This best-selling 'one-stop' practical guide is designed to help all information professionals become self-sufficient in answering enquiries.

Step by step, the book guides the reader through all stages of research, from finding out what the enquirer really wants to providing a polished, value-added answer. There's an emphasis throughout on how to make the best use of limited resources and a final chapter offers practical advice on how to set up an enquiry service from scratch or revive a run-down one.

This fully updated sixth edition features a brand new chapter on remote enquiry handling by email, SMS and instant messaging. It has cutting-edge coverage of developments in mobile media, social networking, microblogging and e-books. The new Starter Sources section provides an essential and up-to-date list of quality-checked reference sources, on the web and in print.

In this edition:

What do they really want? (How to make sure you really understand the question.)

Flying blind. (Why remote enquiry handling is different.)

Getting started (Dealing with the panic thinking clearly.)

Smarter searching. (Tips for efficient search strategies.)

Help! EverythingaEURO (TM)s going wrong. (When you cant find the answer and youaEURO (TM)re running out of time.)

Success! Now let's add some value. (Presenting your answer well is part of the job.)

Setting up how do you start? (Establishing your own enquiry service from scratch.)

Choosing your toolkit. (Resources that youaEURO (TM)ll need to run your enquiry service.)

Readership: Ideal for anyone who has to answer enquiries from users in any environment, this essential manual is suitable for use in large or small libraries and information units. Anyone working in a contact centre aEURO dealing with information enquiries or processing transactions or trouble-shooting technical issues aEURO should find it useful too. And it's particularly valuable for information professionals and those working on enquiry desks in academic, public, school and special libraries.

It doesn't matter whether your job is actually finding answers for people or helping others find the answers for themselves. This book is for you.