Each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program is able to use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information;
Looking at the past, proper reference skills and techniques are as vital then as they are today. According to Samuel S. Green (1837-1918), one of the fathers of modern reference work, Green in 1876 states, “ the more freely a librarian mingles with readers and the greater the amount of assistance he renders them, the more intense the conviction of citizens… that the library is a useful institution (85).” Green’s statement empathizes the importance of active librarian and patron relationships. Greene’s article from 1876 shows many parallels with modern libraries, such as the needs of users, and how reference staff should interact with patrons. For example, Ross, Nilsen, and Radford (2009) and Cassell and Hirmath (2011), discuss the importance of roaming the library to make oneself available and active engagement with patrons will produce better answers and satisfaction rates. Although today users place different types of demands involving technology, reference goals and advice from over 100 years ago are very similar. Although this discussion focuses on reference work with librarians, all information professionals should understand concepts and principles that help connect users with information.
There are a number of techniques that information professionals should utilize to improve interactions with patrons. This is important because the first interaction with a patron can make or break their decisions whether to come back to that institution. Using the advice from Cassel and Hiremath (2011) and Ross, Nilsen, and Radford (2009), I have learned the importance of using body language to make patrons feel comfortable. Techniques such as eye contact, moving towards the patron, and gestures of attentiveness such as nodding, or turning the computer towards the patron go a long way in making patrons comfortable. It is also important to ask open-ended questions to gather as much information as possible from the patron which prevents us from making assumptions about their needs. Making ourselves available to the patron, even if the interview is over is also crucial to patron satisfaction. As Ross, Nilsen, Radford (2009) explain, users were satisfied with librarians even if the information was not correct. Learning proper reference techniques and skills is vital for information professionals to connect with users and provide information and resources.
Other techniques that help provide users with accurate and appropriate results are searching strategies. Searching strategies are important to learn and utilize because it helps to find relevant information for users. One strategy to use is ready reference resources that are online or in print. Ready reference resources are essential tools for staff to know about and use because they can reduce the amount of searching time. Knowing which ready reference resources are available and when to use them is an important step in the searching process that saves time and connects users with reliable sources and information. When inquiries are beyond ready reference, other searching strategies are required. For example, Suzanne Bell’s (2007) discusses the limited use of “OR” in Boolean logic by searchers. Bell (2007) States “While non-searchers grasp the Boolean AND concept……..It takes much more explaining and persuading to get them to try OR (23).” Many users do not use OR because they fear it will limit their results, while AND will expand their results. As Bell (2007) explains, this is not true and OR can actually provide more results. Bell’s also discusses the importance of patience and flexibility when conducting searches for users. With technology constantly changing and databases updating, there needs to be an understanding that searching might take longer than expected as one gets familiar with what they are using. When one is learning to answer reference questions, a librarian needs to take the time to conduct a reference interview before and during the searching process, even though the question is simple or in unfamiliar territory. This is important because as Cassel and Hiremath (2011) explain, it is important to not feel pressured and give an answer that is wrong just for the sake of answering, this can be dangerous (p.44). A good grasp of basic searching techniques and the application of the reference interview help information professionals connect users with appropriate and accurate information and resources.
Ross, Nilsen, and Radford (2009) discuss how user satisfaction with the reference interaction between 1991-1993 was about 60%, regardless if the information provided was correct (13). Although more than half, in my opinion, that is still a low percentage and shows that although most users were satisfied with the interaction enough to come back, there was still a significant amount that wasn’t. By 2000, it increased to 69%, which is an improvement (Ross, Nilsen, and Radford, 2009 p. 13). These numbers show how information professionals are changing the way they interact with patrons, such as using email and chat reference sources to help users. Looking at these numbers, learning to conduct an accurate reference interview is crucial. Although a reference interview is important, Ross, Neilson and Radford’s (2009) explain that half the time reference staff bypass the reference interview (259). Not knowing how to conduct a proper reference interview has a big impact on how we serve users. It gives users the wrong impression of how information professionals can help them. Ross, Neilson, and Radford (2009) suggest the importance of institutions, such as, the library, providing training and manuals that discuss the reference interview process. It is important to practice reference interviews, even if they are minimal or consist of basic questions because it improves staff skills and improves overall services (258-259). I think all staff should be aware of the process of reference interviews because you never know when users will approach a staff member who is not part of the reference staff department with a question. Engagement techniques, searching strategies and the reference interview are all important ways that information professionals can provide relevant, accurate and appropriate information when confronted with inquiries.
Competency development:
As an information professional, it is important to understand what users are asking, where to find reliable resources and how to provide this information to users. Libr 210, Reference and Information Services, explored searching techniques and reference tools to help me discover different types of resources. This course allowed me to rethink the way I search and allowed me to implement various searching strategies using different resources. The types of resources that information professionals need to be aware of vary and are based on the needs of the type of community they serve, but it is important to be aware of ready reference resources to help provide accurate answers to questions. This course introduced me to various sources both online and in print to help guide me in the selection of an abundance of resources that I need to consult. The course looked at different ways information professionals can engage with patrons. Engagement is important because patrons are sometimes hesitant to reach out for help, so information professionals need to provide a welcoming environment to encourage the facilitation of inquiries. The class provided me with assignments that allowed me to explore different resources answering a variety of reference questions. There was also assignments that allowed me to evaluate reference services at other institutions, to get a better understanding of the challenges that information professionals face. Libr 210 was fundamental in providing me the information and resources needed to understand, find and provide information to users.
Evidence 1: Reference Questions
In Libr 210, we had assignments that challenged us to answer a variety of reference questions looking at resources at our disposal. The types of questions that I researched and answered included questions about biographies, posthumous publications, subjects, word origins, location information, law, commentaries, government documents, and other topics that users might ask. These questions are helpful to research because they allow me to explore resources and give me the opportunity to look at the different types of questions that patrons might ask. These types of questions allowed me to think critically about the resources I was consulting and to think about providing alternatives if these resources were not satisfactory. I also learned how to apply and experiment with research and searching techniques as I explored different types of resources. Different questions require different strategies, so it was necessary to adjust my approaches for each question. I learned the importance of exploring various resources because it is allowing me to become more familiar with them and to use them when appropriate. It is important to get experience researching and consulting ready reference and reference resources because it will allow me to provide quicker and appropriate answers to questions. Having a background in searching techniques and a knowledge of different types of resources is helpful in all areas of the information profession because it will prepare me to answer a variety of questions while helping users connect with resources that they might not know about. This assignment demonstrates that I have the ability to help connect users with information and resources that are accurate and relevant to their inquiries.
Evidence 2: Reference Evaluations
In Libr 210, I also conducted a series of reports evaluating different types of reference services. I looked at traditional face-to-face interactions, and virtual reference services and approached two different institutions with inquiries. This was necessary to observe their services in a real-world situation and to compare these interactions with service concepts, principles, and strategies. My first report was the face-to-face reference interaction so I approached a local library with an inquiry into the subject of “tattoos.” In this report, I discuss my first observations about the environment, such as signage and reference desk location. It is important to understand how environmental factors and location affect the way users receive and use services. I also discussed the reference interaction and my experience with reference staff. I evaluated the reference interaction by looking at body language and approach as criteria. I also looked to see if there was an attempt at a reference interview because I felt that even basic questions need a reference interview. Although the interaction was inviting and helpful to my inquiry, during my experience, there was no reference interview. The reference interview is important for even basic questions because users might have a different informational need that they are not asking about or do not realize there was a different question they should have been asking. I connected this experience with course materials that helped justify my evaluation and to research service concepts and principles that are important to apply during face-to-face interactions. In my 2nd and 3rd reports, I used virtual reference services, such as email and chat to explore these types of interactions. In these types of interactions, reference interviews were conducted to find the types of resources appropriate for my inquiry. These observations and evaluations were helpful in exploring service concepts, principles, and techniques while discovering the impact of different environments. These reports are important because they give me a point of reference to discover how I can improve my service techniques. The lessons I have learned will help me craft service strategies that will help reach users and provide them with information and resources.
Evidence 3: Evaluating Web Sources Online Presentation
In a group project for Libr 210, we created an instructional package for High School students to introduce them to website evaluation to find legislative and government information and resources. One component of this instructional package was a presentation that was our visual aid as we explained the process of evaluating websites. For this project, all group members contributed to the content of the presentation and I put this information together into a PowerPoint. A PowerPoint is a good visual aid to use when explaining a process, such as evaluating websites because we take the process step by step with text and visuals to supplement our instruction session. In this presentation, we discussed the CARS Method (Creditability, Accuracy, Reliability, Support) as one way of evaluating websites when looking for resources for their civic class assignments. We also discussed looking at resources for bias, propaganda, and disinformation to decide if the resources are providing us with factual information or if there is an underlying agenda. We walked students through examples of good and bad websites. We then allowed the students to participate in a task that allowed them to find and evaluate websites that were good examples of legislative and governmental information. This is an important skill to learn because the web provides information that is not always accurate and reliable, so students need to practice navigating the web for information that is factual. This presentation used teaching techniques and strategies, such as the Big 6, visuals, and segmentation of concepts, activities, and recaps to cater to different learning styles so that we reach a wide range of students. In constructing this instruction session, I learned how to use teaching strategies and techniques to help convey information to a targeted audience. I also learned that it is important to cater to different learning styles by including information in various formats because it is important to try to reach all users. This presentation demonstrates how we can connect users with accurate and reliable information using teaching strategies and concepts, such as the CARS method to help students evaluate websites. It is important for information professionals to find different ways to reach users so that we can teach users how to find accurate and reliable resources.
Conclusion
With technological advances, there are a wide range of sources that provide an abundance of information online through multiple platforms and devices. As a result, we need to help users navigate through resources to find the best information suited to their needs. This requires that information professionals adapt and develop searching techniques and strategies to uncover appropriate information. As user’s needs change, the way we approach users will also need to be adjusted. For example, the concept of the roaming librarian is one in which librarians make themselves available to users instead of users looking for them. Information professionals need to look at different types of services models and concepts and adapt them to the needs of their users while upholding principles such as intellectual freedom. From these assignments, I will be able to take the concepts, principles and techniques learned and apply them to a variety of informational needs and institutions. Whether I am working a reference desk or creating instruction sessions, I will have the ability to research the latest information about information retrieval and teaching to help supply users with accurate information.
Resources
Bell, S. (2007, September). Tools every searcher should know and use. Online 31(5), 22-27.
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2011). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction (2nd Rev. ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Green, S.S. (1993). Personal relations between librarians and readers. Library Journal 118(11), S4.
Sheldrick Ross, C., Nilsen, K. & Radford, M. (2009). Beyond 55 percent. In Conducting the reference interview: A how-to-do-it manual (2nd ed.). (pp. 10-15). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Assignments