Library Student Employees: Discipline 911: Conducting Ref Interviews

As a student worker for Public Services, your responsibility is to answer questions that library users may have about locating specific books, periodicals (journals and magazines), microfilm or electronic materials (books, documents, or articles). These situations can include:

• I have the titles to some books and the website says you have them, but I don't know where to find them. . .
• I need to find some articles for a class assignment. . .

If you encounter a situation similar to these, begin by asking  the patron a series of questions.  These questions begin the conversation known as the reference interview. Use the information you learn from the interaction and the skills you have gained through your training sessions to provide the user with the best answer.

Your interaction with patrons typically should not last more than 5-7 minutes. If you find yourself unsure about how to answer the question or you have not found the answer within that time using the library resources, refer to the on call librarian.

• Demonstrate a positive, welcoming and friendly attitude when approached by patrons for assistance.
• Address or appropriately refer multimedia and technical issues to Electronic Resources Librarian, and/or the Research Instruction Librarians.
• Identify, select and search for materials using EBSCO Discovery Service database
• Perform a basic reference interview (in person, phone or IM chat).
• Identify and select topic-relevant LibGuides when assisting patrons.
• Operate the catalog to identify library materials for patrons

A reference interview is the way to be sure that you’ve given library users the help they’ve asked for, so ask plenty of questions! It is a conversation between you and the library user.  Like any conversation, the key to a good reference interview lies in understanding what the person is saying.  Imagine a friend who wants to tell you about her day, but she isn't sure how much she should tell you. After all, she doesn't want to bore you.  Just as you would have to coax the information out of your friend, you sometimes have to do that with library users. The librarian’s mantra is  “What they ask for, isn’t necessarily what they want or need."

1.       Ask them about their assignment.

• What class is this for? Who’s their professor? (The 200-400 level and higher classes usually require more specialized information.)
• What is their assignment? Do they have a copy of their syllabus they can show you?
• Do they want to prove something or do they want to explain something? (This will dictate the kind of information they need.)
• Have they had a chance to start their research and if so, what search words (aka “keywords”) did they use? Where did they look?
• Ask how much detail they need from their sources. Do they need general information or specific details?
• Are they looking for a particular format—a book?  journal article? website? statistics?--or does it matter?  

2.       If their answer is that they haven’t looked at anything yet:

• Suggest they start with a general information search like the "Library Catalog (Fusion)" to get some results. Have them look at the first page or two of results to see if they’re getting useful information. Note: using "Search All" will yield a large number of results but many of them won't be very useful, or else the full text of the article won't likely be immediately available. That situation would require the use of Interlibrary Loan to locate the article's full text. 
• If they’re using databases, use a general information database like EbscoHost’s Academic Search Complete from the Electronic Resources Page. (The specialized databases can be added to the search after they’ve found some useful information.)
• Use the advanced search feature so they’ll have the search boxes for combining terms which will automatically narrow their results. Put the most important word in the first box to give focus to the search, then lesser words in successive boxes. Put checkmarks in boxes for scholarly, peer-reviewed, and full text since most papers require scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Use minimal limits at first then add more (such as date, format, etc.,) as needed.

3.       If their answer is that they’ve found some things but need more, have them describe the articles they found useful and then build on           those results. Consider using keywords from the results.

4.       Some students will continue to stand there with an expectant look on their face, seeming to wait for you to find more.  WE ARE NOT HERE TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK FOR THEM.  WE’RE HERE TO SHOW THEM HOW TO DO IT THEMSELVES! Ask them if they feel comfortable with finding material on their own.  If they say no, ask them what steps didn’t make sense then explain those parts again until they understand.

5.       When it looks like they’ve found some resources they can use and are comfortable with looking for information on their own, end the session by asking if they’ve found what they wanted and if there’s anything else you can help them with.

If you're not distracted by the Aussie accents, this short video shows the Do's and Don'ts of conducting a successful reference interview.

Here are some ways a badly conducted reference interview can leave both you and the library user feeling very frustrated.

What would you do if you were confronted with one of the following scenarios?

In this scenario, the user has a broad topic to research that they will have to narrow down for a research project. In this case, showing the user the results for various, more-specific ideas can actually help the person find the topic that works for them.

In this scenario, the user feels that the information they need may cause you to pass judgement on them. In this case, it is very important to respect the delicate nature of their search while also asking questions that give you more information. For example, the user may need information on abortion. To help the user, you need to ask if the information they are seeking is medical, political, historical, or ethical in nature. Avoid asking if this is for research or for personal use.

In this scenario, there is some kind of communication barrier. The user thinks they are clearly communicating their needs, but you still don't know what they are looking for. Try paraphrasing what the user says back to them. This is a good way to see where the misunderstanding is. Avoid parroting back the terms that the user is using, as they may be using the same word but thinking of a different definitions.  For instance, in the 70s (when there were a lot of issues with plane highjackings) a library patron came into the public library, looking for schematics for a commercial airplane.  The librarian helps the man find what he is looking for.  He tells her, "Okay, now how do I blow this up?"  Taken aback, the librarian says, "Excuse me?"  The man explains that he wants to know how to enlarge the schematics on the copy machine. 

If an accent is the problem, try asking the person to spell the word you can't understand. For example, the user may sound like they are saying "crick." Asking the user to spell the word will clarify that they are saying "creek."

In this scenario, the user knows the topic they need, but they don't realize that there are specific resources to meet their needs. For example, a student trying to find a woman in politics to write about may ask for a general encyclopedia or an encyclopedia of politics or politicians. By knowing exactly what the user is looking for, you can help them find Encyclopedia of Women in American Politics.