Outline I Reference Work Theories of Practice II

Outline I. Reference Work: Theories of Practice II. The Reference Interview III. Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy IV. New Models of Reference Work

Reference Work Reference service • public services side of library operation • behind the scenes reference work: collection management (evaluation, development, materials selection), creation of instructional materials, report writing, policy development, analysis of service, inservice training, etc. is varied as the more visible behind the desk reference service.

Reference Work Reference theory • lacking in some respect, is poorly regarded and little used? • librarianship, like other people-based services and skill-based professions traditionally considered practical discipline and theories often appear impractical

Reference Work Reference practice two major problems have historically and persistently interested the profession • how much service? (how much and what kind of assistance to give) • interview or not the enquirer? (how to establish and encourage communication bw the reference librarian and client)

Reference Work • policy manual (or staff manual) conveys the practical aspects of reference work in a particular library • substantial body of literature about reference theory and a history of reference service documents the evolution of a theory or philosophy of service

Reference Work policy statement • defines reference service as the provision of information in many forms by staff to those who seek information, access to sources of information, instruction and assistance in the use of sources • who is entitled to the service, how much service is given, what associated services (training of staff, production of bibliographies, monitoring of collection, etc. ) are expected

Reference Work Levels of service Conservative (minimum) Moderate (adequate) Liberal (maximum, ideal)

Reference Work levels of service guidance on the amount of service given (policy statement): • inclusion or exclusion of types of material • referral to outside agencies • time spent away from the desk with the patron and the enquiry • an appropriate response to homework and puzzle or contest questions • priority of telephone inquiries

Reference Work levels of service conservative (minimum) - giving as little assistance as is necessary in helping people receive, or locate for themselves, the required information moderate (adequate) - finding the required information for the inquirer liberal (maximum, ideal) - being sure that the required information is fully searched, found, and gets to the inquirer

Reference Work levels of service public librarians moderate service, arguing that this service best fits with the usual role of the public librarian and the expectation of public library users academic librarians may opt for a conservative approach, seeing it as the best fit with their role and ultimately the best for the majority of their users.

Reference Work (1930 s) In the 1930 s theories might still be better described as policies for work activities, but it had become clear that a knowledge of reference books (1940 s) discussions about the levels of service (1950 s) instruction versus information debate

Reference Work (1960 s and 1970 s) communication and relations with users were a priority, and the reference interview was front and center shift from library-centered (the reference workplace, levels of service, types of questions) to a usercentered discussion (1990 s) evaluation of sources

Reference Work Instruction or information? Information -- supplying an answer without involving the patron in the actual search activity Instruction -- teaching the user how to find the answer, either directly by instruction or indirectly by explaining a search as it proceeds

Reference Work Instruction or information? instruction is formal activity in academic libraries (library orientation, bibliographic instruction, teaching about reference materials, use of CD-ROM and reference via the internet) review of information over instruction debate with an emphasis on evaluation of sources

II. The Reference Interview Ask someone who knows! -Voted the best information source

The Reference Interview question negotiation “one person tries to describe for another person not something he knows but something he does not know” • needs to be understood from the patron’s and the librarian’s side of the process • negotiation of reference questions is a complex communication process • communication theory applied to understanding, empathizing, and conducting an interview with the client

The Reference Interview Definition Goals Communication accidents Steps of a typical reference interview

The Reference Interview definition “Conversation between a member of the library reference staff and a library user for the purpose of clarifying the user’s needs and aiding the user in meeting those needs. “ (Bopp & Smith, p. 47)

The Reference Interview • distinguished from general conversation between staff and user because it has a specific purpose and structure • from brief directional encounter to an ongoing interaction in support of a research project

The Reference Interview how extensive or formal the interview should be? • the needs or expectations of the user • the collection available for use • policies and procedures of the institution • personal communicational styles of the participants in the reference interview

Reference Questions (1950 s) emphasis on the processing of queries reference theory limited to categorization of reference questions and how or with what to answer them the questions were categorized as: directional, quick reference, search, research

Reference Questions Directional. The location of something is being asked (support staff also handle routine and directional questions, signs for some of these questions, but they remain a most commonly asked category)

Reference Questions Quick reference. Ready reference and one-step process; factual questions can be answered by handy or nearby reference materials. The answer may require a departure from the reference desk, but the question is clear, concise and requires no further consultation with the patron before the answer is quickly found.

Reference Questions Search. The first step is the clarifying the questions in a reference interview and the second step is finding the answer. The question is factual in nature but nonetheless requires searching a number and variety of sources or for a complete answer requires more than one source.

Reference Questions Research. Simple search elaborated. The question is less factual and more subject or topic-oriented in nature. The reference interview clarifies the information wanted but finding the answer may involve instruction, a variety of sources and whatever additional information is needed (referral to outside sources). Library subject guides and instructional handouts are helpful for answering frequently asked research questions.

The Reference Interview Factors influencing the interview: Communicational Environmental

The Reference Interview It has been said that the point of the reference interview is as much, or more, to determine the question as to decide on the sources for the answer.

The Reference Interview 4 stages in question negotiation (Robert Taylor, 1968) 1. Unexpressed need 2. Within-brain description 3. Formal statement before the final stage 4. The question as presented to the information system The librarian’s task is to work back through these stages with filters.

The Reference Interview filters determine the subject? • getting behind the question as presented in the user’s concept of the information system -- moving from a “compromised” question to the actual question understand the user? • establish objective and motivation • personal characteristics of user (general background, level of information wanted, the subject knowledge, the critical acceptance of and urgency for an answer)

The Reference Interview Problem: research models of users do not match those of librarians traditional truism of reference service: clients do not always ask what they want to know with any precision

The Reference Interview Goal: understand the user’s model Librarians applied what other disciplines taught about “rules” of interviewing, including the use of “open” or dynamic” questions to lead people to say more about the area of interest, and “closed” or “static” questions to lead the interview to its close.

The Reference Interview Goal: match the model to the system to answer the information need The librarians use of the interview to mediate in the information system as the system really is, and not as the client assumed it to be, and produce an answer that is acceptable to the inquirer.

The Reference Interview Steps 1. opening the interview 2. searching for information 3. closure (response) 4. follow-up Studies have identified most helpful vs. least helpful aspects of service to depend on the librarian’s behavior during the reference interview

The Reference Interview Performance of the librarian during stages of the reference interview: 1. Opening the interview: Setting an approachable tone for the interview by smiling, making eye contact, greeting the inquirer and being on the same level 2. Searching for information: Conducting the interview in a comfortable manner by maintaining eye contact, having a relaxed body posture, being attentive and interested with comments like “yes, ” “I see, ” asking open questions and accompanying the client to the shelves

The Reference Interview Performance of the librarian during stages of the reference interview: 3. Closure (response): giving the answer with the same attentive behavior, summarizing the query and answer information, citing the source for the answer, and. . . 4. Follow-up: Concluding the interview tactfully and with an expression that allows for some feedback and evaluation, such as “Does this answer your question? ” or “is this what you need? ”

The Reference Interview extension of the reference interview is the reference setting; guidelines for a receptive situation are available from many sources. ALA / RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Professionals (http: //www. ala. org/rusa/behavior. html)

The Reference Interview Reference setting 1. The Reference Desk should be clearly visible from the library entrance, clearly marked, and as informal and unimposing as is possible. A chair at one side, so that an interview of any length can be conducted in comfort, will help to give a receptive impression, rather than a sense of institutional barrier.

The Reference Interview Reference setting (cont. ) 2. Every effort should be made so that the Reference Librarian does not look busy with desk paper work. Patrons will less readily ask questions if the librarian seems too busy to help them and does not look receptive. Answering questions is the primary responsibility of the Reference Librarian.

The Reference Interview Half-right or half-wrong reference 55 -percent right reference / 40 -percent failure rate in the reference transaction (cf. Crowley 1985) (Hernon and Mc. Clure’s 55 percent rule) Research and incidental studies found that librarians gave wrong (plain wrong, incomplete, partially correct) answers to questions they were asked.

The Reference Interview Studies have consistently shown that the effectiveness of reference service is low whether measured by accuracy, helpfulness of the answer, satisfaction of user, or willingness to return to the same staff member. reasons: communication failures, failed interviewing techniques, inadequate search strategies

The Reference Interview Suggested solutions: • communications training (asking appropriate questions so as to fully understand what the user wants to know, verify the need, and use questions or other simple procedures to follow up) • diversification of the repertoire of search strategies (requires continuous education)

The Reference Interview situation --- gap --- use Sense-making model (Brenda Dervin) information-seeking and information-using occurs when individuals find themselves unable to progress through a particular situation without forming some kind of new “sense” about something. The information needs are situationally bound.

The Reference Interview situation --- gap --- use Sense-making approach to the reference interview allows the librarian to understand the query from the user’s viewpoint.

The Reference Interview situation --- gap --- use Technique of neutral questioning (based on triangulation) movement in which the librarians apply a questioning technique is built into their interviewing strategy, which is based on the sense-making approach

The Reference Interview Open-ended questions Close-ended questions Neutral questioning closed questions neutral questions open questions

The Reference Interview Closed questions yes / no response this / that response Is this for a project? Do you want American or Canadian authors? What if the user wants an Australian author? Or, what if the query is not related to a school project?

The Reference Interview Closed questions Regardless of the interrogator’s intent, a closed question always restricts the freedom of the user’s response. Frequently, the closed question also involves an attempt by the librarian to match the user to the more familiar parts of the system.

The Reference Interview Open questions Tell me more about topic “X”. . .

The Reference Interview Open questions • free from the system-oriented constraints of closed questions • allow users to respond in their own words • do not limit answers to the narrow range of choices presented by the closed question • questions are invitations to talk • elicit conversation that is irrelevant as well as relevant to the interview

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning • different from traditional questioning that focuses on expanding or narrowing the subject, bibliographic details, or format of the material sought • subset of open questions that are open in form and guide the conversation along the dimensions that are relevant to all information-seeking situations

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning • neutral questioning strategy directs the librarian to learn from the user the nature of the underlying situation, the gaps faced, and the expected uses • open in form and structured in content so that the user is invited to talk about specific elements (situations, gaps, uses) • user oriented rather than system-oriented

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning situation --- gap --- use To assess the situation: Tell me how this problem arose. What are you trying to do in this situation? What happened that got you stopped”�?

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning To assess the gaps: What would you like to know about X? What seems to be missing in your understanding of X? What are you trying to understand?

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning To assess the uses: How are you planning to use this information? If you could have exactly the help you wanted, what would it be? How will this help you? What will it help you to do?

The Reference Interview Neutral questioning (Dervin & Dewdney 1986, 509) • provides the librarian with a tool for controlling the nature of the reference interview while at the same time the technique provides users with control (freedom to unfold their stories in a human way) • helping the librarian to avoid premature diagnosis, allows users to retain control over the description of need and directs the interaction to the most pertinent aspects of the users’ experience

III. Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized (ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy 1989)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy • in addition to the facilities, libraries exist to promote knowledge and information literacy • information literate people are those who have learned to learn because they know how knowledge is organized and can find whatever information they need at whatever point in their life and apply it to solve problems

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy Understanding systems, services (for identifying, acquiring current and retrospective information) Evaluating information sources (in a broad sense -- for effectiveness, reliability, etc. , and as applied to institutions, including libraries, for various information needs) Having basic skills for managing one’s own information (technological processing, etc. )

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy Reference departments are involved in preparing people for lifelong self-education in an evolving information environment through: • library lessons in elementary and high schools • post-secondary library orientation • bibliographic instruction • information literacy as a program of instruction

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy Forms of delivery: (personal instruction, group instruction, tutorials that are alternatives to personal instruction) BI (bibliographic instruction) library guides (orientation, using the online information sources, finding periodicals, loan regulations) library subject guides (pathfinders)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy BI (bibliographic instruction) group-oriented instruction (enables users to make more efficient and effective use of a library collections and services) • library tours and general orientation • class or specific group presentations (undergraduate, and others) • computer and catalog demonstrations • talks to faculty, staff in the library and people in other departments

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy BI (bibliographic instruction) policy, goals, and objectives - part of written library policy on user education; depends on the size, tasks, staff and milieu of the library General academic library policy may say that the library staff conducts tours, etc. , add-ons: essay-writing clinics; policy also states which services are normally available and when, can indicate statistics required, and the staff responsible for the types of instruction (professional, support, etc. )

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy in-house publications and guides complement the bibliographic instruction, for the most common queries of orientation and subject enquiry and for times when the reference is not staffed library guides (orientation, using the catalog, finding periodicals, loan regulations)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library guides (orientation, using the catalog, finding periodicals, loan regulations) freely distributed guides, to promote the library’s collection and alert patrons to items of interest (booklist / bookmark in public libraries advertise “new materials, ” “good reading, ” or topical and seasonal areas in the library like “holiday helps, ” “career or retirement planning”)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library guides (orientation, using the catalog, finding periodicals, loan regulations) • directions where the material is housed • information indication what types of resources are available in a certain section • brief outlines of location and resources to answer more specific questions on commonly pursued topics (business, taxation, etc. ) • posted instructions beside terminals and at circulation desks

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) a “library lesson”

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) purpose: • to help novice searchers at an early stage of an enquiry by indicating initial sources for researching a subject, introducing various aspects of a subject but not exhaustive of resources or subject. • for persons with limited knowledge of library resources, and idea of what they need or want; helps them to assemble information and further define or meet their needs.

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) • layout of resources follows a general to more specialized itemization of resources with a number of standard types or categories being mentioned first. Any type of resource can be in a guide, if it is available in the library. • tone is determined by the compiler and may range from impersonal to personal • paper and online (examples: IPL Pathfinders www. ipl. org/ref/QUE/PF)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) • may use a question as lead-in, e. g. Have you considered a video on …? Followed by information that “The AV department on the second floor has … • compilers and the library’s reference department may prefer a standard style and format because standard presentations fit with user expectations.

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) • bibliographical references: enough to aid users in identifying also the call number, special location, etc. • short title is easily remembered • notes are used if they clarify the uses of the source • brief and descriptive • a remark on the structure of the source, and a phrase as to why the source is useful are needed • clear indication of the edition (annual revisions needed)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders) typical layout: 1. topic’s scope 2. overview, introduction 3. books and reports 4. bibliographies 5. other reference titles 6. journal articles, indexes and abstracts 7. journals 8. other categories as they pertain to the subject (biographies, electronic, online items, government publications, information)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders): 1. topic’s scope (few phrases or sentences) 2. overview, introduction (cite encyclopedias as providing summary of topic) 3. books and reports (identified by referring to subject headings in the catalog, and giving a range of call numbers, with perhaps 1 or 2 noteworthy titles being cited as examples)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders): 4. bibliographies (noteworthy titles are mentioned, and the category is a reminder that this type of resource exists) 5. other reference titles (cited depending on their contribution to the subject)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders): 6. journal articles, indexes and abstracts (both general and subject indexes and abstracts may be mentioned, with descriptive notes and the headings for the subject noted) 7. journals (where a title particularly refers to the subject or can be counted on to have a reasonable number of articles in the area)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy library subject guides (pathfinders): 8. other categories as they pertain to the subject • biographies (usually as found in biographical dictionaries, indexes, not citing individual biographies) • electronic, online items (if not identified in other categories or as a general statement outlining computer-based versions of reference publications) • government publications, information (location of government materials and example of a general publication with information on the subject -- census, statistical information)

Bibliographic Instruction and Information Literacy If patrons do not feel a need for a high-level of library self-sufficiency, why are the librarians advocating the skill? Are public libraries responsible for recreational uses only, or should they also mediate life-long learning? What is the continuing role of information specialists in an information-rich environment?

IV. New Models of Information Work Where do librarians fit in a world that has Yahoo!

New Models of Information Work Interactive remote reference service / Internet-based distributed reference service Emergence of library-like services to information seekers and online reference services provided by commercial firms (e. g. www. findsvp. com, search engines such as askjeeves, google, or IPL experiment using MOO).

New Models of Information Work What remains unique about the libraries and the librarians? Librarianship is the only profession in this complex information industry whose mission is to provide an evaluated collection of resources to a defined clientelle at no charge (Grodzins 1998)

New Models of Information Work • Librarians provide relevant, quality information at no charge • No other profession is so tied to principles of democracy • We have a code of work principles that guarantees open, equitable access • We are thought of as a lifelong learning center • We provide arrange of viewpoints for our users to be able to make informed choices • We offer a world of information that began before the WWW