August Research

Because I work at a public library, and we slow way down in August after summer reading ends, we are each taking on a research project for the month. I will be focusing on search techniques as they relate to customer service. I’m still at the beginning stages of trying to decide which subtopics to focus the bulk of my research on, but I welcome suggestions. What do you struggle with as far as searching goes? Where do you find your patrons/staff hit walls when they search for materials/information? Which resources to you direct patrons/staff to when looking for read-alikes? Series information (i.e., Which book is first in this series? Does it matter if I read this series in order?)? Job-finding resources? When do you use book resources as opposed to online tools? I look forward to hearing your ideas!