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Excerpts from Chapter 3: THE REFERENCE INTERVIEW
Chapter Authors: M. Kathleen Kern and Beth S. Woodard

INTERVIEWS FOR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

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Dealing with Multiple Users and Queues

Sometimes the reference desk is busy. More than one user is waiting for an answer. It is of little consequence if these users are all at the desk in person or if one is on the telephone or another has contacted the library via Instant Messaging. The result is that the librarian will need to make a decision about which individual to help first and how to make all users contacting the library feel like their questions are important. Unlike banks and the post office, the reference desk does not have stanchions, numbers are not taken, and of course no one likes to wait in line even when there are such queuing devices. What is a librarian to do?

Acknowledging waiting users is vital. The librarian should smile and nod at users waiting in line, and verbally greet them and let them know that someone will assist them shortly. For telephone queries, the librarian should pick up the ringing phone, warmly greet the caller, and ask if he or she can hold. Electronically, the librarian should respond to the IM or chat and let the user know that staff members are assisting other users and will be with them soon. These actions reassure users that they are not being ignored, and for remote users they confirm that the library is open and staffed with helpful people.

Users may be helped on a "first come, first served" basis. This is easy, but not always practical for the librarian or the user. A user waiting for directions may be frustrated by waiting behind a user who is working on research for a ten-page paper. Therefore, asking waiting users how they could be helped is effective. If all questions are of an in-depth nature, ask the later-arriving users to wait; if some questions are easy or quick to answer, handle those first, and then full attention can be devoted to the more complicated questions. It is possible to start with one user, get to the search stage, and then help another user while the first user looks over search results. Obviously, there are limits to how long users can be expected to wait. It might be more considerate to take a phone number and return the call of the telephone user - perhaps with an answer if the question was taken. Constant interruptions while the librarian is helping with that ten-page paper may be interpreted as lack of interest. Some libraries have tiered reference services where short questions are handled at one desk and longer questions at another. This may alleviate some juggling of questions of various types, but any reference desk can get busy at any time with any type of question, necessitating judgment (there is that word again) about priorities. Most libraries do not set priorities by a set policy, but strive to be equitable in how they treat all users and place equal importance on all inquiries regardless of mode of communication, type of user, or content of question. It is then up to the librarian working the desk at a given moment to determine the appropriate way in which to serve a queue of users.

Some compromises suggested by Tim Buckley Owen to immediately providing answers to users include suggesting sources, suggesting alternative libraries or individual sources of information, asking for thinking time, and offering a "quick and dirty" answer. Certainly, if any of these techniques are utilized, follow-up is more important than ever.

Angry or Upset Users

The complexity of information, and the variety of ways in which libraries organize and provide access to their collections can cause confusion, frustration, and even anger on the part of library users. Whether it is restrictive library policies that cause irritation, incomplete collections, inadequate services by library staff, or a frustrating event prior to the library visit, library users can be quite angry and upset when dealing with reference staff. In such a situation, individuals in public services positions are vulnerable to angry reactions by library users for even minor irritations. For whatever reason, reference staff will need to be ready to deal effectively with a user who is difficult to handle. On occasion, reference librarians may have to deal with individuals who are mentally ill or under the influence of inappropriate medication, but only the more common situation involving angry or irritated users is discussed here.

Nowhere is professional judgment more in evidence then when a librarian is confronted with an angry or upset user. The library literature offers a variety of resources to help librarians prepare themselves to deal with such situations. In general, these works suggest using not only general communication skills, including the active listening and questioning techniques discussed throughout this chapter, but also using empathetic listening.

Empathetic listening requires acknowledging the feelings of others. This acknowledgment is uncomfortable for most people, but when strong emotions stand in the way of resolving an issue, these feelings need to be addressed. In general, the librarian should acknowledge the user's feelings and link them with the specific facts of the situation in a statement. The statement should include acknowledgment of responsibility, the reflection of emotion or feeling, and the description of the event and facts. "You [responsibility] feel [insert feeling word] when [event]." This statement acknowledges the credibility of the user and demonstrates that the librarian as a listener accepts the user as a person as well. These statements exhibit empathy, not sympathy. In contrast, "absorbing or agreeing with the sentiments of the patron" has the potential to interfere with the librarian's helping role.

Once the user's feelings have been acknowledged, then the librarian must take some action to address the user's problem, starting with asking what the user wants the librarian to do to solve the problem. Often, the librarian cannot take the action that the user wants, and will have to identify alternative solutions or bring in a supervisor with greater authority to clarify library policies or to review if an exception can be made to the current policy.

If an exception cannot be made or alternative solutions found to satisfy the user, the librarian can promise to review the policies and procedures in light of the user's frustrations. Willingness to rethink policies and procedures acknowledges that these need constant updating and that libraries are responsive to user's needs.

Written policies available to users and to staff members are essential to minimize conflicts. Without written policies, users may attempt to intimidate librarians into deviating from established policy for their benefit. Other staff members may unwittingly cause problems by deviating from established policy without informing the users that they are making an exception, and thus allow the user to establish an unrealistic expectation of the services the next individual can and should provide.

Reference staff should also explore opportunities to discuss conflict situations and look for ways to avoid similar problems in the future. After each difficult situation, staff should discuss mechanisms to avoid similar complaints in the future. Sometimes the user simply wants more than the library can provide, but repeated complaints-such as inadequate access to computers and electronic databases or unhappiness over canceled reference sources-should be referred to administrators for further consideration or review. Whether or not expressions of frustration and anger are justified, a user-centered reference service will be willing to regularly reexamine its responses to expressed user needs.

Imposed Queries

Questions asked by a user on behalf of another person, called imposed queries or second-hand interactions, are seen in all types of libraries. Individuals ask questions to glean information for someone else--their children, spouses, parents, friends, employers, or other individuals, or for situations that do not arise out of their own curiosity-as is the case with school assignments or work projects. Gross's survey of public libraries found that about 25 percent of questions were imposed queries, or those asked at someone else's request; the Transform Inc. survey in Maryland revealed that 90% of the children's reference questions were school-related. Because such users often have incomplete or misunderstood information regarding the information requested, it is more important than ever for librarians to seek to understand the context from which the question arose. "When questions are imposed and not self-generated, they are very apt to be presented to reference staff as an 'ill-formed query'…because the person asking the question might not fully understand it."

When librarians in school, public, or academic libraries encounter a number of questions from different students related to the same topic, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that the questions arise from some sort of homework assignment. It is important, even if it appears that the question is one heard before, to conduct a reference interview. Children tend to have broad initial requests more frequently than adults, so when their initial queries are vague, it is important for the librarian to not jump to the immediate conclusion that the question is related to a homework assignment. However, when children's questions are generated from someone else rather than generated out of their own curiosity, they often do not have the additional information the reference librarian would like to have.

Not surprisingly, there are differences of opinion regarding whether or not a librarian should ask if the question arises from a homework assignment, just as there are about asking "why." The 1997 Maryland study suggests asking open questions of the child to elicit more information, and asking about an assignment only if the child cannot provide enough information about the question. This same study found that reference interviews started with broad initial questions about 70 percent of the time, but that "Librarians appear to have a problem using more than one open probe in questioning children," indicating the need to use more open questions in working with children in the reference interview.

When it is obvious that the questioner is working from a homework assignment, it is certainly appropriate to ask if the student has a copy of the teacher's written instructions to look at. Sometimes talking to the teacher, the person who asked the original question, is appropriate, to avoid placing the student in the middle. Likewise, it is important when dealing with children to talk to the child rather than an accompanying parent in negotiating the question. Further explorations of reference interviews with children, and other special populations, are found in Chapter 12.

Catherine Ross and colleagues point out that "when a user says that the material is needed 'for a friend,' this formulation is sometimes a defensive strategy to avoid self-disclosure about a sensitive topic." If so, then the individual is in a good position to answer questions about the information need since it is in reality their own. Also problematic are the situations in which the individual is acting as an "information gatekeeper", bringing information to others. Again, asking for ways in which the other person will be using the information will be helpful.

When an employee asks a question on behalf of a boss or supervisor, the individual may not know the context of the information need. "One approach in handling the issue of getting past the intermediary to the ultimate client is to provide the go-between, often a secretary or administrative assistant, with a written list of questions you need answered before you can proceed with the research." The librarian may need to teach the individual elements of the reference interview in order for that person to go back to the originator of the question for more information. Another alternative is to create a search form. Ross, Nilsen, and Dewdney's advice for creating an e-mail reference form works equally well in this situation--eliciting information on the user's eligibility for the service, history of the question, gaps in current information, how the information will be used, features of the perfect answer, and time constraints.

Readers' Advisory

No question at the reference desk can be more challenging than "Can you recommend a good book?" Because the focus of the interview is on helping readers find books that they want to read, usually pleasure reading and most often fiction books, the readers' advisory interview is very different from other reference interviews.

Joyce Saricks and Nancy Brown point out that that most fiction readers "are not looking for a book on a particular subject. They want a book with a particular 'feel'." Sometimes additional books by the same author, or within a specific genre, will satisfy the reader, but sometimes the reader is looking for something else. So the first aim of the librarian in a readers' advisory interview is to get the user to talk about the books he or she has enjoyed in the past. A good open question that works for readers' advisors is "Can you tell me about a book you've read and really enjoyed?" followed by a further probe, "What particularly did you like about it?" When the user talks about the kinds of books he or she has enjoyed, the librarian should listen for information regarding several characteristics. These can include: pacing-fast-paced action and excitement, witty dialogue, or lengthy descriptions; characterization-focus on a single character or several with interconnected story lines; themes-love, war, survival, revenge, coping with illness, the conflict of good and evil and so on; settings-past, present or future, geographic setting; or the atmosphere or tone-soothing and comforting or challenging and quirky.

There is no single right answer to a readers' advisory question, but there are answers that are wrong, particularly if librarians offer recommendations based on their own personal tastes, or attempt to change the users' reading tastes. "The role of the readers' adviser is to help narrow down choices to a manageable number of suggestions that match the reader's stated interest and tastes."

It is beyond the scope of this chapter to discuss resources for assisting librarians in making readers' advisory selections, but a knowledge of genres and new titles for fiction and a thorough knowledge of the subject field and important titles in that field for nonfiction, are vital. Guidance for the selection of fiction works can be found in The Reader's Adviser, discussed in Chapter 20, and the Reference and User Services Association Collection Development and Evaluation Section, Readers' Advisory Committee website.

In closing the readers' advisory interview, it is especially important to encourage the reader to return for more assistance, especially to return with feedback regarding the book(s) suggested by the librarian. Further clarification can assist the librarian in understanding better the user's tastes as well as the particular work or genre. Saricks and Brown note that ongoing relationships with individual users over a period of time can improve the readers' advisory interview as the librarian develops familiarity with the reader's tastes. Although these kind of interactions generally occur in public libraries, similar relationships in academic libraries can occur with individuals pursuing long-term scholarly endeavors.

Remote Users

Telephone

Libraries have been receiving questions by telephone for more than 130 years. Communication via telephone in the reference environment has its own challenges. As mentioned previously, the lack of nonverbal cues is an impediment in the telephone interview. While some emotions are easily communicated via tone of voice (such as annoyance or anger), others (such as lack of interest or confusion) are not as easily communicated by vocal inflection. Further, in the absence of facial expressions and body language, it is easier to misinterpret another's tone of voice. This works both ways, with the potential for the librarian to misunderstand the user as well as the user misunderstanding the librarian. Unhelpful awkwardness might arise if the user perceives the librarian as uninterested or the librarian thinks that the user sounds annoyed.

It is effective when answering the phone to smile, as this affects the tone of voice and sounds more welcoming. A typical telephone greeting such as "Hello" or "Good morning" starts the conversation off in a friendly manner. Additionally, telephone greetings usually contain the name of the library or reference desk, to assure the user that the correct number has been reached. An open question, such as "How may I help you?" invites the user to state their question.

The rest of the question negotiation is really the same via telephone as it is in person. Open and closed questions and paraphrasing are still good practice. It is even possible to instruct inquirers in the use of library resources while they are on the telephone. This is particularly true when the inquirer is using the online library catalog or electronic databases and is able to be working at a computer while talking on the telephone with a librarian. For other questions, the librarian and inquirer may not want to stay on the telephone that long. When the questions require instruction as part of the answer and it will take the librarian more than a couple of minutes to find an answer, it is kindest to ask inquirers if they would prefer a call back or would like to hold. No one enjoys waiting on hold for a long time, so inquirers who are on hold should be reassured every few minutes that the librarian is still working on their question and given the option for a call back.

Ambient noise and inaudible inquirers can be a problem with telephone calls. A reference desk may have too much in-person activity to allow the librarian to hear someone on the phone clearly, or the acoustics of the room may be bad. If the telephone is particularly busy, it may also make it difficult to work with in-person users. Libraries deal with staffing telephone reference in different ways. Some have a desk which is in a different location, staffed separately from the in-person reference desk. It is more common for libraries to staff the telephone from the same desk as in-person queries and to have a volume control to help them better hear callers on the telephone.

Email/Mail/Fax

Reference queries received via email, mail, and fax all have an asynchronous nature in that the librarian cannot interview the user in real time. All three interactions can result in substantial delays in responses to users. All three are appealing because users can submit the question whenever it occurs to them. Those who live at a distance, have mobility constraints, or are more comfortable using written rather than verbal communication because of language skills or shyness may prefer the option to use these types of written communications. For librarians, these transactions have some advantages. It has been suggested that the users formulate and present their questions more effectively when they formally write them out rather than speaking them. Because the user is not present in person or in real time, there is more time for thought and reflection, and questions can be deferred to quieter times. It is easier to refer questions to the appropriate person or expert, and the workload is more easily distributed to others. Email software can capture and save the queries and responses for later analysis or evaluation. Some back and forth communication may be needed to clarify the question, but this can be difficult to achieve via email, because the user may view a request for clarification as being put off or become frustrated with the amount of time that the interaction is taking. Ultimately, as Joseph Straw writes, "Reference librarians must be able to write messages that are organized, concise, and logical. A well-written response not only answers a question eloquently, but it also tells the user about the importance that the library places on the question."

Chat/Instant Messaging

Real-time chat and instant messaging services augment but do not replace email services in libraries. One advantage that virtual reference services have over email, fax, and mail is the ability to conduct the reference interview in real time, and eliminate the waiting time. Other advantages of virtual transactions are the ability to escort the user through complex searches, provide instruction in using resources, and assist users in evaluating the results. Possibilities of cooperative ventures could even allow answers to be given 24/7 by librarians not in the library where the user is a patron. The librarian may be at home, on another campus, or even on another continent. The disadvantages of this communication mode are that there are no visual or aural cues, and the communication is more labor-intensive because typing requires more time and concentrated effort than speaking. Electronic reference interviews require the same skills as traditional reference interviews, but some additional considerations should be taken into account.

Chat interactions utilize a more casual tone than that to which most librarians are accustomed. The exchanges of text utilize shorter phrases than in speech and often incorporate commonly accepted abbreviations. Buff Hirko and Mary Ross state that, "Economy of phrase is invaluable, along with the ability to break a longer answer into brief one- or two-line parts that can be quickly sent." While the abbreviations used in online communication may initially be unfamiliar, there are sources that provide explanation, and these may be bookmarked or distributed to staff for their reference. Use of abbreviations may be less frequent than expected, as there are varying levels of formality in online communication just as in spoken discourse. As with any reference interview, the librarian should be aware of and responsive to the user's formality, but should not feel obligated to use abbreviations or slang as this may come across as contrived.

Keeping the user informed is one of the most challenging aspects of the virtual environment, with the librarian needing to let the user know what he or she is doing such as still looking, pushing a Web page, or escorting to the online catalog. Appropriate responses to common questions and situations can be selected for pre-scripted messages, such as initial greetings, prompts for additional information, search instructions, technical messages, please wait, still searching, and so on. In one study of chat communication, "Lengthy, formal scripts were seen as impersonal, and overuse of them implied lack of either interest or interview skills on the part of the library operator." Scripts should be used to facilitate the flow of conversation, but not become the conversation. Attention to the tone of the scripts is important to avoid a robotic or unwelcoming tone.

The question of the importance of the reference interview was addressed as the topic of the 2002 RUSA President's program. Catherine Ross and Jana Ronan, along with respondents David Tyckoson and Kathleen Kern, upheld the importance of the reference interview and provided best practices for librarians. The availability of chat transcripts for analysis led to a flurry of research on interpersonal communications in libraries. Marie Radford's examination of transcripts from Maryland AskUsNow! and the Samuel Swett Green Award competition investigated rapport-building techniques used by both librarians and inquirers in chat communication as well as barriers and disconnects. The practitioner will find the examples of each type of communication strategy and failure to be a useful training and self-assessment tool. Jody Fagan and Christina Desai also provide examples from actual transcripts to support their recommendations for best practices in chat and Instant Messaging reference.

Instant Messaging has recently become a popular communication technology in libraries. As it relates to the reference interview, IM is similar to chat in the way that communication occurs and in best practices to be used by the librarian in interacting with the user. New communications technologies are continually explored by the general public and libraries. Voice-over IP (VoIP) and online videoconferencing technologies that deliver real-time voice and video over the Internet have yet to gain significant use by the general population and so have not been incorporated into reference services by many libraries. If these technologies are implemented by libraries, librarians will need to adapt reference interview techniques to these new environments.

ADDITIONAL READINGS [ADDED IN 4th EDITION]

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• Kluegel, Kathleen, Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Jana Ronan, Kathleen Kern, and David Tyckoson, "The Reference Interview: Connecting in Person and in Cyberspace" (presentations and Responses from the RUSA President's Program, 2002 ALA Annual Conference, Atlanta, June 17, 2002), Reference & User Services Quarterly 43 (Fall 2003): 37-51.
  
  This set of articles examines if the reference interview is a necessary component of online reference interactions. These articles represent an early look at the reference interview process in the synchronous chat environment and how the reference interview is changed in the online environment. Issues of immediacy, lack of visual cues, and user expectations are addressed by library and information science faculty member Ross and practitioners Ronan, Tyckoson, and Kern.
  
  
• Kovacs, Diane K. The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-Mail Environments. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2007. 132p.
  
  In this handbook Kovacs offers guidance on how to adapt face-to-face reference interview skills to the virtual environment, using both chat and e-mail. Her discussion encompasses strategies for developing the needed technical, communication, and reference skills.
  
  
• Luo, Lili. "Chat Reference Competencies: Identification from a Literature Review and Librarian Interviews." Reference Services Review 35 (2007): 195-209.
  
  Based on a thorough review of the chat reference literature and interviews with experienced librarians, three types of chat reference competencies are identified: core competencies for general reference, competencies for general reference but highlighted in the chat environment, and competencies specific to chat reference service.
  
  
• Murphy, Sarah Anne, "The Reference Narrative," Reference & User Services Quarterly 44 (Spring 2005): 247-52.
  
  This article examines the reference interview using the rhetorical narrative or "text." Reference, like medicine, is a human endeavor, requiring interpretation of objective, subjective, and ambiguous texts. There are three types of texts which come together in the reference interview: the user's text, the librarian's text, and the institution's text. These comprise the narrative through which the librarian may interpret the user's information needs, empathize with the user's experience in using the library institution, and collaborate with the user to focus their information need to achieve the desired outcome.
  
  
• Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, Kirsti Nilsen, and Patricia Dewdney. Conducting the Reference Interview. NewYork: Neal-Schuman, 2002. 242p. (How-to-Do-It Manuals for Librarians, no. 117)
  
  An outgrowth of years of research on reference interview effectiveness and countless workshops on conducting the reference interview, this work provides excellent summaries of the research as well as some practical suggestions for individual study or group interactions to improve the librarian's ability to understand what the user wants. The use of case studies, checklists, and exercises makes this a valuable tool for training on the reference interview, engaging the reader in active learning.

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