THE REFERENCE INTERVIEW

1. Public library Reference Anecdote

I visited my local public library to find a language tape and booklet for Swedish. I was pleased with myself for using the OPAC, and being able to find out that the language course published by Hugo had been borrowed by another user. As there were no other Swedish courses on the shelves, I asked the reference librarian if I could make a request for the ‘Hugo’ tape, and added - ‘a teach-yourself Swedish’ book and tape (meaning any language course with tape - so that I could learn a few words of Swedish before arriving in Arvika) He asked me in sternly, ‘Well do you mean the Hugo course, or the ‘Teach yourself Swedish’ course? They are not the same. Let us define our terms here!’ I felt humbled. Perhaps as a user I should have researched more thoroughly exactly which Swedish course I wanted, before approaching the librarian. He eventually suggested that speed of recall was the priority - which was the case for me. The experience at least added another dimension to my thoughts on the reference interview for this course.

2. The Importance of the Reference Interview in Library Science.

The reference interview features as an important component of Library Science courses now.

It is defined helpfully by Elizabeth Thomsen:

‘the reference interview is the process by which the librarian and the patron(reader) arrive at an understanding of what the patron is seeking’

by Dale Parus: the reference interview ‘attempts to bridge the communication gap between the patron(reader) and the librarian’

and by Mark Underdown as

‘a communication between librarian and client in which the client advises his/her information requirement and the librarian clarifies this need to develop an appropriate, mutually agreeable search strategy.’

It is not considered to be enough to rely on our knowledge of our subject, or of the collections in our own libraries, and the belief that we always deal sensitively with our users or readers, and with a determination and interest to satisfy their reference query. Guidelines are now given about how to question the user, rather as our checkout operators in the supermarkets now receive training in customer relations. I use that example about the so-called ‘reference encounter’ although the comparison has been made, perhaps rather grandly, with the patient-doctor encounter. The same author suggests ‘it may be better to see this as a shared responsibility with both the user and the professional contributing toward success’.

( Robinson, 4)

Feedback from the reader or user can give an indication of good service and a successful reference interview. Surveys have been undertaken in the USA into the general success rate of reference service - 50/60% rate, in many cases, (Hernon & McClure, 1987; State of Maryland, 1983; Childers & Crowley, 1971) 80% in another (Field, 1994). The view has been expressed that too much time is spent in library science courses on thinking about the reference interview, at the expense of ‘reference desk performance’. But the consensus seems to be that it is not enough for reference librarians to know the sources of information and how to use them. It may be more important that professional librarians learn how to communicate more effectively with the readers.

W. Katz perceptively observes that ‘the original question...is rarely the real question’. This may be due to uncertainty, embarrassment, or lack of knowledge of the subject. General, ‘open-ended’ questions (or what one research project calls ‘neutral questioning’) can focus the search:

What type of information would be most useful?

What sources have you looked at already?

How much information do you need?

When do you need this information?

What can you tell me about what the information is for/how you will use this information?

Three types of reference approach have been identified by one American library science professional, who has devised a training course for reference (STAR - system training for accurate reference):

3. Concluding by asking the reader/user, whether they are satisfied with the answer to their reference question.

A first blunt demand ‘What do you need this information for?’ may intrude on the privacy of the user. They may not want to divulge this. On the other hand, I recently had a telephone reference query in which the caller wanted to exploit my expertise for his advertising company - he had been employed by the BBC to advertise the Promenade Concert Season at the Royal Albert Hall, for which his company would be handsomely paid. And the librarian should tactfully make the reader aware of constraints: time constraints on the librarian, or quantity of information or limited information in one’s own library.

The user may have pre-conceived ideas as to the answer of his/her question. I was recently played a recording of a musical box tune, by a television researcher. The researcher was very anxious to identify a melody for her television programme, but the sounds were actually just a chord progression I, IV, V7.

Apart from general communication issues, the subject of music has its own problems and pitfalls for the reference librarian and the reader - problems of terminology, (we are asked for a ‘manuscript’, when the user actually means printed music), problems of language and format: (do you have The Magic Flute - do they mean orchestral score, or part, vocal score, one aria, the overture, the libretto?). John will now examine these problems in more detail.

Field, J. ‘Unobtrusive testing’. (Unpublished lecture, 1994) cited in Parus, 1996

Isenstein, L. (1992). ‘Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective’ in Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 361-371

Katz, W.A. (1992) Introduction to Reference Work Vo. 2 (6^th ed.) New York, McGraw Hill

Dale J. Parus The Reference Interview: Communication and the Patron. (Wayne State University
The Katharine Sharp Review ISSN 1083-5261, No. 2, Winter 1996 )

Robinson, B.M. (1989) “Reference services: a model of question handling” in RQ Fall 1989

Elizabeth Thomsen, Rethinking Reference: The Reference Librarian's Practical guide for Surviving Constant Change (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. 1999)

Mark Underdown ‘The Reference Interview’ (1995), 1. (http://comresearch/Epub?Special_Editions/SANDR-WYLDF/artone.htm.)

Doing a successful reference interview -- that is, helping enquirers to articulate and successfully refine their reference needs from the library -- is an important part of a librarian's professional activity. However, many things can go wrong: here are a few instances.

1. It is important to pitch the advice that is given at the correct level: for example, the librarian should find out if an enquirer can read, say, German, before giving him/her something in German. Information required by a school student for a project is going to be different from that required by an undergraduate student at university, or by someone who has a general interest in music but no in-depth knowledge of it. It's important not to give the impression that the enquirer is stupid if he/she cannot understand German. As librarians, we might think it a good thing for people to be able to read opera libretti in the original language: but the customer simply may not be able to do so. This does not make them a bad person!

2. One should not put the enquirer in a position in which he/she has to admit ignorance, for example by asking a question such as "Ah, so you are interested in Berlioz. I suppose you have already read the new biography by [X]?" This puts the enquirer at a disadvantage, because even if he/she has not read the item referred to, he/she is unlikely to admit this, for fear of appearing stupid. The librarian has now set up a situation in which the enquirer feels inferior, and is therefore likely to be nervous about taking the interview any further. It's up to the librarian to answer the enquirer's questions, and to let the enquirer lead the process.

3. Some librarians seem tempted to parade their own knowledge of a subject in front of enquirers, presumably to impress them. For example, if confronted by a question about Berlioz, the librarian might answer "Berlioz? Ah yes, Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869. Born at La Côte St André. Have you been there? No? Pity. Did you know Berlioz worked as a librarian at the Paris Conservatoire? Well, he did. Very interested in Shakespeare. His father was a doctor, you know… " [etc.]. In this scenario the customer may feel over-awed by what the librarian has said, but will not have had time to take in the information offered, which in any case can't be checked without recourse to a reference work, which is what the enquirer wanted anyway. It may be that some librarians feel this sort of approach is a good way of establishing their authority, and shows that they are a professional: but the proper way to establish these things is by communicating one's professional understanding via intelligent questioning of an enquirer, and by paying careful attention to the answers given.

4. Don't -- EVER -- give the impression that you don't have a very high opinion of the subject your enquirer is researching. "Heavy metal? Whatever do you want to study that for? Why not study something a bit more interesting -- like Berlioz. Ah yes, Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869…"[etc.]

5. It can be easy to jump to conclusions regarding what your enquirer wants: but it's important not to start answering an enquiry before the enquirer has finished putting it. For example, our customer may arrive saying "I'm interested in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique". The librarian dashes off and finds a score of the piece. The customer, confused, says he/she didn't want a score. So the librarian dashes off again, and comes back with a CD. The customer -- who is getting rather annoyed by now -- says that he/she didn't want that either. "So", says the exasperated librarian, "what do you want?". The customer replies "I simply want to know the story of what it's about, and when it was written". The result of this interchange is, first, that the enquirer now thinks the librarian is a bit odd; and the librarian has wasted a lot of time.

6. It's also easy to overload an enquirer with information. This is another way of saying that it is important for us, as librarians, to give information that is of maximum relevance. Not only is this a subtle way of establishing in the mind of the customer that you are a music library professional, but it also prevents the customer becoming overloaded with information. It is disruptive for enquirers, for example, to be shown one book and to settle down to read it, only to be interrupted 5 minutes later by the librarian carrying two further books. And then 5 minutes later, the librarian does the same thing with another book. And again, 5 minutes after that. Much better to find a relevant source, and let a reader read it: it it's not what they want, or if they want more material, they will probably come and tell you so. Also, don't make the mistake of asking them, after 2 minutes, whether what you have given them is relevant and useful: they won't have had time to find out, and will therefore tell you everything is o.k., even if it isn't. And they will then be embarrassed about coming back to you for more material. Assume that, if they are quiet and seem to be reading what you have given them, they are probably satisfied, at least for the time being.

7. The librarian should not be tempted to pretend that he/she can help, but in fact be unable to do so. This is a difficult issue that requires judgment on the part of the librarian. Sometimes the issue is clear: if your library doesn't have a sound recordings collection, then you can only say "no" when an enquirer asks you for a CD of the Symphonie fantastique. In other cases, and enquirer might ask for a particular score or recording that you don't have, but might perhaps be happy with an alternative, which you should offer without insistence. Again, the librarian may know of a larger, better-stocked collection of material nearby that is more likely to be useful to the enquirer: it would be wrong for the librarian not to tell the enquirer about this other resource, as he/she is there to help the enquirer in any way possible, and not to be "territorial" about his/her own collection.

8. It is important to give the enquirer the idea that you want to help them in their quest for information, and to reassure them that their question is a sensible and valid one. Giving such reassurance can be done in a number of ways, such as taking them to the library shelves and showing them a book/score/recording, rather than saying "all our books on Berlioz are over there", and waving your hand in a rather vague way. This will not encourage your enquirer to come back if he/she has a "follow up" question. Try to include some other useful information when answering the main enquiry, such as "yes, I do have some biographical information on Berlioz; and, if you're interested, we also have a collection of CDs that includes some of his music"; or "yes, we do have the journal article you want; if you would prefer to photocopy it rather than read it here, I can show you our self-service copying machine". It is, again, a matter of judgment as to how far you take this. It's important to be friendly while remaining professional.

1. Listening, not talking, is the key to a successful reference interview. As far as possible the enquirer should be allowed to lead the process.

2. It is the librarian's job to help the enquirer focus his/her enquiry so that it can be successfully answered. Enquirers are often not very good at saying exactly what they want when they first approach you. For example, "Do you have anything about Rossini?" might mean "Can you help me find which Rossini opera this tune comes from?" [whistles tune]. "How many vocal scores of the Mozart Requiem do you have?" may mean "Do you have a vocal score of the Mozart Requiem?". And again, "Do you have any books on violins?" may mean "My grandmother has left me an old violin in her will. How can I find out what it's worth?"

3. Using a mixture of "open" and "closed" questions is often the best way to help the enquirer. "Closed" questions may be very useful in getting to know the customer's requirements quickly, particularly at the beginning of the interview.

4. Reassure and encourage the enquirer by showing an interest in the enquiry, and by asking intelligent questions: this will show your enquirer that you understand what he/she wants, and will reassure him/her that you are an information professional who can help.