Reference BackTalk: Baby, I Can Fix Your Car

I've often wished I was an auto mechanic. I went to Lane Tech in Chicago but did not take Auto Shop much to my mother's disappointment. She was counting on me to fix the car along with the television set. It must be great to be able to fix your car when it breaks down.

Come to think of it, I actually believe there are similarities between mechanics and librarians—both are usually posed with a problem and need to develop a strategy for a solution. And since libraries have mechanics coming in looking for information quite often, as well as some non-mechanics trying to fix their own cars, we should all be familiar with a subscription-based database called AllData (www.alldata.com), which provides OEM (original equipment manufacturer) repair information for cars and trucks from 1982 to the present.

Updated constantly, AllData is actually a great alternative to the Chilton or Haynes automotive manuals that we have been acquiring for years and that are still within our institutions' budgets. Serving best as a complement to rather than a replacement for those print manuals, AllData allows us to expand the collections beyond the parameters we've been used to in a pretty remarkable way.

When you first enter AllData Online Library and Educational Version (the library version accessed at library.alldatapro.com), you are asked to search by year, make, model, and engine type. You are then taken to a listing of the different aspects of your vehicle. For a Mazda 3, for example, Vehicle Level allows you to choose components like brakes or cooling system. Service and Repair has troubleshooting, adjustment, oil leakage inspection, and more. Application and ID features a chart to help you read a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) code.

One of AllData's best qualities is its ease of use. For most of us, car repair can be daunting. By guiding us from step-by-step vehicle identification (year, make, model, etc.) to component search (heating and air conditioning, brakes and traction control), we can try to diagnose our problem or figure out parts we need to fix.

Also included on the site are useful shortcuts to information about maintenance, diagnostic trouble codes, technical service bulletins, specs, and diagrams (very popular among patrons). It's all about layering the information to help you zero in on what you are looking for; for example, under Cooling System, there is a subheading for Testing and Inspection with a choice of "Diagnosis by Symptom." Further, Maintenance will display maintenance schedules, Technical Service Bulletins will keep you updated of any problems with your model, and Locations can show you exactly what parts you need to examine. There is even a Technician's Reference, an online resource that can come in handy in case you lose the manual.

At Longmont Public Library, CO, we are lucky to have a large-print automotive section filled with many Chilton and Haynes manuals. And while they continue to be heavily used, people use AllData daily. My experience has led me to conclude that an ideal collection (still!) balances both e- and print formats as opposed to favoring one over the other. Of course, it's extremely difficult to have every manual for every year, make, and model. But since AllData goes back to 1982, you need the older manuals to fill in the gaps.

Some patrons don't want to learn about AllData, so you will need to offer them a manual. If there is no manual and they cannot wait for interlibrary loan, do the AllData search for them and print out the info. If the patron needs a lot of information printed, we usually charge ten cents a page (hey, there's a recession on!).

Many small business mechanics who can't afford a subscription also appreciate that their local library supplies free access to AllData. One limitation, however, is the lack of remote access. The library version usually requires in-library use only, while print manuals are able to be checked out and referred to at home.

Make sure to advertise AllData's presence in the library so that the patron knows there is an alternative when the one Chilton manual they wanted is checked out. Also, try to get patron input with an auto collection survey to see what kind of "car culture" your library supports.

One of the many challenges at the Reference Desk is being posed a question you know nothing about. Often, car repair patrons would like you to navigate the maze of an auto manual to find that specific part. AllData offers a component search, which is very helpful. As you become more familiar with the database and wading through the myriad parts of the car, searching becomes easier. After all, that's the point: to bring us closer to understanding what auto information is needed and how it may be found as quickly and painlessly as possible.

By the way, one of my coworkers was a mechanic who decided he would rather be a librarian. So, there is a correlation!