If a patron approaches the desk with a research question, or looking for a subject instead of a specific title, they should probably be referred to a reference librarian.
“Do you have books on WWII?”
“Do you have films about women in comedy?”
“I need statistics on gentrification in Boston”
“Do you have X book, or something like it?”
For the last example, follow-up questions are important to determine whether a Reference Librarian is needed:
“Do you have Bossypants or something like it?” “I can check. Are you writing a paper on it?” “No, I just want to read a book by a female comedian.” – You can probably answer this.
But if they needed books or articles on a specific topic – women on SNL, for example – they might benefit from the help of a Reference Librarian.
If they DO need a reference librarian, they have a few options: