The Reference

Interview
Spring 2008
The Reference Interview
Process
 Most patrons ask one of these types of questions:
 Directional (where is)
 The restrooms are along the wall
 Instructional (how to use technology)
 Let me show you how to use the OPAC
 Circulation (how to borrow)
 Refer
 We don’t have the text of the UN resolution but the Government
Documents Department does
 Informational (assistance in finding information)
 The phone number for the Washington State Bar Association is….
Definition of the Reference
Interview
 A creative problem solving process that is
collaborative
Informational Reference
Interviews
 A process that can be factored into four
steps
 Communicating the information need
 Selecting a search strategy
 Executing the search
 Assessing the relevance of the results
Specific Strategies

 We need to first clarify and elicit the

patron’s information needs
 We need to decide which information
sources to consult based on an
assessment of the patron’s need
 We must be able to evaluate potential
sources during the formulation of the
search process and during retrieval
The 6 Pieces of Evidence
 Purpose
 Deadline
 Type and Amount (how much, picture,
text)
 Who (how knowledgeable is the patron)
 Where (Where did the patron hear about
the information)
 The Basic Question (what does the patron
really want to know)
Why can’t they ask for what
they want?
 They don’t know the extent of your information
resources
 They don’t know how to ask for what they want
 They feel the information is too confidential to
disclose fully
 They aren’t really sure yet what they want
 They aren’t sure you have the information
 They don’t think you understand the subject
Nonverbal Skills
 Make eye contact
 Have a relaxed, open posture
 Watch your facial expression and tone of
voice
 “Be here now”
Verbal Skills
 Project a professional image over the telephone
 Be quiet and let the patron talk
 Listen to each item of the request
 Use encouragers
 Ask open-ended questions
 Establish a sense of expertise
 Avoid premature diagnosis
 Get to the heart of the matter
 Paraphrase the request in different words
 Negotiate boundaries
 How to say “no” without saying NO
 Think through your search – any additional questions?
Approachability, Interest,
Listening/Inquiring, Searching,
Follow-up
 In all forms of reference services, the
success of the transaction is measured
not just by the information conveyed, but
also by the positive or negative impact of
the patron/librarian interaction.
Human Conversation Failure
 Human conversation failure seems to be
more of the rule rather than the exception
 Pet Sematary = Animal Graveyard
 Socrates=soccer tees
 UNIX=eunuchs
 Supervision=super vision
 Wales=whales
Communications Accidents
 Oranges and Peaches
 An undergraduate student approaches the
librarian. “I just can’t find this book and I have
to read it by Monday. I tried to find it on my
own and I can’t! The librarian replies in a
soothing voice, “Do you have the title?”
“It’s called Oranges and Peaches”. Of course
there is no book with this title in the library.
The librarian asks gently, “Do you have the
author”. Charles somebody.
Can you guess the real title of
the book?
The real book
 The student states that the book is
legendary. The Bible on evolution.

 On the Origin of Species by Charles

Darwin
Virtual Reference
 Are we artificially inflating the expectation that
virtual reference must be a quick interchange?
 Impatient patrons (face-to-face) – they have to
get back to work, or go to class, or time is
money, or my paper is due now.
 They tap their fingers, they look at the clock, etc.
 Patrons may use virtual reference because it is
more convenient
 Negative closures and bad interview practices
happen at the desk and they also happen online
Librarians’ Perceptions of the
Reference Interview
 Many factors enter into a successful
reference interview including the librarian’s
communication style, the patron’s
emotions and literacy skills, and the
resources available.
Strategies for Children
 Problems can be:
 Being more inarticulate in voicing information
needs
 Either caring a lot or not caring at all because
of the requests being a school assignment
 Being more unfamiliar with the classification
system
 Needing to get the same information as the
rest of the class