A helpful hint for Telephone Reference

This is taken from the Remote Reference Blog. I'll add a link to the E-Mail Reference form on the "Helpful Links":

1. For obituaries, just like any other research-oriented request that needs follow-up, please fill the e-mail reference form at www.hpl.lib.tx.us/services/eref_form.html, or if the customer has access to the Internet, direct him/her to the form. Please do not use the "green sheets" any longer. Please inform customers that it normally takes longer than 36-45 hours to do the research; all requests are handled on a "first come first serve basis"; we are unable to do any RUSH requests. We only accept obituary requests for people who either lived or died in Houston/Harris County. • If date of death is after 1984, check the Houston Chronicle database for an obituary (coverage starts from 1985). Other web sites where one can find death/obit info: Obits Archive, SSDI, Ancestry Library Edition database, Texas Death Index.2. When filling out an e-mail request for a customer, please write TR and your initials at the top of the message. Include as much information on the request as possible, as well as resources you've already checked. For some government/law related items (Texas or US), try doing a Google search, it's very likely that you will find a full-text article available at a government Web site. You may also wish to try an Advanced Google search and select ".gov" as your preferred domain. For many business questions, a custom search in ReferenceUSA gives best results.Please use clear and simple language to type the question - we have received too many questions with incorrect information; please do not type in all caps.

2. When filling out an e-mail request for a customer, please write TR and your initials at the top of the message. Include as much information on the request as possible, as well as resources you've already checked. For some government/law related items (Texas or US), try doing a Google search, it's very likely that you will find a full-text article available at a government Web site. You may also wish to try an Advanced Google search and select ".gov" as your preferred domain. For many business questions, a custom search in ReferenceUSA gives best results.Please use clear and simple language to type the question - we have received too many questions with incorrect information; please do not type in all caps.