This presentation given by Arta Kabashi of AMIGOS covers Day 1 of the Small Library Management Training Program's IV: Reference workshop and covers the library as a community information resource, core reference issues, methods of virtual reference and the reference interview.
What's new? A current catchphrase is "Go where the users are." New technologies - and new generations - create new demands for mobile services such as developing library blogs to promote services, using wiki software to involve users in creating web site content, creating webcasts (Podcasts), working to integrate the catalog with other online systems for seamless information delivery, and subscribing to RSS feeds to keep up with the latest concepts. The goal of reference work is to meet people's information needs. Reference work includes finding out what information people need and using library resources to provide that information. Libraries have many roles to play, but a library's reference and information service is especially valuable to the community it serves because of the characteristics of library service. Libraries have a variety of information for everyone in the community, but work especially hard to meet individual needs. Libraries strive to provide equal, objective service for all patrons. Libraries promote the value of information for problem-solving in everyday life or for entertainment and enlightenment. The methods may differ, but the goal remains the same: find and fill information needs of the community. The need to conduct effective reference interviews, use skill in selecting search strategies, and be knowledgeable about resources, print or online, remains the same. The method of delivery and the need to be skilled in appropriate technologies is changing.
Why is the mission of the library important and why should you care? The people who live and work in our communities have many information needs: Product evaluations . Before making a major purchase, it helps to know the quality and features of products. Health. People need information on how to stay healthy and how to understand medical conditions they or their families have. Government. People need to understand their own communities and the country, and know who their elected and appointed representatives are and how to contact them, so they can participate fully in making decisions. How-to-do-it. It takes knowledge to repair cars, build swings, bake cakes. Personal enrichment. People want to know words to poems or songs, locate travel guides, play games online, know the best Web sites for kids, or enjoy the paintings of a favorite artist. Work. Business people need statistics, addresses, legal information; children (school work is their work) need help with assignments; individuals need advice on changing careers and obtaining better jobs. School. School work requires information resources available in the library or guidance in locating the best Web homework sites. Readers' advisory. Sometimes patrons want a good book to read. The readers’ advisory interview uses many of the same behaviors as the reference interview, approachability is the key.
Does your library have proper signage? How hard is it to locate materials? How does the marketing department
1. An interview is a special kind of conversation directed intentionally to some purpose. 2. In a police interrogation trust is low, the interviewer sets the agenda and the questions are structured and closed. Yes or no questions: Where you at X place during X time? Can someone confirm it etc. Think of your favorite cop show- for close ended questions. 3. As a librarian you want to be aware both of the context and content of the interview. If a student walks up and has a paper due in a day over a “classic novel” – he wants something fast and easy- not “War and Peace” or “ Les Miserables”
You may have to walk around the reference area Don’t alienate the user.
Nonverbal skills: the way we use our bodies, interpersonal space,how we say smth, the way we time our verbal exchanges, the way we look. If you want to turn people away: turn away from the user, look v. busy, avoid eye contact and become absorbed with the computer screen Play Utube Video Minimal encouragers: not threatening messages. Uh-Huh I see, Go on, That’s interesting Anything else, Can you give me an example Listen: You have to listen and not pretend you are listening-by using nonverbal cues-Allow time for the user to answer-They could just be thinking. One way of making sure you were listening- repeat back the question. Don’t try to interrupt or try to finish a user’s sentence-Unless is for signage to the bathroom- Unt example- Use your own. When I asked for books on papermaking- she asked “are you interested in recycling? Gave the wrong call number.
Sense making –user oriented approach designed to understand what it is that the user really needs. The strategy of sense making grew out of Dervin’s 30 years of research on how people seek and use information. According to her information needs grow out of specific situations in a persons life. Sense making questions diminish premature diagnosis and help the communication process. A triangle- Situation-Gap-Use? Instead of of asking: Do you want information on crime? A crime story? Ask a sense making question: What are you working on? What do you need this information for? How do you plan to use this information? You might find out the user was interested in finding more information about capital punishment crime.
Select terms and identify sources that will most likely help. Remember triange –Situation- Gap- Use
Select terms and identify sources that will most likely help. Remember triange –Situation- Gap- Use
Change the following Questions to sense making questions: Do you have any information on Greece? I need some sources on the color red? Where is the Civil War section? Do you have fiction books here?
Understand that both you and the user could miss information- thus ask for clarification or restate the question.
The reference workflow begins with the patron, who contacts the library. How the patron contacts the library depends on what ways the library has provided to the patron to communicate with it. Possible communication avenues include chat, e-mail, telephone, walk-in, and fax. QuestionPoint provides the features and functions for you to use all five of these to capture and track your patron’s questions and information requests. Once a request or question enters the QuestionPoint service, it may travel several different routes. The librarian who claims it or is assigned the question may consult another librarian at her library or at another library. She may consult web sites, databases, experts, reference materials, her own knowledge, and (because she’s using QuestionPoint) local and global knowledge bases. After she composes her answer or response, she is able to respond online by e-mail or chat. And she is able to then feed the completed record back into the global and local knowledge bases to be re-used.