Good reference behavior edited for treasure hunt

Good Reference Behavior

Where are your books on flying gerbils?

or

Reference Transaction

An information contact that involves the use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources, or knowledge of such sources, by a member of the reference or information staff.

American National Standard for Library and Information Statistics (ANSI Z39-1983)

How do you answer a question?

Courteously.

How do you answer a question?

Accurately.

How do you answer a question?

Completely.

How do you answer a question?

Quickly.

How do you answer a question?

In order of importance:

1. Courteously2. Accurately3. Completely4. Quickly

#1 is a must; #4 will come with practice

Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers

1.0 Approachability2.0 Interest3.0 Listening/Inquiring4.0 Searching5.0 Follow-up

Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service ProvidersRevised June 2004. 

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral.cfm

These Guidelines are a step-by-step guide of how to help customers find the answers to their questions.

At the top of many of the following slides there are numbers, like “3.9” These refer to the numbering system on the guidelines.

1.0 ApproachabilityUnshelved for Thursday, October 13, 2005 by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

Customer

Reference and Information

Service Provider

Bibliotoons : a mischievous meander through the stacks & beyond / by Gary Handman.– Jefferson : McFarland & Co., 1990. Copyright 1990 Gary Handman

or

2.0 Interest

or

Reference and Information Service Provider

3.0 Listening/Inquiring

The reference interview is the heart of the reference transaction and is crucial to the success of the process. … Strong listening and questioning skills are necessary for a positive interaction.

Reference and Information

Service Provider

Customer

3.0 Listening/Inquiring skills are used to overcome filters

Customers and staff both have our own preconceived ideas, thoughts , feeling about the world around us.

We have our own ways of dealing with it.

These automatic, a mental short-cuts act like filters. They quickly sort out the important from the unimportant.

Because they are automatic, we don’t think about them. But they can cause confusion when we try to communicate.

Some basic communications theory

Reference and Information

Service Provider

Customer

Filters

A

Q Q

A

3.0 Listening/Inquiring

Feedback

The key to overcoming theconfusion causedby filters is calledfeedback.

Simply repeat backto the speaker what you heardthem say, andthen ask them ifyour understand iscorrect.

A

Q Q

A

The feedback loop

“What I heard you say was…”

How to avoid filter befuddlement . . .

3.0 Listening/Inquiring

3.7 Uses open-ended questioning techniques to encourage patrons to expand on the request or present additional information.

Some examples of such questions include:• Please tell me more about your topic. • What additional information can you give

me? • How much information do you need?

3.8 Uses closed and/or clarifying questions to refine the search query.

• What have you already found?

• What type of information do you need (books, articles, etc.)?

• Do you need current or historical information?

Some examples of clarifying questions are:

3.8 Uses closed and/or clarifying questions to refine the search query.

Some examples of closed questions are:

• You want to know if a West Highland terrier is A.K.C. registered?

• What I heard you asking me for are six native dishes that the Inuit people of Nunavut Canada prepare and recipes for them written on a fourth-grade level. Is that correct?

• You want to know what the highest building in Houston is and its height in feet?

3.0 Listening/Inquiring, or The Reference Interview

A short one-act play

3.0 Listening/Inquiring.

Library employee:Customer:

Where are yourbooks on flyinggerbils?

3.1 Communicates in a receptive, cordial, and encouraging manner.

Library employee:

Are you looking forsomething aboutpets?

Customer:

3.9 Maintains objectivity and does not interject value judgments about subject matter or the nature of the question into the transaction.

Library employee:Customer:

No; I’m working on a schoolproject for my son. He needsa picture of a flying gerbil—an exploding one.

3.5 Rephrases the question or request and asks for confirmation to ensure that it is understood. 3.4 Identifies the goals or objectives of the user’s research, when appropriate.

Library employee:

An explodingflying gerbil, ah…Do you know whichclass this is for?

Customer:

Library employee:Customer:

Yes; it’s for his fourthgrade New Jersey historyclass. I think he said it was a Nazi gerbil.

3.7 Uses open-ended questioning techniques to encourage patrons to expand on the request or present additional information.

Library employee:

Very interesting, a historicexploding Nazi flying gerbilfrom New Jersey—Please tellme more about this.

Customer:

Library employee:Customer:

Yes. Actually it exploded over New Jersey when itwas coming in for a landing.

3.8 Uses closed and/or clarifying questions to refine the search query.

Library employee:

By any chance, was this a very large gerbil?

Customer:

Library employee:Customer:

Oh yes; it was big as ablimp. It cause quite asensation when it exploded.

3.8 Uses closed and/or clarifying questions to refine the search query.

Library employee:

Was this gerbil possibly an airship?

Customer:

Library employee:Customer:

Yes; it was a great big flying gerbil with a swastikapainted on its rear fin.

Library employee:

Let’s go look in thechildren’s area. I think weMay have a book withJust what your son needs.

Customer:

Flying Nazi gerbil circa 1937. (Also known as a dirigible)

Which flying gerbil photo will you find?

OR

An effective searcher:4.1 Finds out what patrons have already tried, and

encourages patrons to contribute ideas.4.2 Constructs a competent and complete search

strategy. This involves:• Selecting search terms that are most related to

the information desired. • Verifying spelling and other possible factual

errors in the original query. • Identifying sources appropriate to the patron's

need that have the highest probability of containing information relevant to the patron's query.

4.0 Searching

Now that you know the question, how do you find the

answer?

Index

Directories

Index the internet

Search Engines

and

Index

The library catalog is an index to . . .

Books in our collectionSites on the internet

Index

Through the database tab the library catalog is also an index to . . .

Magazines and newspapers

Index

There is also an index in most nonfiction books

Even encyclopedias

4.0 SearchingAn effective searcher:

4.3 Explains the search strategy and sequence to the patrons, as well as the sources to be used.

4.4 Attempts to conduct the search within the patrons’ allotted time frame.

4.5 Explains how to use sources when appropriate.4.6 Works with the patrons to narrow or broaden the topic when

too little or too much information is identified.4.7 Asks the patrons if additional information is needed after an

initial result is found.4.8 Recognizes when to refer patrons to a more appropriate

guide, database, library, librarian, or other resource.4.9 Offers pointers, detailed search paths (including complete

URLs), and names of resources used to find the answer, so that patrons can learn to answer similar questions on their own.

5.0 Follow-up

5.1 Asks patrons if their questions have been completely answered.

5.2 Encourages the patrons to return if they have further questions by making a statement such as, “If you don’t find what you are looking for, please come back and we’ll try something else.”

5.3 Roving (see 1.7) is an excellent technique for follow-up.

The reference transaction does not end when the librarian leaves the patrons. For successful follow-up, the librarian:

• The reference transaction does not end when the librarian leaves the patrons. For successful follow-up, the librarian asks patrons if their questions have been completely answered.

• “Does this completely answer your question?”

5.0 Follow-up

5.1 Follow-up

5.1 Follow-up