Radical Reference's biggest need is for volunteers to help answer questions on the site. Both new and more established members sometimes feel intimidated answering questions. Remember that this is a collaborative process, and you can always start to answer a question and then post to the list asking for advice, additional resources, and/or help. There are no authorities here and we all have strengths, so don't not step up just because you aren't sure you'll have a complete and perfect answer!

Other content you may want to create for the website are blog entries, or you may want to edit an existing page or create a whole new one for the Reference Shelf.

The first step will always be to log in to your account. (The login form is also in the right sidebar on every page.)

Set yourself up to receive notifications about new questions (and other website content) via email.

1. Log in and click on My Account.
   
2. Click on the Notifications tab.
   
3. Click on the Add Subscription sub-tab and add subscriptions by content type as desired.
   
4. Notifications can be edited, temporarily disabled, or canceled as needed from this area of your account.
   

Working on a question

You can contribute to a question on the site in two ways: submit an answer or add a helpful internal note. The latter will be visible only to other logged-in librarians ("librarians" here refers to all Rad Ref vetters, regardless of MLS status).

1. But first, click the Edit tab of the question itself.
   
2. Add the text "QUESTION:" (no quotes, all caps) before the name of the question if no one else has gotten to it yet. This is to distinguish the questions from other content (blog entries, etc.) on the Rad Ref homepage.
   
3. Remove the questioner's name from the question text, if present. Create an internal note for it instead.
   
4. Leave the other questioner-supplied content alone, unless you really need to fix spelling, grammar or some other crime.
   
5. Don't worry about Menu Settings, Book Outline, or other options not specified in these instructions. Do notice the little "answered" dropdown menu - once one or more satisfying answers have been added, you'll return to this page to change the status from Unanswered to Answered.
   
6. You can edit the URL path setting if necessary, but an automatic alias has already been created based on the title of the question.
   
7. Make sure the Publishing Options for the question are "Published" and "Promoted to front page."
   
8. Click Save.

Answering a question

Unanswered questions are listed separately in the right sidebar of every page. You can also sign up for email notifications to find out when a new question has been posted to the site.

1. When you're on the page of a question you have an answer (or part of an answer!) for, click on "Create new Answer" in the right sidebar, not the Edit tab above the question.
   
2. Type in your appropriately-cited answer that responds as fully as possible to the user's asked or implied question (see the guidelines for more tips).
   
3. Format your answer appropriately - make it readable by using bold text or bullet points as needed, and make sure all URLs are live links! The handy WYSIWYG-style formatting menu above the answer body field will allow you to do all that.
   
4. You can upload supporting files or images as needed via the File Attachments section.
   
5. Make sure the Comment Settings are set to "Disabled." (Answers should never have comments turned on; comments are added to the question.)
   
6. Make sure the Publishing Options for the answer are "Published" only and not "Promoted to front page."
   
7. Don't worry about Menu Settings, Book Outline, or other options not specified in these instructions.
   
8. Click Save.
   
9. Congratulations! You have answered a question. Just a couple of steps left. First, if you think that the question has been as answered as it's going to get, return to the question and change the "answered" dropdown to "Answered." And finally, contact the questioner by the means of their choice (their contact information is located in a field in the question form) and send them the URL for the answer. If it's a partial answer or a work in progress, that's okay; just let them know. Sometimes timeliness is better than the most complete answer in the universe.
   
10. You can also edit an answer after it's been published. Just go to the page for that answer (not the question) and click on the Edit tab.
    

Guidelines and tips

1. Conduct a reference interview as needed. Look in the question to get the questioner's contact information.
   
2. Cite everything! Use your best librarian judgment about what kind of resources are appropriate for the question. Remember, this is like any other reference question, so let the questioner know how you found the answers so they can help themselves in the future.
   
3. If you cite Wikipedia, please link to the revision you're citing, not the main entry. And try to use an additional source unless this is an instance where Wikipedia truly is the authority.
   
4. Use complete sentences and good grammar.
   
5. Post to the list if you would like assistance with the question or run into a snag.
   
6. Links should look like this: Radical Reference or http://radicalreference.info, not like this: http://radicalreference.info. The formatting menu is your friend! Use that hyperlink button.
   
7. Quick tips on Publishing Options: Answers should be "Published" but never "Promoted to front page." Questions should be both "Published" and "Promoted to front page." Internal notes should never be "Published."
   
8. If you need assistance, please contact the main Rad Ref list or the admins.

Internal notes

Internal notes pertain to questions, not to other content types on the site. They are visible in the top right corner of the relevant question, and only logged-in librarians can see them.

1. To add an Internal Note, log in to your account.
   
2. Go to the page of the question you want to add a note to. Click on "Create new Internal Note" in the right sidebar
   
3. Don't worry about Menu Settings, Book Outline, or other options not specified in these instructions.
   
4. Make sure nothing is selected under Publishing Options. Internal Notes should never be "Published."
   
5. Write something helpful! Your username and the date and time of your note will automatically display.
   
6. Click Save.

Blog entries

As a Radical Reference volunteer, you can post to your own personal RR blog. Blog entries have their own page and are also integrated into the question stream starting on the front page of the site.

1. After logging into the site, click the "Create content" link below your username in the right sidebar.
   
2. Select the Blog Entry content type.
   
3. Fill out the Title and Body fields, using the formatting editor as needed (to make text bold, links live, etc.).
   
4. Under Vocabularies, add Subjects (tags) as desired. Leave the section dropdown menu "None Selected."
   
5. You can upload supporting files or images as needed via the File Attachments section.
   
6. Make sure the Comment Settings are "Read/Write."
   
7. You can customize a URL path setting if desired, but an automatic alias will be created based on the title of the blog entry. After you publish your post, you can go back and edit it and replace "[user-raw]" with your username.
   
8. Make sure the Publishing Options are "Published" and "Promoted to front page."
   
9. Don't worry about Input Format, Book Outline, or other options not specified in these instructions.
   
10. Click Save.

Reference Shelf

Radical Reference hosts a wide range of research guides that make up the Reference Shelf.

1. After logging into the site, click the "Create content" link below your username in the right sidebar.
   
2. Select the Book Page content type.
   
3. Fill out the Title and Body fields, using the formatting editor as needed (to make text bold, links live, etc.).
   
4. Under Vocabularies, select "Reference Shelf" in the first dropdown menu and "-" in the second, and make sure that "None Selected" is in the third.
   
5. Under Book Outline, select "Online Reference Tools" in the Book dropdown menu.
   
6. You can upload supporting files or images as needed via the File
   Attachments section.
   
7. You can customize a URL path setting if desired, but an automatic alias will be created based on the title of the page.
   
8. Make sure the Comment Settings are "Disabled."
   
9. Don't worry about Menu Settings or other options not specified in these instructions.
   
10. Make sure the Publishing Options for the answer are "Published" only and not "Promoted to front page."