Diana Fiddler

Accessing Information Needs

Interview
Age: 13

Gender: Male

Name: Wayne

Diana: Wayne, I am going to ask you some questions about your reading likes and
dislikes. My first question is What type of material do you like to read?
Wayne: Uhh...books like mystery books and sports fiction books.
Diana: Are there any specific types of mystery books you prefer to read?
Wayne: No, not really.
Diana: Do you have a particular sport that you like to read about?
Wayne: I really like baseball, football, and basketball.
Diana: Would you consider reading books that talk about other types of sports?
Wayne: Sure.
Diana: What do you not like to read about?
Wayne: Umm...I actually dont know. Probably, .I dont know.
Diana: What kinds of books do you like to read? Examples would be: books with
pictures, graphic novels, books that have all text.
Wayne: What are graphic novels?
Diana: Graphic novels are books that are similar to a comic book.
Wayne: Oh, yeah. I like the comic book looking ones and books with some pictures.
Diana: What kind of books do you not like?
Wayne: I dont know.
Diana: What have you read recently that you liked?
Wayne: Among the Hidden

Diana: What did you like about it?

Wayne: It was just good.
Diana: Have you read other books written by Margaret Peterson Haddix?
Wayne: Who is that?
Diana: She is the author of the series, Among the Hidden.
Wayne: Oh, yeah, I have read more of those books.
Diana: Have you read anything recently that you didnt like?
Wayne: No.
Diana: What is your favorite subject in school?
Wayne: Umm...science.
Diana: Why do you think science is your favorite subject?
Wayne: Because you get to do stuff and not just sit in class and read or listen to the
teacher talk.
Diana: What is your least favorite subject at school?
Wayne: FACS (Family and Consumer Science)
Diana: Is there a specific reason why you dont like the FACS class?
Wayne: The teacher doesnt like the boys in the class.
Diana: Do you like the topics the teacher talks about in the class?
Wayne: I liked it when we cooked Banana Bread Brownies.
Diana: That sounds like an interesting combination!
Wayne: It was really good. I even cooked some for my mom and dad and brothers at
Christmas.
Diana: Would you be willing to read a book that had something to do with cooking even

though you dont like your FACS class?

Wayne: Umm, maybe.
Diana: What kind of movies, TV shows, or video games do you like?
Wayne: Jurassic Park, scary movies, Disney movies and t.v. shows -- I like shooting
games and sports games.
Diana: Do you ever read books that are similar to the movies, t.v. shows, or video
games that you watch and play?
Wayne: Not really.
Diana: If you could be any character in a book, TV show, or movie, who would you want
to be?
Wayne: Olaf
Diana: Why would you want to be Olaf?
Wayne: Because he is funny.
Diana: Do you like to listen to books being read aloud, or would you rather read them by
yourself?
Wayne: Read them by myself.
Diana: What do you like to do outside of school?
Wayne: Sports like baseball
Diana: Do you like to use the computer?
Wayne: Yes.
Diana: What sort of things do you like to do on the computer?
Wayne: I like to get on YouTube and play other games.
Diana: Do you like to go to the library?

Wayne: I guess. Sure.

Diana: What sort of things do you like to do at the library?
Wayne: Read.
Diana: How many hours do you think you spend a week reading for school or for fun?
Wayne: Maybe two
Diana: What genres of books do you enjoy reading?
Wayne: Realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy, and sports fiction
Diana: What suggestions would you give a friend to encourage them to read more
books?
Wayne: If you like a book, read the whole series.
Diana: Thank you for helping me answer my reading questions.
Wayne: No problem.

Annotated Bibliography
1. Balliett, Blue. 2005. Chasing Vermeer. New York: Scholastic.
Two students, Petra and Calder, are entwined in a mysterious search for a
missing painting, the Vermeer. The many twists and turns within the adventure
cause the characters to be involved in several dangerous escapades.
2. Birmingham, Maria. 2013. Weird Zone: Sports. Toronto: Owlkids Books.
Different, bizarre, and unique sports that are uncommon to the sports world are
defined and unraveled for the inquisitive mind.
3. Dowell, Frances ORoark. 2001. Dovey Coe. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press.
Dovey Coe is very strong willed teenage girl who has been accused of killing her
sisters boyfriend. The mysterious death threatens the familys relationship while
Dovey must clear her name.
4. Draanen, Wendelin Van. 1999. Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy. New
York: Knopf.
The defiant and curious Sammy Keyes investigates the disappearance of money
and a cross from the church, while trying to keep her living arrangements with
her grandmother a secret.
5. Fehler, Gene. 2008. Beanball. New York: Clarion Books.
Luke Wizard Wallace is a star baseball player who is beaned in the face by a fast
pitch ball. Twenty-eight different spectators give their account of the disastrous
occurrence.

6. Lewis, Michael and Grover Gardner. 2007. The Blind Side: Evolution of a
Game. New York: W.W. Norton.
Michael Oher becomes a phenom in the high school football arena. However,
this homeless young man is taken in by a rich family, while colleges begin to take
notice of his athletic abilities.
7. Lynch, Chris. 2013. Slot Machine. New York: Open road Integrated Media.
Elvin Bishop must attend a three week summer camp with his two best friends to
find his athletic slot in the Christian Brothers Academy. However, Elvin discovers
more than an athletic ability; he finds his strength and passion in life.
8. Olson, Arielle North, David Linn, and Howard Schwartz. 2002. Ask the Bones:
Scary Stories From Around the World. New York: Puffin Books.
Twenty-two scary tales from around the world are told with suspenseful and
chilling ends.
9. McClintock, Norah. 2014. Hit and Run. Ontario: Scholastic Canada.
Mike McGill lives with his Uncle Billy who is more of a brother figure than uncle.
Mikes mother was killed in a hit and run, but questions have been raised which
causes Mike to question whether his mothers death was an accident or not.
10. ODonnell, Liam and Mike Deas. 2010. Food Fight. Victoria, B.C.: Orca Books.
Devin and Nadia begin to investigate the vandalism of their moms agricultural
lab. The children discover that a multinational company is behind the
devastation and deceit.

11. Petersen, P.J. 1999. White Water. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books
for Young Readers.
Greg faces his fears and takes charge when in this adventure story when his dad
is bitten by a rattlesnake while on a white water rafting trip. Greg must save his
father and little brother by trying to tame the savage rapids to locate help.
12. Pike, Christopher. 2007. Remember Me. New York: Simon Pulse.
Shari Cooper is a ghost who knows that she was murdered. Shari follows the
lives of her friends and enters their minds through dreams to determine who
killed her.
13. Raskin, Ellen. 1998. The Westing Game. New York: Puffin Books.
Turtle Wexler and fifteen others enter the Westing Game to determine which of
the players actually killed the corpse found inside the Westing house. The
winner will inherit the murdered victims fortune.
14. Roman, Dave. 2011. Astronaut Academy & Zero Gravity. New York: First
Second.
In this graphic novel, Hakata Soy has been sent to outer space school to receive
an education; while discovering new friendship, he realizes he is being followed
by his evil twin robot assassin.
15. Shiga, Jason. 2010. Meanwhile. New York: Amulet Books.
This graphic novels character, Carefree Jimmy, must make a decision after a
mad scientist makes him choose between three inventions. The laboratory
dilemma for Jimmy includes: a mind reader, a doomsday device, or a time
machine.

16. Shusterman, Neal. 2003. Full Tilt: A Novel. New York: Simon & Schuster Pulse.
In this adventure novel, Blake encounters a traumatic night which changes his
and his brothers life. Blake must survive seven carnival rides which are fears
from his own life in order to awaken his brother from a comatose state.
17. Stanley, Diane. 2001. The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine. New York: Harper
Collins Publisher.
Frannie and Beamer must solve the mystery around a series of events which
occur when their classmates read the horror series, Chillers. They set out to
investigate the author of the series, I.M. Fine, and try to stop the strange
incidents from occurring.
18. Sturm, James and Rich Tommaso. 2007. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow.
New York: Jump at the Sun.
Emmett Wilsons life is covered over a twenty year period. Within this time frame
Emmett faces down the pitch of Satchel Paige, injuries his knee, and lives his life
as a sharecropper.
19. Taylor, Greg. 2011. Killer Pizza: A Novel. New York: Square Fish.
Toby begins working at the new pizzeria, Killer Pizza, only to find this is not the
actual job he has been hired to perform. The pizzeria is actually an organization
which hunts monsters.
20. Wooding, Chris and Dan Chernett. 2009. Malice. New York: Scholastic.
Kady and Seth are pulled into the comic books pages which contain the
character, Tall Jake, while trying to avenge the disappearance of a friend.

Essay
The interview process with Wayne was very straightforward and took only a
small amount of time to perform. I was familiar with Wayne as I had had him in my fifth
grade science class. Therefore, we both had an ease with one another which allowed
us to begin the interviewing process with minimal tension or emotional stress. Wayne
did not necessarily elaborate on his answers, but he did give enough information to give
me a good basis to be able to recommend books that were appropriate for the
parameters within his interests. He did ask for clarification of a graphic novel, which
indicated to me that he was listening intently and offering information which was
relevant to his needs and interests. Two days after I had met with Wayne, I reviewed
the list of resources I had developed for him. We read through the list together and
discussed the annotations, the genres, and whether or not the book was from a series
or not. Wayne was excited by the list I had compiled. He couldnt wait to see if the
library had a copy of the book Dovey Coe by Frances ORoark Dowell.
Both of the online videos available (specifically for this assignment) for viewing
were helpful in their own ways. They offered advice in how to view the information the
teen provided and how the provided information is pertinent to offering quality resource
recommendations. Reference Interviews by Maureen Goldsberry mentioned the same
starter questions as Dr. Koh had provided in the assignments guidelines as well as a
few additional questions of her own. She stated that when she recommends a book to
a student, she tells them to follow the Fifty Rule. The Fifty Rule requires the reader
to try reading at least the first fifty pages of a book before making a decision as to
whether or not they dislike the book or not. This advice gives the student the

opportunity to get a firm grasp of the books content. Rather, than making a rash and
impromptu decision, the reader is able to develop a connection or bond with the
character and/or plot. I also appreciated the fact that Goldsberry was straightforward
with the students. She gave them the opportunity to return the book, if the reader felt
the book was of no interest to them. This out allowed the student to feel comfortable
in asking for a recommendation as well as the ability to return the book without feeling
pressured to finish an unwanted read.
The online video, Reading with Purpose by Nancy Pearl was also intriguing and
helpful in the completion of this assignment. Pearl gave her definition of a good book
and what a good book should be to others, A good book is a book I enjoy, and a good
book to you is a book you enjoy. Everyone has different opinions of what is considered
a good book; therefore, each reader needs to make their choice on their reading
preference and materials. Pearl also stated that it is important to .... change the way
we think about putting people together with books. By listening to the readers interest,
the librarian will be able to better meet the students reading needs. It is our jobs as
librarians to locate and offer resources which will enhance the needs of our patrons.
Obstacles in referring materials of interest can be minimized by putting aside our own
interests and specifically focusing on the students needs.
By using the information collected from Wayne, I was able to focus on specified
areas of interest when creating a bibliography of reading materials. To locate the books
for Wayne, I chose to use the Childrens Literature Comprehensive Database. The
CLCD allowed me to specify the criteria I was searching for during the process. The
criteria included but was not limited to such specifications as readers age, genre,

language, books in a series, and special qualifiers (i.e. YA literature and Books that
have won honors and awards). The ability to specialize my search allowed me to meet
Waynes interest with minimal effort on my part in the research process. Once I had
created a search, I could read through the databases suggestions to make a
determination of book selection based on book review(s), grade/reading level, and book
annotation as to whether the book actually meet the specified criteria for Wayne. Some
of the databases suggestions were either too low in grade/reading level (I tried to keep
the grade/reading level at least 1-2 levels above and below Waynes reading levels) or
did not have enough information to adequately make a qualified decision.
This assignment taught me to focus upon each individual when determining the
resources and/or materials which may best meet the individuals needs. A librarian
cannot meet the needs of their patrons by placing everyone in gender and/or age
groupings. Everyone has specific reading needs which need to be addressed, if an
individual hopes to gain information for educational and personal wants they need to
feel comfortable and engaged in their reading. To create an environment which is
helpful and useful, it would be beneficial for the librarian to use a database or other
resources to assist in finding materials which meets the readers needs.

Bibliography
Koh, Kyungwon. Reference Interview and Readers Advisory for Teens. Filmed
[February 16, 2014]. YouTube Video, 40:15. Posted [February 16, 2014].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLAjHajmmVk.
TEDx talks. Reading with Purpose: Nancy Pearl at TEDxSeattleU. Filmed [March 3,
2012]. YouTube Video, 18:40. Posted [April 21, 2012]. https://www.youtube.com
/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WjDMbixPSeQ.