reference and user services analysis

Running Head: REFERENCE TRANSACTIONS IN A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY 1

Reference Transactions in a High School Library

Staci M. Novak

Emporia State University


Reference Transactions in a High School Library

When I was a high school student in Iowa I remember walking into my high school

library and being immediately greeted by both the sunshine coming through the windows and a

bright face telling me, “Good morning!” It was a welcoming environment where a student could

go to do research, read a book, or simply spend time. My classmates and I knew that if we had

questions the librarians were more than willing to help us not only find the physical location of

items but also give us a jumpstart in researching our topics. The library in which I observed had

several of these factors but during my observation I did not, according to Jones (2009), see the

highest level of mentoring nor relationship building occur during the reference process.

My observation took place February 10th and February 12th from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00

a.m. both days. I chose these days and times specifically because I knew that a senior English

class would be conducting career-related research. This high school library is very open

spatially with many windows to allow in natural light. There is a large area with tables

conducive to student work as well as a horseshoe of computers. When you enter the library, the

librarians’ desks are up against the wall next to the long checkout counter. Both librarians have

computers at their desks and have their backs facing the books, tables, and computers. I think

this creates an environment that is unwelcoming and not advantageous to students who wish to

ask questions. Not once during my three hours of observation did a student approach their desks

to solicit assistance.

As previously mentioned, the students in the senior English class were researching

careers. While many of these books were not found in the reference section the librarians had

collaborated with the teacher and had books pulled for them. These were set on a table within

the reference section. Students could easily access these books but many of the other books were


located behind the librarians’ desks and I assumed students must ask for assistance before

obtaining them. When I presented this question to one of the librarians she clarified that the

students were welcome to browse and use the materials as needed. With the exception of the two

or three students searching for materials in relation to their respective careers, I did not observe

any students or any activities in the reference area.

During my time in the library I witnessed several transactions. Each transaction began

with the librarian getting up from her desk after noticing a student lingering or browsing through

the books. She said that her personal style and preference is that if the students need assistance

they can come to her. She doesn’t like to hover around them because she doesn’t want to seem

like a pushy saleswoman. Only if she notices that they seem lost will she approach them first. I

think how an information professional goes about beginning an interview is a matter of personal

preference; however, in dealing with high school aged students, establishing rapport and creating

positive relationships is essential to effectively diagnose the information need (Jones, 2009,

p.78).

One of the first interviews I observed was that of a young lady looking for books about

nursing. She told the librarian what she was searching for, and without responding, the librarian

pulled a book from a shelf and began looking in the index. She showed the student what she was

doing but didn’t explain how to use the index. When they found the section of the book the

librarian asked, “So you want to be an RN?” The student said she wasn’t sure, so the librarian

used her background knowledge to explain what an RN was and what they did. The girl clarified

somewhat by saying she wanted to work in a hospital specifically. The librarian said, “So you

want to be a surgical nurse?” The student again said that she didn’t really know what that was.

The librarian looked through a few more books and said that the other students were using most


of the medical books, so she should go and check with them. The girl gave a sigh of frustration

and simply walked away. As the student left, the librarian turned to me and said, “I don’t think

she had any idea what she wanted.” This statement struck a chord with me because it is the

central concept of what we do as information professionals. According to Grover and Carabell

(1995), “information professionals may become frustrated when their clients are unable to

articulate their needs, yet clients should not be expected to know what to ask” (p.2). This is

especially true when dealing with a younger clientele. Librarians that deal with students need to

do more than simply retrieve a source or show a student where those sources are located, and

they must also remember that many “Lack both the cognitive structure and the experience

needed to evaluate and synthesize the information they find into something meaningful” (Cassell

& Hiremath, 2009, p.308).

During the interview the information professional used closed questions that elicited only

“yes” or “no” responses and limited the response of the student. When the student said she

wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a surgical nurse, the librarian could have asked her to explain

what it was she wanted to do as a nurse. Because of the questioning technique, I felt that the

diagnosis of the service cycle was unsuccessful and not user-centered. According to Dervin and

Dewdney (1986), “If the librarian uses communication techniques that are not addressed to the

user’s key, the resulting interview may be ineffective” (p.510). I also felt the prescription was

unsuccessful. Instead of telling her to ask the other students the librarian could have found other

sources for her to use or went with her to look for the other medical books. In other words, her

resolution did not meet the needs of the user and the appropriate sources were obviously not

found for her.


During this transaction nonverbal communication was apparent, especially that of the

librarian sitting at her desk with her back to them. “The librarian can also look approachable by

roving through the reference area…[because] many users may not be comfortable initiating a

conversation with a librarian when they need help” (Cassell & Hiremath, 2009, p.18). Had the

librarian been moving around the student with the nursing question may have felt more

comfortable asking for help and her presence may have also facilitated more questions from

other students in need of assistance.

The last reference interview I witnessed was much different from this one. The librarian

was already up working with students when a boy approached her with a question. His question

was much more specific than the nursing student. He told her he wanted to be an automotive

tuner. The librarian said, “Okay, let’s see what we can find under automotive.” When she

searched and couldn’t find anything she said, “You know I’m not really sure about this subject.

What else can you tell me about it?” The boy went into more detail about the profession and the

librarian gave him a book on the auto industry. She asked him if that would apply. He looked

through it and said yes. She then asked if the book would be helpful. The student seemed please

with her selection in that he said yes, thanked her, and walked away.

I felt this transaction was a much better example of what a reference interview is

supposed to look like. She began with an open question to get a better understanding of what the

profession was. Since she already knows why they are researching and what they are going to do

with the information, I felt the open-ended question was appropriate in place of a neutral one.

Towards the end of the interview she moved to closed questions in order to evaluate the

diagnosis and bring the transaction to a close.


The nonverbal communication in this interview was also much more positive. To make

sure the student had what he needed she stayed close to the reference section and shelved several

books. A few minutes later he returned for more information. The information professional

asked, “Did you find what you were looking for?” The boy said that he had not. She looked

through a few other books and handed him one. “Did you look at this one yet?” He paged

through it and replied that he hadn’t but that it looked promising and he sat back down.

In this case, she made herself more available to her users and I think his positive

experience with her made him more likely to return, unlike the previous transaction. When the

boy was explaining the topic she maintained eye contact and nodded to demonstrate

understanding. Her nonverbal communication told him that she was willing to help him and

listen to his information gap.

During both reference interviews I also noticed two different types of closure. In my first

observation of the girl looking for information on nursing, the librarian employed a strategy of

negative closure. The librarian made it obvious to the student that her search had ended when

she told her all of the books on that topic were already being used and that she should check with

the other students. Of the ten negative closure strategies described in Ross and Dewdney (1998),

this falls under the eighth when “the librarian states explicitly that the search has reached a dead

end” (p.756). In the other observation I didn’t really feel as though the closure was negative

because she asked him both times if the source would work for him. However, I feel that the

closure could have been improved with a follow up question such as, “If that turns out not to be

what you’re looking for, make sure you come back and we’ll look for something else.”

When I walked into the library to complete my observations I expected to walk into my

high school memories of sunshine and smiles, which was in part what I observed. I think the


information professionals in this library truly want to be helpful to our students but I was

surprised by the way in which this was done. It is no secret that library science is moving

towards a more user-centered perspective but it seems as though our librarians are still in the old

mindset of librarian rather than user-centered techniques. A library should be a place where

students feel welcome and a place they can find information. For this to occur, a librarian must

utilize the best tactics in conducting reference interviews.


References

Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2009). Reference and information service in the 21st century

(2nd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Dervin, D., & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral questioning: A new approach to the reference

interview. RQ, 25(4), 506-513.

Grover, R., & Carabell, J. (1995). Toward better information service: Diagnosing information

needs. Special Libraries, 86(1), 1-10.

Jones, J. (2009). Dropout prevention through the school library: Dispositions, relationships, and

instructional practices. School Libraries Worldwide, 15(2), 77-90.

Ross, C.S., & Dewdney, P. (1998). Negative closure: Strategies and counterstrategies in the

reference transaction. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 38(2), 151-163.

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