another person on the routing slip. When all staff listed
have seen the material, it goes to the library for filing or
shelving. Another method is to have your librarian send out a
weekly list of new resources to all relevant staff.
Of course, no one has enough time to read all the
newsletters and periodicals that flood in. While being well
informed is important, realistically most of us have many other
duties sure to interrupt our reading time. Therefore, it is
useful to know that there are a number of major publications
which the smaller ones quote. You can save time by reading the
full articles in the major publications and not the secondhand
ones in the smaller.
Updating Your Resource Collection
As your I&R grows and time goes by, it will be necessary to
update your resources, including the information you have on and
from other organizations. While updating is a constant process
and takes a lot of time, it is vitally important. The
effectiveness of your staff and of the entire I&R depends on how
useful, accurate, and current your information is.
Updating Materials. Keeping your resource files -- books,
periodicals, magazines, etc. -- current involves setting aside
time and assigning staff to go through all files to check
materials. As mentioned earlier, all materials in your
collection should be marked with a date -- either the date
when the material was published or the date when you received the
information. Request more current information as needed, and be
sure to throw away outdated papers. If you only add and never
subtract, your collection will become unusable.
Unfortunately, there is no blanket system for saying how old
an article must be before it should be thrown away; this decision
depends on the subject area and research in the field. For
example, a 1978 article on drama for children with disabilities
may be quite useful, while an article on facilitated
communication from 1987 may not be current. Therefore, weeding
out the files should be done by someone familiar with the topic
area and the nature of the requests your I&R receives.
Updating Information on Organizations. Your resource
collection includes the information you have gathered from and
about other organizations. You may have this information
organized in any number of ways -- as "organization files"
stored alphabetically in filing cabinets, as names and addresses
listed on paper or typed on index cards or on a rolodex, or as
information entered on a database. It's vital to keep this
information up to date. Organizations frequently move, change
phone numbers, and hire new staff.
As you become aware of changes, you will need to access
however you have compiled your information on organizations and
record the new information. This may mean writing a new index
card, changing an entry in your database, or retyping a list.
Suggestions for conducting updates systematically are given in
Chapter 3, where aspects of your referral network are addressed.
Summary
Your resource collection is an essential part of the work
you do, and maintaining it demands effort and vision. Through
knowing your customer's needs, you will be able to identify and
collect books, newsletters, journals, articles, and other
materials you can use to respond to requests. You will need
sufficient space to house your resources and a system for
organizing them. It's important that the collection be easily
accessible to staff and useful for their purposes. And, of
course, no collection is ever complete. A collection keeps
growing as new materials become available, and it needs weeding,
lest it become unmanageably big and out of date. Thus, the
basics of your resource collection are: identify, collect,
organize, weed, update -- and use!
3 --
YOUR REFERRAL NETWORK
Your referral network is the group of organizations,
agencies, or individuals whom you contact for information when
you need it and to whom you send callers when they need
information or services you do not provide. In many ways your
referral network is part of your resource collection, allowing
you to respond to the needs and concerns of your audience. For
simplicity's sake, we will discuss the referral process as an
issue separate from obtaining and maintaining a resource
collection.
Organizations to Include in Your Network
There are many, many organizations that can become part of
your referral network. Which you decide to include will
undoubtedly be determined by the mission and scope of your I&R
and the results of your needs assessment. If your I&R serves the
state, you will probably be most interested in getting to know
which organizations (or professionals) provide services or
information throughout the state or within certain regions of the
state. If your I&R serves only part of the state or one county,
then you will want to identify local groups serving that area.
However, don't overlook national groups, even if your I&R serves
a more local area. National groups have much to share, including
publications, technical assistance, and referrals of their own.
Here is a partial list of some organizations you might
consider contacting for the purpose of network building.
National Groups:
Federal agencies
National clearinghouses/information providers
Professional organizations
National offices of disability organizations
State Groups:
State agencies
Clearinghouses/service providers in the state
State affiliates of national disability organizations
State chapters of parent groups
Medical and other health care providers
Volunteer organizations
Local Groups:
Schools
Community organizations
Parent groups
Local agencies
Local medical or other health care providers
Libraries
Building the Network
There are two aspects to building a referral network:
Getting to know other organizations, and letting other
organizations know about you.
Getting to Know Others. Identifying organizations for your
referral network is a gradual process, in which learning of one
group leads you to another and another. Start by identifying
those organizations most central to the mission of your I&R. For
example, if your group has been developed to respond to local
needs, then concentrate on local resources. You probably already
know one or two organizations you would include in your network;
start there. Here are some other suggestions.
** Contact the organizations you've identified and ask them to
send you whatever materials they have on their mission and
activities -- brochures, catalogues, publications.
** Put a date on this information when you receive it and file
it in whatever way you have determined is most efficient for your
needs.
** Always ask organizations you contact if they know of any
other organizations that might be helpful to your audience or for
addressing particular concerns (e.g., transportation, financing
health care, early intervention).
** Then contact those organizations for their information.
You'll be amazed at how fast your referral network grows!
The materials you receive will help you learn about the
organizations in your network beyond where they are located.
Developing an understanding of what each organization does is
important to making good referrals, because your referrals are
then based upon knowing what types of services an organization
provides, what the needs of its customers typically are, what
eligibility requirements exist for accessing their services or
products, and so on. Consider visiting local organizations to
get to know more about them. Knowing a lot about the
organizations (and professionals) to which you refer your
audience serves two purposes:
** You can direct inquirers to the most useful resources; and
** You can help your referral network by sending them only
callers whose questions and concerns fall directly into their
areas of expertise.
Letting Others Know About You. When you contact
organizations for their information, don't forget to let them
know about you! This means you tell them what you are doing and
for whom, so they can add your center to their referral list or
database. This process is called networking, and is crucial to
an effective I&R center. Effective networking is ongoing and an
important part of your outreach efforts. (See Chapter 5 for a
more detailed discussion of outreach.)
A brochure can be very helpful in letting others know about
your group but is not really necessary if you have budget
constraints. A neatly typed description of your basic
philosophy, goals, services, hours of operation, address, and
phone number may be all you really need. However, if you have a
little extra money, a brochure and/or a rolodex card with your
I&R name, address, and phone number can be very useful and can
take the place of business cards.
Using Your Referral Network
There are many ways to make use of your referral network.
The most obvious is referring a caller to another organization
that provides information or assistance which your I&R does not.
This type of referral is at the heart of responding to
information requests.
--------------------------------
Maintain Confidentiality!!
Do not give the name of your caller to any organization,
unless the individual gives you permission. This restraint
pertains to confidentiality, which is discussed more fully in
Chapter 6 of this guide.
---------------------------------
There are other ways to use your network besides making
referrals, including:
** Making lists of organizations or individuals who might be
contacted regarding particular subjects (e.g., summer camp,
respite care, assistive technology, special education, support
groups) and disseminating these lists in response to questions
from your audience;
** Including brief lists of helpful organizations at the end of
publications you produce;
** Obtaining materials and technical assistance from the
organizations; and
** Compiling a mailing list of organizations.
A mailing list of your network will be vital for sending out
your materials and for contacting groups to get their most
current materials. The mailing list can also become a base of
information from which you develop materials on specific
subjects.
Updating Information on Your Network
Once a year you need to consider sending an update form to
the organizations and individuals within your referral network.
This form may be simple -- just asking recipients to indicate
if their name, address, or telephone number has changed -- or
it could be more detailed. As your referral network grows, a
sensible procedure may be to divide the task of updating so that
you check up on organizations in batches rather than all at once.
When your referral network is large, it certainly is easier in
terms of staff time and effort to send out -- and receive and
process! -- a small number of update forms several times a year
than to send out (and face receiving) several hundred at once.
Two practical suggestions:
** Be sure to date all information you receive from
organizations so that you will know when information on each was
last updated; and
** Be sure to keep track of the update requests you have sent
out so you can record the responses and keep track of the
organizations that may need a second notice or phone call.
If you disseminate lists of organizations to any of your
callers, you can also invite them to help you keep information
current. Add a note to your materials which asks people to call
or write to you with changes. Because changes occur regularly
-- organizations move, telephone numbers change, a contact
person
leaves and a new one is designated -- it's a good idea to
photocopy rather than commercially print any lists of
organizations you disseminate. That way you can readily make
changes on your lists without having to throw away hundreds of
copies of commercially printed (and suddenly incorrect) lists of
organizations.
Summary
Your referral network -- the organizations and individuals
whom you call for information and to whom you send your customers
when appropriate -- is as important to the operation of your
I&R as your resource collection is. In fact, your network is a
part of your resource collection, often forming the basis of your
response to your customers' questions. As such, it is vital that
you develop a network of organizations and individuals who can
help you help others. Outreach to other groups is a part of
this; so is telling others about yourself.
Knowing about the organizations in your network will help
you refer your customers to assistance appropriate to their
needs. And keep checking those addresses and telephone numbers,
because someone is sure to be moving!
4 --
STAFFING
Staffing is a central concern for I&Rs, for many reasons.
Most I&Rs cannot afford to hire a large staff, which means a
smaller group must do the work of many.
Because the staff -- particularly the information staff
-- work extensively with the public, it is important that the
staff have a feeling for their job, a commitment to the
well-being of others, and a genuine desire to help customers find
information and assistance.
Luckily, those who work in the disability field often do
have such a commitment. But commitment is not enough. You must
be prepared to provide all staff with a clear idea of their role
within the I&R and the training and support they need to succeed
and grow in that role.
Legal Matters in Employing Staff
Before you hire anyone, make sure you inform yourself about
relevant labor and other laws that impact the hiring and
employment process. What do laws such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), the Equal Employment Opportunities Act,
and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have to say about acceptable
employment practices? What payroll procedures (e.g., deducting
federal and state taxes, social security) must you have in place
and adhere to when you employ someone? What provisions for
health insurance, vacation or sick leave, or overtime must you
implement? Specific legal matters are beyond the scope of this
guide. You may wish to consult your lawyer about these important
issues.
Defining Jobs
One of the first steps you will need to take before hiring
anyone is to define the job that the person is expected to do.
This entails writing a job description: what the person will do
in the job and what skills, experience, or education are required
to do those activities. A job description for an information
specialist, for example, may include such duties as: answer the
phone, respond to requests, develop standard materials for
responding to requests, and manage the resource collection.
Therefore, an information specialist needs to have good telephone
skills, be able to listen well and keep a conversation short and
to the point, and be able to write well, use your computer
system, and work comfortably with the type of resource collection
you have.
With a job description, you can then search for staff who
have the skills and education your I&R requires. You may want
staff to have experience and/or training in a specific disability
area or in an area such as education or working with families.
Many different people have experience in disability issues: a
person who has a disability; a professional trained in special
education, nursing, social work, or the like; a parent or sibling
of a person with a disability; or someone with previous I&R
experience.
Although a job description for each staff member is
important, staff need to be flexible. There is really only one
primary job at an I&R, and that is responding to requests for
information. This is everyone's job, no matter what his or her
title may be or what the job description may say. If the person
responsible for stuffing envelopes is not in, then coworkers need
to take care of the mail. If the person who answers the phone is
absent, then someone else needs to take over. When staff work as
a team and support one another, an I&R will run efficiently.
Strong teamwork strengthens everyone, broadens the I&R's
knowledge base, and is good for morale.
Training Staff
No matter how experienced staff are, when they begin to work
for your I&R, it's a good idea to have a training program in
place to prepare them to meet the goals of your organization. At
a minimum, new staff need to be familiar with:
** your philosophy and mission;
** the needs, concerns, and interests of your customers;
** the resources in your collection;
** your referral network;
** "hot topics" to either avoid or include; and
** the equipment you use.
Be sure to designate one staff person to be available to
help the new person for the first six months, and always
encourage new staff to ask lots of questions.
Preventing Burnout
There is an enthusiasm that comes to people whose work is
vital and serves a need. But how do you keep staff enthusiastic?
When people feel they are doing their job well, and when
they feel appreciated, then their enthusiasm can be maintained
-- maybe not every day but certainly every week. If the nature
of the I&R is like the complaint department, that is, people only
contact you when things are not going smoothly, then your I&R may
not have the feeling of success you would like.
Staff morale is maintained by supportive leadership. Here
are some suggestions on how to support staff and prevent burnout.
** Overextending a small number of people causes burnout. It
is generally better to limit the scope of your work and do that
well.
** Keep an "In Praise Of" file for staff to access whenever
they need a lift. Every thank-you letter you receive from
customers should go into the file.
** If you are doing a good job, a questionnaire sent to
customers and asking about the quality of your services will
produce positive results. You should make much of these results
and always shared them with staff.
** Get together with staff of other I&Rs occasionally to share
experiences. These gatherings will encourage pride and
camaraderie.
** Talk among yourselves about what you're doing, your ideas,
frustrations, successes. What are in-house needs? What would
help make the job go more efficiently? Where do staff need help?
It is important for staff to interact and exchange information,
as this is the basis for teamwork. It also is important that
managers listen to and respect the opinions of staff.
** Provide training seminars on a regular basis. Invite
speakers on subjects of interest to your staff -- perhaps
someone from the local social security office, from a hot line,
from a local university, or a local school administrator or
teacher, or perhaps an adult with a disability who can talk about
independent living. Mini-seminars build your expertise and help
you do your work more effectively. They also help staff members
"grow" in their jobs, build their expertise, and confirm their
strengths.
** Develop a "to-do" file of jobs that need to be done but may
not be a priority or part of the regular workscope. Each staff
member can either contribute to this file or maintain his or her
own file. Then, when the hour or day arrives (and it certainly
will) when a person simply has had enough, there is productive
but different work to pick up. Not only does this offer a break,
but it allows staff to develop products, materials, or ideas for
the I&R and see their ideas come to life.
** Be sure to give authorship credit to staff members who
develop material. This encourages people to contribute in their
own areas of strength and interest and to take breaks from daily
work in a constructive manner. It also allows the I&R to grow
and be revitalized from within.
** Encourage staff to attend conferences, which offer an
opportunity for revitalization and a way to build your I&R's
resources. As your budget permits, staff may attend local or
national conferences to develop networks, learn, and collect
materials. Information specialists, in particular, might be
given priority in attending conferences; they are your "main
line" to the public and need to be current on information and
networks.
Staff morale is also supported by scheduled breaks. To
this end, have regular parties -- celebrate birthdays, staff
joining your group or leaving, the attainment of some project
goal. The parties can be simple, such as ordering a pizza, or
more elaborate, with everyone bringing food to create a "pot
luck" lunch. An hour shared, away from the demands of the job,
can do wonders for pressured staff.
5 --
CONDUCTING OUTREACH
You need to let people know that your I&R's services are
available, what these services are, and for whom they are meant.
"Marketing" your I&R calls for creativity, with outreach serving
as a key component of the marketing plan. Here are some ideas as
to how to conduct outreach regarding your I&R.
** Place announcements in local papers, in school newsletters,
or on bulletin boards in libraries, clinics, work sites, and the
like. You may find local radio or TV stations willing to
announce your I&R.
** As you identify other organizations and develop your
network, send them a camera-ready (this means text that is ready
to copy or print) SHORT announcement of your services, address,
and phone number, and ask them to print this in their next
publication.
** Go out and talk to people who work with the same people you
serve. Visit schools, independent living centers, and local
hospital nurseries, and talk to people about what you do. Be
sure to leave printed information, such as a brochure (see
Chapter 3) or a publications list.
** Find out the dates of conferences or meetings of potential
interest to your audience. Ask if you can set up a display, put
your brochure in the conference registration packets, place
materials on a handout table, or present a session about your
I&R. Often you can volunteer to help set up or register
attendees, or help in some other way to get to know people. This
is networking, a part of outreach.
Be sure everyone knows how, where, and when to reach you.
People need to know how to get in touch with you, what kinds of
services to expect, and the time you take to respond. Inquirers,
when they know what to expect, will become comfortable with using
your I&R and will spread the word that your I&R is accurate and
reliable. "Word of mouth" is a powerful advertisement and a
strong measure of your success.
6 --
RESPONDING TO REQUESTS
Responses are the heart of the I&R service. When a customer
calls for assistance, they generally need a friendly, attentive
person on the other end of the line, information that is relevant
to their needs, and as short a response time from you as
possible.
To accomplish a friendly, accurate, and efficient system of
responding to requests, your I&R will need to consider several
major issues. This chapter is devoted to discussing some of the
most important matters involved in responding to requests.
Developing a Variety of Response Types
Your customers will undoubtedly come in all shapes and
sizes, as will their questions -- and your answers. One
answer, in the world of the I&R, does not fit all. A
well-informed customer who has access to computerized information
systems and a large library may be pleased to receive a
bibliography of references from you; a mother with a chronically
ill infant living in a rural area may not find the same
bibliography useful at all. Therefore, you need to be able to
respond in a variety of ways, depending on the needs and concerns
of each inquirer.
Developing Your Own Materials or Using Someone Else's
Materials. Although each caller must be treated individually,
with an ear that is alert to determining his or her specific
concerns, it is nonetheless likely that many of your callers will
be asking the same or similar questions. You are operating an
I&R with a particular focus, and this will tend to define the
type of calls you most often receive. Your focus will also drive
the information or referral sources you must have available in
order to respond effectively.
As you set up your I&R, make a list of the types of
questions you anticipate receiving. (Referring back to the needs
assessment of your audience may be helpful here.) Search for --
or develop -- materials that answer those questions. These
standard or generic materials will help you respond efficiently
to volumes of requests on the same subject. By finding (or
spending time developing) comprehensive, well-written papers that
discuss particular issues, you will save a lot of time you might
otherwise spend answering the same question over and over again.
Your materials do not need to be lengthy; a two-page
resource list of school people, medical people, recreation
facilities, or employment agencies may be all that's necessary to
highlight referral resources for many of your callers. When
developing your own materials, however, be careful to find out
the vocabulary currently being used to describe people with
disabilities and, specifically, the terminology used in your
subject area. It's important to be correct and nonoffensive.
You will set an example for others as they use your materials.
Before the first year of your I&R's operation is over, your
staff should know which standard materials are in stock, which
can be obtained from other sources, and which will need to be
developed in-house. Development of standard information packages
is an ongoing process, with more packages being put together as
you have the time, money, and expertise.
The good news is you don't have to write all these materials
yourself! Many organizations provide materials free of charge or
without copyright restriction. The Arc (formerly the Association
for Retarded Citizens of the United States), March of Dimes,
Easter Seals, Vocational Rehabilitation Centers, Social Security
Administration, State Departments of Education, and many other
organizations have basic resource materials available that can
augment your standard response collection. (To contact these
groups, consult your local phone directory.) Be sure to respect
copyright laws, however. Not all materials are available without
copyright. More information about copyright protection is given
later in this chapter.
Individualizing Responses. Of course, many requests are
more complex and cannot be answered by standard materials alone.
A complex request may require:
** searching your resource collection and selecting appropriate
materials to send out;
** searching other databases;
** finding an appropriate referral source for the request, in
addition to or instead of those listed in standard materials; and
** writing an individual letter or making a phone call to
discuss problem-solving approaches with the customer.
Providing Information in Alternative Formats. Information
should also be available in alternative formats for customers
with disabilities. Alternative formats include materials in
braille or large print, on audiocassette or computer disk, or in
another language, if a portion of your audience does not speak or
read English well. You may wish to respond to such needs on an
individual basis by identifying a group or service that can
supply the alternative format upon request. For example, some
organizations serving individuals with visual impairments may
agree to produce, on an as-needed basis, braille or large print
versions of information you supply on disk.
Targeting Responses to User Needs
Deciding which materials to send or which referrals to make
is a judgment call that your information specialists will need to
make for each customer. For example, will this individual
benefit from referral to a specialist, from a resource list of
referral sources along with information on the subject, from a
bibliography of materials, from a letter, from copies of
articles, or from a phone call?
Making these determinations is not always obvious or easy.
Information specialists often find that callers are not precise
in making a request. Some callers may tell a lengthy story and
never ask a question at all. Through listening and asking
questions of their own, information specialists can help callers
define the nature of their information needs and, in turn, an
appropriate response. Having standard materials in several
formats (e.g., both English and Spanish, low reading level
materials, on audiotape) will assist information specialists in
individualizing responses to fit callers.
Sending the Right Amount of Information
How much information is enough? When you have a lot of
information available, it is tempting to send a customer as much
as possible. There are at least two potential drawbacks to doing
so, however: One is the cost of postage, xeroxing, or printing;
the other is the possibility of overwhelming the customer with
information. Some callers are not ready to read volumes on a
painful subject, and many simply won't have the time.
Therefore, "how much information is enough" may be a
decision best discussed by all the staff at your I&R and then
decided on a case-by-case basis. Some questions require more
information than others. Some people may ask broad questions or
several questions in one inquiry. In other cases, the question
may be relatively straightforward, but there may be a great deal
of information available on the topic. Realistically, there will
be weeks when you are very busy and don't have a lot of time to
spend on each response, so your responses will be briefer.
It may be useful to survey the people who use your I&R to
see if they feel their questions have been answered sufficiently.
This is part of the evaluation process. There are several ways
to do assess the completeness and usefulness of your I&R's
responses.
** Occasionally make follow-up calls to inquirers to ask how
they felt about the service they received.
** Include a self-addressed postcard with randomly selected
responses and ask people to check several boxes related to the
sufficiency of services you provided.
Evaluation of your work is important to knowing how you're
doing and knowing what changes, if any, should be made in the
operation of your I&R. Evaluation issues are discussed more
fully in Chapter 7 of this guide.
Handling a Volume of Requests
Answering the telephone, particularly when it's constantly
ringing, is a demanding task. You can streamline the process of
answering phone calls by developing a form to record the caller's
request. Having a form to fill out helps direct your
conversation and ensures you collect all the information you need
to reply. This will also form the basis for record-keeping and
for evaluating the scope of your work. Be sure to date caller's
requests, so you know when they were received and how long you're
taking to respond.
If you have a limited number of staff, you may also find it
useful to restrict the times people can call and speak to someone
personally. You don't have to miss inquiries, though, if you
invest in a telephone answering machine. You can either buy a
machine or have this service provided through the phone company.
The answering machine should play a recorded message that states
clearly the specific information you need from the caller in
order to respond. Ideally, you will not need to return the call
but can send the caller the requested information based on the
message taken from the answering machine. This is cost-effective
for you and time-efficient for the caller.
You may also find it useful to divide up areas of
responsibility among information staff. If the people who answer
inquiries have specific areas of responsibility, then they can
become more familiar with the resources and networks within those
areas, read publications specific to those areas, and attend
conferences. This allows staff to respond efficiently to
requests.
It is an undeniable fact that, in the I&R business, requests
can pile up. To avoid stranding requests at the bottom of a
pile, sort them by days of the week. Get slots or boxes in which
to put unprocessed requests and label them Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Requests received on Monday go
in the Monday slot and do not end up beneath requests received on
Tuesday. This is a sure-fire way to make sure that no one
request stays eternally at the bottom of a pile.
Finally, be sure customers have an idea of how long they
will wait to receive a response from you. People can wait two or
three weeks to receive a response IF they are expecting to wait
that long.
Giving Advice and Making Recommendations versus Providing
Information
Information providers need to answer questions carefully, as
there are several areas of potential concern here.
Often, customers will request medical advice or
recommendations for a "good" doctor or medical facility. In
these cases, an information provider must clearly explain that an
I&R cannot diagnose a condition or recommend specific doctors or
facilities. You can give out doctor referral numbers or the
names of several specialists in the area with the understanding
that you are not recommending anyone but merely putting people in
touch with an office that can answer some questions. It may also
be useful to provide some general information for the inquirer on
how to locate and select medical professionals for the family's
needs. Information on who provides a specific type of care or
treatment is different from the recommendation of a specific
name. Clarify for yourself, your staff, and the customer the
difference between providing information and giving a
recommendation.
Similarly, callers may ask for the "best school" for a
child. Again, it is difficult for an information specialist to
know what another person defines as "good" or "best" or to know a
particular child's needs. Explain that one person's criteria for
defining "best" may not be another person's idea of "best."
Offer a list of schools in the area, and explain to the customer
that it is useful to visit schools, talk to the staff and
administration, and talk to parents of other children in that
school system. Explain that federal and state laws apply to all
schools, but that service provision varies by locality,
individual school, and teacher. Stress the difference between
providing information about schools located in the area and
making a recommendation about a specific school or program.
Personal recommendations from one person to another are useful
and legitimate, but an I&R typically offers information and
referral, not recommendations.
In the case of inquiries for legal advice, providing
information on the laws and policy and referring callers to legal
counsel are appropriate roles for an I&R. You can send copies of
laws, articles on similar situations and their resolutions, case
histories, and bibliographies of newsletters, journals, or books
on legal matters. You can refer callers to:
** State Protection & Advocacy Agencies (listed on the NICHCY
State Resource Sheet),
** legal aid providers,
** lawyers who specialize in the caller's area of concern, or
** other state or national organizations.
If your I&R anticipates requests for legal assistance, then
it would be useful to research local legal services. Contact
your state's Protection and Advocacy Agency, and talk about the
types of legal questions you are receiving. (Always remember to
protect the identity of callers by not giving out their names.)
Some of these suggestions might also be helpful:
** Encourage potential plaintiffs to contact legal advisors for
an initial interview. Emphasize that all cases are unique, and
encourage your callers to ask local legal advisors about an
initial free interview.
** If the subject of legal inquiries is predictable, collect
your state's policies in this area, as well as federal laws, so
you can provide copies to inquirers. If you need assistance with
collecting policies and laws, you can call the national office of
a major disability organization and ask to speak to their
resident legal counsel or person who handles such inquiries.
People's Right to Privacy
Everyone has a right to privacy and, in the case of students
with disabilities, it is unlawful to violate privacy. Do not
disclose the names and addresses of individuals who contact you.
It is important for everyone on your staff to be familiar
with the need for confidentiality. Establish in-house policies,
such as never sending a letter your organization received to
another organization, and being sure the inquirer is given the
name of a referral source rather than sending the inquirer's name
to the referral source. Maintain a caller's right to privacy
even when you return telephone calls -- identifying your I&R by
name to a receptionist, co-worker, or even a family member of the
customer may spotlight information he or she would prefer to keep
private. Your customers will be reassured to know their
requests are confidential.
Other Response Issues
Observing Copyright. As was mentioned earlier in this
chapter, one of the most common questions faced by I&Rs is "Can
we send out another person's materials?" This is a copyright
issue. Basically, you can refer people to published materials,
but unless the material is copyright-free (in other words, there
is no copyright), you may not duplicate the material without
specific permission.
Using copyrighted material can be handled in several ways.
You can contact publishers and ask their permission to duplicate
materials. You will need to cite the source -- that is, be
sure people who are getting the material know who wrote and
published it and the date of publication.
Articles from periodicals can be handled in a variety of
ways, depending on the policies of the publisher. Contact the
magazines or newsletters you find particularly interesting and
find out their policy regarding duplication of their materials.
Some publishers permit organizations to supply copies of an
article at a reduced fee. Other publishers use copyright
clearinghouses to handle all requests for duplicate copies of
articles or journals. Still other publishers are open to making
individual arrangements; for example, you may be given permission
to duplicate any article, provided you include information on how
to subscribe to the publication with each copy you send out.
Don't despair if you cannot obtain multiple copies of
articles or longer works such as books. Ask the publisher to
send several copies of catalogues or fliers describing the works.
These can be sent to inquirers who can then choose to purchase
the book or look for it in a library. You can also make and
disseminate a bibliography listing materials by subject or need
area. This can be a formal bibliography or an informal list of
materials. It's important to include information on how to order
or borrow the materials.
----------------------------------
For Example!
Cutler, B.C. (1993). You, your child, and "special" education: A
guide to making the system work. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
(Available from Paul H. Brookes Publishing, P.O. Box 10624,
Baltimore, MD 21285-0624. Telephone: 1-800-638-3775.)
-----------------------------------
Happily, many materials have no copyright and therefore may
be copied. This is true for NICHCY publications; in fact, NICHCY
encourages further distribution of its materials. Other
organizations may have the same policy -- check with them to be
sure.
Mailing Cost-effectively. Depending on the volume of mail
you send out, you may need to become familiar with (a) bulk rate
mailing procedures and regulations, and (b) third class mailing
requirements. When you mail in bulk, you may be eligible for
reduced rates, provided you follow prescribed rules for preparing
the mail. For your day-to-day mailings, it is useful to know
that mailing materials third class is less expensive than mailing
them first class, although it will take more time for the mail to
reach its destimation. Information on these, and other, ways of
mailing is available from your local Post Office.
Recordkeeping. It is important to keep records of the work
your I&R does. Some items to track are:
** the types and numbers of requests received;
** the types and numbers of materials sent out;
** the types and numbers of referrals made;
** how much time it takes to respond to requests; and
** the cost of operating the I&R (e.g., staff costs, postage,
duplicating costss, rent, publications).
You will need this information to report to your funding
source, to measure of fund-raising needs, and to evaluate your
operation.
Recordkeeping should be an ongoing effort, kept accurate and
simple. Set up a system that works well for your staff with the
equipment available to you. If you need assistance in
establishing such a system, consult community organizations and
businesses for volunteers to help you get started.
Summary
Responding to requests for information and assistance is the
chief work of an I&R. This activity is challenging and, when
well done, is highly satisfying to staff and customers alike.
To facilitate your ability to respond quickly and
appropriately, it is helpful to have a set of materials prepared
to respond to the most common questions you receive. This may
include materials from other organizations that you use with
permission, and materials your I&R develops. Standard packages
save you the effort of researching the same questions over and
over and frees time to address callers who have complex questions
requiring investigation.
I&Rs need to be cautious when answering questions, due to
the enormous difference, yet thin line, between giving a
recommendation and providing information. Staff must also
understand and respect each customer's privacy and
confidentiality.
When all is said and done, answering requests is the concern
of everyone at the I&R, regardless of their official job title.
All staff efforts support the I&R's ability to respond. And
you'll be pleased to know that you must be doing your job well
when the phone keeps ringing!
7 --
EVALUATING YOUR I&R
Evaluation is a key component of an I&R. When you begin to
plan your I&R, you must consider how and when you will evaluate
your work, for evaluation is as important to an I&R as hiring the
right staff. While evaluation does not have to be complex, it is
so crucial that we have listed a number of evaluation resources
in the "Readings" section of this guide. Additionally, there are
many consultants who can help you develop an effective evaluation
plan.
There are two types of evaluation that must occur in order
for an I&R to grow and remain efficient: (a) ongoing evaluation,
sometimes referred to as formative or process evaluation, and (b)
summative evaluation, which looks at your I&R's performance over
the past year.
Ongoing Evaluation
Ongoing evaluation is just that -- ongoing. With this
type of evaluation, you constantly monitor the processes you use
to operate your I&R to see that things are running smoothly and,
if not, to change aspects of your operation. While ongoing
evaluation is often informal, it must be included in the overall
plan and operation of the I&R. Thus, it merits as much thought
as a final, or summative, evaluation.
To find out how well your I&R is functioning, to know if you
are giving your customers the information they want, to find ways
to improve effectiveness and conserve time and resources, to
maintain the usefulness and currentness of information, ask. Ask
continually.
Whom do you ask? Your customers, your staff, and other
organizations in your network. Ask through a variety of means:
** Enclose feedback cards with the materials you send
customers;
** Conduct short, random surveys of segmented groups of your
customers (i.e., families, organizations, others);
** Conduct surveys at conferences, speaking engagements, and
poster sessions; and
** Discuss with other I&Rs all aspects of I&R operation.
As has been previously stated, "The I&R's services are
consumer driven." Therefore, it is important to know not only
what information your customers have found useful, but what they
have not found useful. Ask why! Ask what methods of response
are most helpful, and ask them to make suggestions for future
publications, meetings, or activities. You may want to conduct
surveys of, make phone calls to, or meet with customers. And
then listen to what they say.
Continue to collect basic information about your customers
and the nature of their requests. Are your callers families,
educators, health providers, adults with disabilities, students?
With what frequencies do callers inquire about children in
specific age groups? Are people asking about legislation,
transportation, IEPs, recreation, financial needs, or medical
care? Continually look for patterns in requests to help you
respond; identifying patterns also helps you identify your
strengths, weaknesses, outreach needs, successes, and future
products.
Continually refer to your needs assessment. If you
identified your audience and their various needs, compare those
findings with the information and services your I&R is providing.
Do the inquiries you receive reflect the population you
originally identified, or are only some of these people using
your I&R? Do the materials you collect and develop provide
information on the subjects originally identified as need areas?
Do you think your audience has changed since you conducted your
needs assessment? Should you conduct another needs assessment?
Evaluation is important not only because it helps you
respond to your customers but because it helps you manage the
I&R. Ongoing evaluations are your best management tool, if you
let them be. The information you gather should tell you what you
are doing and what needs to be done, and will affect allocation
of staff, resources, and consultant time -- literally all
components of operation.
For example, if your needs assessment tells you that your
information is not current, this means time and resources must be
devoted to improving the library, collecting better materials
from conferences, giving the information specialists more
exposure to current thinking, and freeing up time for them to
attend conferences and read journals and articles.
Summative Evaluation
Summative evaluation (also called outcome or impact
evaluation) is not ongoing but is done at some point in the year
to determine what your I&R has done and how well. This type of
evaluation can be punitive, or it can be extremely helpful for
future planning and vision setting.
A summative evaluation is typically performed by an outside
party with expertise in I&Rs, and often results in a report for a
funding agency or board of directors/advisors. The summative
evaluation is a fresh look at your I&R by an expert who can
provide new approaches, ideas, and insights into what is being
done -- in general a fresh view of what, to you and your
staff, is daily routine.
When beginning your I&R, it is useful to identify the person
(or persons) who will be responsible for conducting the future
summative evaluation of your center. The first thing you must do
is communicate to the evaluator what it is you are interested in
finding out. The evaluator may wish to receive materials and
reports throughout the year. You should also share with the
evaluator your concerns and ideas for making the I&R more
efficient. Staff also can communicate with the evaluator;
encourage honesty and forthrightness in their responses, some of
which will pertain to you, your vision, and management of the
I&R. If employees raise significant concerns during the
evaluation, these concerns should be addressed in a respectful,
confidential manner.
A good evaluator working with a committed staff will turn
the evaluation process into a growth experience. The evaluator
will discuss the general findings of the evaluation with the
entire I&R staff and will make recommendations, indicating
directions the I&R should move in or changes that need to be
made.
The evaluation process is time consuming and can be
expensive, but it is a necessary activity for an I&R. The
suggestions presented in this guide are among the most simple and
effective for finding out the truth about how your I&R is doing.
For evaluation assistance, look to people in your local
community who may have experience with evaluation and ask people
to volunteer for some of the tasks. A consultant with the needed
expertise, located at a local business, college, or high school,
can help by spending time with staff and by reviewing the daily
functioning of the I&R, with the goal of improving its operation.
And remember, volumes have been written on evaluation. You can
learn a great deal about the process by reading any of the
evaluation books listed in the "Readings" section of this guide.
Evaluation and needs assessment data are the keys to your
becoming successful at what you do. In this very reactive
business, your data eventually will assist you in anticipating
issues and being on top of trends, and will continually reinforce
the need to plan ahead and to communicate with other I&Rs. Your
evaluation results will also remind you of the importance of the
job you are doing.
IN CONCLUSION. . .
It has been said that information is power. As an
information and referral center, you are a broker of information,
providing essential linkages between people who need information
and those who have it. For individuals and families who don't
know where to turn for help, you will be able to provide
direction.
The information field is for those who consolidate,
classify, and organize. It is a field whose technology is
growing daily and whose influence can be felt in the
neighborhood, the state, or the nation. With current technology,
we can sit at our computers and search a world of knowledge and
then pick up the phone and make a difference in the life of a
child. Your I&R team can be the catalyst for changes at all
levels, for expanding the options for the people you serve. This
is an evolving field, and you are a part of it.
READINGS
General Resources
Christoff, K.A. (1990). Managing the information center.
Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman/Little, Brown Higher Education.
(Available from Scott, Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview,
IL 60025. Telephone: (708) 729-3000.)
Des Jardins, C. (1990). How to organize an effective
parent/advocacy group and move bureaucracies. Chicago, IL:
Coordinating Council for Handicapped Children. [Available from
Family Resource Center on Disabilities, 20 East Jackson
Boulevard, Room 900, Chicago, IL 60604. Telephone:
1-800-952-4199; (312) 939-3519 (TT).]
Evans, G.E. (1987). Developing library and information center
collections (2nd ed.). Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
(This book is out of print but may be available in your local
library's reference section or in a university library.)
Houston, J.E. (1990). Thesaurus of ERIC descriptors (12th ed.).
Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. (Available from Oryx Press, 4041 North
Central at Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85012-3397.)
McDaniel, J.A., & Ohles, J.K. (1993). Training paraprofessionals
for reference service: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New
York: Neal-Schuman. (Available from Neal-Schuman Publishers, 100
Varick Street, New York, NY 10013. Telephone: (212) 925-8650.)
Nussbaum, R. (1989). Library and information services to persons
with disabilities. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
(Available from the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, the Library of Congress, 1291 Taylor
Street NW, Washington, DC 20542. Telephone: (202) 707-5100.)
Special Libraries Association. (1993). Valuing special
libraries and information centers: An SLA information kit.
Washington, DC: Author. (Available from Special Libraries
Association, 1700 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009.
Telephone: (202) 234-4700.)
St. Clair, G. (1993). Customer service in the information
environment. London, NJ: Bowker-Saur. (Available from K.G.
Saur, Order Department, 121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ
07974. Telephone: 1-800-521-8110; (908) 464-6800.)
Steele, B., & Willard, C. (1989). Guidelines for establishing a
family resource library. Bethesda, MD: ACCH. (Available from
ACCH, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Telephone: (301) 654-6549.)
Stueart, R.D., & Moran, B.B. (1993). Library and information
center management (4th ed.). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
(Available from Libraries Unlimited, Order Department, P.O. Box
6633, Englewood, CO 80155-6633. Telephone: (303) 770-1220;
1-800-237-6124.)
-----------------------------------
Materials from the Alliance
of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS)
AIRS is a membership organization that makes many materials
available on the subject of information and referral, including
manuals to help organizations establish an I&R, a comprehensive
bibliography of I&R literature, and their journal Information and
Referral.
Contact AIRS, for a publication list and for membership
information, at: The Alliance for Information and Referral
Systems, P.O. Box 3546, Joliet, IL 60434. Telephone: (815)
744-6922.
--------------------------------------
Funding
Barber, P., & Crowe, L. (1993). Getting your grant: A
how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman.
(See address above.)
Barron, D.D. (1993, January). Ask (well) and you will receive.
School Library Media Activities Monthly, 9(5), 49-51.
Borland, A., & Margolin, J.B. (1990). The Foundation Center's
user-friendly guide: Grantseeker's guide to resources. New York:
Foundation Center. (Available from the Foundation Center, 79
Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003-3076. Telephone:
1-800-424-9836; (212) 620-4230.)
Chelekis, G.C. (1993). The action guide to government grants,
loans, and giveaways. New York: Perigee Books. (Available from
Putnam Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Telephone: 1-800-631-8571; (212) 951-8400.)
Geever, J.C. & McNeill, P. (1993). The Foundation Center's
guide to proposal writing. New York: Foundation Center. (See
address above.)
Gilpatrick, E.G. (1989). Grants for nonprofit organizations: A
guide to funding and grant writing. New York: Praeger.
(Available from Praeger, c/o Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post
Road, W., Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. Telephone: (203)
226-3571; (orders only) (800) 225-5800.)
Gloeckner, G.W. (1993, March). Key to successful proposal
writing. Technology Teacher, 52,(6), 49-50.
Heezen, R.R. (1991, November 1). Take money for granted: Grant
proposals that work. Library Journal, 115(18), 62-63.
Olson, S., Kovacs, R., & Haile, S. (1991). National guide to
funding for libraries and information centers. New York:
Foundation Center. (See address above.)
Stoffle, C. (1990-91, Dec-Jan). Libraries, funding, and
creativity, Part I: Funding. Bulletin of the American Society
for Information Science, 17(2), 16-18.
Thompson, R.K.H. (1992, September). Funding for library
automation. Paper presented at the third National Conference of
the Library and Information Technology Association, Denver,
Colorado. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 353 987)
Needs Assessment
Berlin, S.B., & Marsh, J.C. (1993). Informing practice
decisions. New York: Macmillan. (Available from Order
Processing Center, P.O. Box 11071, Des Moines, IA 50336.
Telephone: 1-800-947-7700.)
Johnson, D.E. (1987). Needs assessment: Theory and methods.
Ames, IA: Iowa State University. [Available from Iowa State
University, 2121 S. State Avenue, Ames, IA 50010. Telephone:
(515) 292-0140; 1-800-862-6657 (orders only).]
Velleman, R.A. (1990). Meeting the needs of people with
disabilities: A guide for librarians, educators, and other
service professionals. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. (Available
from Oryx Press, 4041 North Central Avenue, Suite 700, Phoenix,
AZ 85012-3397. Telephone: 1-800-279-6799.)
Evaluation
Allen, B. (1991). Evaluation of public services and public
services personnel. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois,
Graduate School of Library and Information Science. (University
of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science,
Publications Office, Room 312, 501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign,
IL 61820. Telephone: (217) 333-1359.)
Bawden, D. (1990). User-oriented evaluation of information
systems and services. Aldershot, England: Gower. (Contact
Ashgate Publishing, Order Department, Old Post Road, Brookfield,
VT 05036. Telephone: (802) 276-3162.)
Cortez, E.M., & Kazlauskas, E.J. (1986). Managing information
systems and technologies: A basic guide for design, selection,
evaluation, and use. New York: Neal-Schuman. (See address
above.)
Glasman, N.S. (1994). Making better decisions about school
problems: How administrators use evaluation to find solutions.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. (Available from Corwin Press,
Inc., 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Telephone:
(805) 499-0721.)
Griffiths, J.M., & King, D.W. (1991). A manual on the
evaluation of information centers and services. New York: AIAA.
Herman, J.L., & Winters, L. (1992). Tracking your school's
success: A guide to sensible evaluation. Newbury Park, CA:
Corwin Press. (See address above.)
Kraft, D.H., & Boyce, B.R. (1991). Operations research for
libraries and information agencies: Techniques for the evaluation
of management decision alternatives. San Diego: Academic Press.
(Available from Academic Press, Order Department, 6277 Sea Harbor
Drive, Orlando, FL 32887. Telephone: 1-800-545-2522.)
Lancaster, F.W. (1993). If you want to evaluate your library
-- (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, Graduate
School of Library & Information Science. (See address above.)
Rossi, P.H., & Freeman, H.E. (1993). Evaluation: A systematic
apprcach. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. (Available from Sage, 2455
Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Telephone: (805)
499-0721.)
-------------------------------------------------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NICHCY thanks our Project Officer, Dr. Sara Conlon, at the Office
of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, for
her time in reading and reviewing this document and, as always,
for her commitment to the Clearinghouse.
We would also like to express our deep appreciation to the
following individuals who reviewed draft versions of this
document and offered many valuable and insightful suggestions on
its revision:
Sally Z. Weiss, Information/Publications Coordinator at the
United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Washington, DC
Elizabeth Priaulx, Information Specialist, also at the United
Cerebral Palsy Associations, Washington, DC
Carolyn Johnson, Director of Information and Referral, Epilepsy
Foundation of America, Landover, Maryland
The Editor would personally like to thank all of the staff at
NICHCY who were involved in reviewing this document and who
shared their experiences in and insights about information and
referral.
-----------------------------------------------------
The NICHCY Technical Assistance Guide is published once a year;
single copies are provided free of charge. In addition, NICHCY
disseminates other materials and can respond to individual
requests for information. All services and publications are
free. For further information and assistance, or to receive a
NICHCY Publications List, contact NICHCY, P.O. Box 1492,
Washington, DC 20013. Telephone: 1-800-695-0285 (Voice/TT) and
(202) 884-8200 (Voice/TT).
Project Director: Suzanne Ripley
Editor: Lisa Kupper
Associate Editor: Eric Bourland
Author: Suzanne Ripley
This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to
copy and share it, but please credit the National Information
Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY).
This fact sheet is made possible through Cooperative Agreement
#H030A30003 between the Academy for Educational Development and
the Office of Special Education Programs. The contents of this
publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of
the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names,
commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the
U.S. Government.
The Academy for Educational Development, founded in 1961, is an
independent, nonprofit service organization committed to
addressing human development needs in the United States and
throughout the World. In partnership with its clients, the
Academy seeks to meet today's social, economic, and environmental
challenges through education and human resource development; to
apply state-of-the-art education, training, research, technology,
management, behavioral analysis, and social marketing techniques
to solve problems; and to improve knowledge and skills throughout
the world as the most effective means for stimulating growth,
reducing poverty, and promoting democratic and humanitarian
ideals.
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