“I need help finding information on sexual activities among teenagers and young

adults.”

When I encounter a patron reaching out via e-mail reference with this question, the first
step I would take is to clarify the question with the patron. The topic is broad, and I want to
ensure that I am providing the patron with sufficient and accurate information on the topic.
I would respond to the email, establishing a connection with the customer by expressing
my willingness to assist with the inquiry. I would then ask the following clarifying
questions regarding the request:

● What kind of information regarding sexual activity are you looking for?
● What are you hoping to accomplish through your research?
● Is this for a research project or for personal curiosity?
● How much information do you need on the topic?

Reassuring with the customer my eagerness to help is crucial, considering this is particular
topic that may make someone uncomfortable to talk about, hence, why this person chose to
contact library through e-mail. However, I want to guarantee I am helping the patron locate
the appropriate information to answer the exact question.

The patron replies, revealing she is most interested in reading about sexual activity in
teenagers as it relates to teenage pregnancy and birth control use. Additionally, I inquire
about the preferred format, which the patron informs to be ebooks or online journal articles.
I decide to conduct a subject search is the best course of action.

Using the Dominican University Library OPAC, I search for books using the “advanced
search” option. I first entered in keywords “sexual activity” and “teenagers,” and narrowed
my search by selecting 21st century titles and ebooks. The OPAC generated 414 results,
and after adding “birth control” to the keywords, narrowed it to 84 ebooks.

After, I searched the Dominican University databases for scholarly journal articles using the
same keyword search terms. I initially received no results, but after adjusting my search
terms to only “teenagers” and “birth control,” I received 20 results. After 20-25 minutes of
searching, I give the patron the following resources:

Levine, P.B. (2000). The sexual activity and birth control use of American teenagers.
Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Ebook.

Abma, J.C., & Martinez, G. (2017). Sexual activity and contraceptive use among teenagers
in the United States, 2011-2015. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health & Human
Sercices, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.
Ebook.

Paoene, K.L., Levy, P., & Mandell. (2003). Retrieved from https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru&db=lls&AN=9689506&site=ehost-li
ve&scope=site
Abstinence First: Teen Birth Control Deciscions (Version A)