The Reference Interview

Betsy Spackman & Leticia CamachoBrigham Young University

NLA Annual ConferenceOctober 20, 2005

Overview

Definition and stepsWhy reference negotiation is importantALA’s Behavioral GuidelinesGames

What is the reference interview?

Finding out what patrons really want and helping them find resources to meet their goals

“Reference librarians are mediators between the user and the resources he or she needs or wants”

Steps of the reference interview

Build rapport and trust

Ask questions Listen and remember Answer and find

resources Follow up

Why is reference negotiation important?

Users don’t ask for what they really wantLanguage is ambiguousAnomalous states of knowledgeEvaluation of reference—55% rule

Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers

Approachability Interest Listening/Inquiring Searching Follow up

What our users think…

Approachability Activity

We are going to show you a few slides, look at the slides, then answer the following question:

Which Librarian would you ask?

Which Librarian Would You Ask?

Approachability Activity

The first librarian is working on the computer and the second is talking on the telephone. Viewer selects the librarian on the computer as the one that they will approach. Patrons will avoid the one in the phone.

The same two reference assistants are reading, but have changed places. Either is likely selected.

The first librarian is standing in front of the desk and the second is in the usual position at the desk. While the person in front is closer to the patron, he is almost too close and may be blocked to some

viewers.

The man on the right is using the computer, while the woman on the left is reading. Most likely patrons will select the man on the computer before they will interrupt the reading woman.

The female librarian is already helping someone, while the male librarian is not busy. Most likely the patron will ask the male librarian rather than wait for the female librarian to finish.

Both librarians are standing, making eye contact, and are ready to help the patron-- however the librarian on the left is also smiling. Over 90% of viewers select the smiling

librarian over the non smiling librarian.

In this image, the two librarians are talking to each other and neither is acknowledging the patrons. Most viewers (over 70%) selected the woman, because she is the one doing the

talking and her body language is more active than that of the man’s.

Hierarchy of Reference Approachability: According to the results of a survey similar to the activity that you just completed, patrons choose the librarian they will approach based on the following patterns:

Approachable Behaviors in Order of Preference

(% Selected)

Standing and Eye Contact – and Smiling!

93

Standing and Eye Contact 90

Helping Another patron 12

Standing and Writing 11

Sitting and Eye contact 10

Using the Computer 10

Reading 5

Talking on the Phone 1

Finding Out What They Really Want to Know

Some common problems

Open and Closed questions

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Closure Follow-up

Some Common Problems

Failure to establish contact Bypassing the reference Interview An unmonitored referralFailure to pay attentionLack of knowledge of appropriate

sources

Open Questions

Allows people to respond in their own terms

Begins with Who, What, Why, Where, When, or How

It works best in situations in which there may be many options that can’t be known in advance – the usual case at the reference desk

Closed Questions

Questions that require a yes/no, this/that response.

It works best in circumstances in which there exists only a small set of options known in advance

Sense-Making QuestionsA special kind of open question that asks specifically about situations, or gaps, or helps

1. Know the situation the person is in What are you working on? How did this question arise? What happened that you need to know this?

2. The gaps in his or her understanding What kind of help would you like What are you trying to understand? What would you like to know about X?

3. The uses or helps How do you plan to use this information? What would you like to see happen in this situation? What are you trying to do in this situation?

Paraphrasing

Feeds back what has been said in the previous comment So you’re looking for … What you need is . . . You mean . . . As I understand you . . .

Tips: Be concise, do not add or change the meaning, use a checkout (Is that what you wanted? Was that it?)

Summarizing

Is like paraphrasing except that is covers a larger span of conversation and requires you to distill the essence of what was said over the course of a longer series of questions and answers.

Tips: Synthesize, condense and go for the big picture

Closure

The art of tactful ending Indicate that discussion has been completed Focus on what has been achieved in the

discussion Established a good communication climate Use a follow up question

Follow-up

It allows you to discover, and repair, communication accidents before the user leaves the library

Two types: Those that invite the user to ask for additional help

if needed Those that allow users to tell you whether they got

the kind of help they were really hoping to get

Game: Twenty Questions

Several volunteers: A patron and a librarian Someone to keep time Someone to count questions

First two minutes: only closed questionsAfter that: any questionsCompare

Questions?

Analyze this Reference Transaction:

User: I checked the catalog but couldn’t find what I was looking for.

Librarian: Not on the shelf?User: No.Librarian: What is that you wanted? User: The books.Librarian: Yes but what type of information User: It’s on body work.Librarian: OK User: I’m helping a friend.

Analyze this Reference Transaction:

User: I checked the catalog but couldn’t find what I was looking for.

Librarian: Not on the shelf? (acknowledgment)User: No.Librarian: What is that you wanted? (open question)User: The books.Librarian: Yes but what type of information? (open

question)User: It’s on body work.Librarian: OK (encourager)User: I’m helping a friend.

What does the patron really want?

Where are the nutrition journals?Information about the latest fad dietWhere are books about Nixon?Text of Checker’s SpeechWhere are the book reviews?A review of Women by Booth TarkingtonWhere are the old magazines?Origins of the TV dinner

Analyze this Reference Transaction

User: Excuse me, but I’m looking for some poems Librarian: Some poems? What poems are you looking

for? User: Love poems. Librarian: Love poems? Ok. Is there anything in

particular? By anybody—American, Canadian, British—does it matter?

User: No, just a project on love poems. Librarian: Ok, do you know how to use the catalog here? User: No. Librarian: Ok. [Explains the catalog.] Did you want books

that you can take home, or is it alright to work here? User: Mm-hmm. No.

Analyze this Reference Transaction

User: Excuse me, but I’m looking for some poems Librarian: Some poems? What poems are you looking for?

(acknowledgement followed by an open question) User: Love poems. Librarian: Love poems? (acknowledgement) Ok. Is there anything

in particular? By anybody—American, Canadian, British—does it matter? (a question that is open in its function, but gets turned into a closed question)

User: No, just a project on love poems. Librarian: Ok, do you know how to use the catalog here? (system

question) User: No. Librarian: Ok. [Explains the catalog.] Did you want books that you

can take home, or is it alright to work here? (closed question) User: Mm-hmm. No.

References

Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, Kristi Nilsen, and Patricia Dewdney. 2002. Conducting the Reference Interview: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 241 p.

Dervin, Brenda and Patricia Dewdney. 1986. Neutral Questioning: A New Approach to the Reference Interview. RQ (Summer): 506-513.

Dewdney, Patricia and Catherine Sheldrick Ross. 1994. “Flying a Light Aircraft: Reference Service Evaluation from a User’s Viewpoint.” RQ 34 (Winter): 217-230.

References

Durrance, Joan C. 1995. “Factors That Influence Reference Success: What Makes Questioners Willing to Return?” The Reference Librarian 49/50: 243-265.

Fine, Sara. 1995. “Reference and Resources: The Human Side.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship (Jan): 17-20.

Howze, Philip C. and Felix E. Unaeze. 1997. “All in the Name of Service: Mediation, Client Self-Determination, and Reference Practice in Academic Libraries.” RQ 36 (Spring): 430-437.

RUSA online course: The Reference Interview http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaevents/onlinereferenceinterviewcourse/refinterview.htm

Contact Information

Betsy Spackman Life Sciences Librarian/Science Reference

Specialist betsy_spackman@byu.edu; (801) 422-6777

Leticia Camacho Management/Economics Librarian leticia_camacho@byu.edu; (801) 422-1970