Conducting the Reference Interview: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

by Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Kirsti Nilsen, Marie L. Radford

Find your bearings in this rapidly evolving hybrid reference environment through proven strategies, advice, exercises and research from three experts in the field. The revised second edition of this practical how-to for all types of librarians will teach you to understand the needs of public, academic and special library users across any virtual setting - email, text messaging, social networking websites - as well as in traditional and face-to-face models of communication. Based on the latest research in communication theory, the book includes new exercises and examples to help you practice effective reference transactions and avoid common pitfalls. Guidance for helping users with special language-related needs (such as speech and hearing disabilities and English Language Learners) and social difficulties is also included, as are updated chapters on readers' advisory interviewing and policy and training procedures. An extensively revised chapter on virtual reference features new sections on live chat and instant messaging services, as well as a discussion of Web 2.0 initiatives and updated information on e-mail reference. Pooling their wealth of experience, the authors share real-life interview examples alongside constructive critiques and practical suggestions to improve interviewing methods. "Booklist"'s praise of the previous edition holds true with this new 'The work is laudable for its practicality, clarity, cogency, and supportive data...In short, an essential read for all current and future reference librarians'.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Reference, Professional Development, Adult, Librarianship, School

290 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Catherine Sheldrick Ross FRSC (November 4, 1945 – September 11, 2021) was a professor and later dean of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at University of Western Ontario. In 2018, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Ross earned her undergraduate and master's degree at the University of Toronto before completing her PhD at the University of Western Ontario. In 1995, Ross was awarded the Jesse Shera Award for Research by the American Library Association for her article “If They Read Nancy Drew, So What? – Readers Talk Back."

In 2013, Ross was the recipient of the NoveList's Margaret E. Munroe Award for her “significant contributions to library adult services.” In 2015, her book "Shapes in Math, Science and Nature: Squares, Triangles and Circles" was shortlisted for the Information Book Award by the Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada.

In 2018, Ross was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. -- Wikipedia

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am aware that i am giving this textbook a higher star-rating than the last novel i read, but stop your taunting. this is the newest edition of the book, and it is actually pretty fun and useful. reading greg's review below made me a little defensive about this book, because it's not just about how not to act like a selfish jerk when helping people. i am not known for my people skills, so maybe he's just calling me a jerk here, i don't know, but i did get a lot out of this book - more than just not being a jerk in general. it also gives ton of illuminating examples of dealing with sensitive materials and queries, how to compel people to get to the point of what they are really looking for without all of the evasion and misinformation, some gentle psychological manipulations - purely for the forces of good, dealing with children and cultural expectations and mumblers... i may keep this book - it's not the worst.

come to my blog!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shouldn't need to exist. People who are in the business of finding information or books for people should be able to do the things described here, and just using some commonsense they should know these things. Sadly though that's not the case, and this book is probably quite helpful and should probably be read by lots of people in different fields so that they can handle working with people better. I almost put this book in on my 'life-is-shit' shelf because it's very existence means seems to mean that people need to have a manual of some kind so that they don't act like selfish assholes when helping someone else.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has taken my reference skills to a next level. In one week of practicing the techniques laid out in the book, I've grown to feel significantly more competent and capable at my job. It boggles my mind that I wasn't assigned this in grad school or told to read it when I started my current position.

[Bonnie Brzozowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's pretty cool that there's a whole book dedicated to the subject. Great information on effective communication and really figuring out what the library user actually needs to answer the question. Another one I'm using in the class I'm teaching next semester.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for librarians who want some practical advice on how to conduct a reference interview (which should be all librarians). :)

[Linnéa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hands down the most practically useful book I've read for my degree in Library and Information Science. I will definitely come back to it again!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pacy and engaging read. It is also a very useful reminder of the value of an effective reference interview. The authors bring together research which highlight the importance of a reference interview to finding out exactly what the person is seeking help to find. There are also sections on online or telephone reference interviews. This is a practical book which could also be used for training.

Some of the research which is described in this books shows how little some staff actually listen to the people seeking help, and this information helps show the value of a well done reference interview.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

[Aleya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book for anyone working with the public in a library. This book gives you a framework for doing a reference interview (as well as why do it). I really enjoyed getting to sink into this book over the past few months. Already, we're using some of the things learned in this book at my current library. Going to have to re-read portions to let more of it sink in over time.

[CTEP]

For June, I chose to read Conducting the Reference Interview: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. This one was recommended to me by my site supervisor, as it is her favorite book about talking to people. Even though my job isn’t to conduct reference interviews, she still thought it’d be worth checking out, especially now that I’ve transitioned to in-person appointments. This book is interesting because it is designed to be read in two different ways: consecutively or piece by piece (each chapter is purposefully self-contained). Originally derived from a workshop developed to teach skills required for effective reference interviews, it offers reference cases for analysis and reflection, exercises you can use in library training programs, voices from practicing librarians, and more. The workshop was called “How to Find Out What People Really Want to Know” but privately referred to as “Why Didn’t You Say So in the First Place” (p. xi) because often the first things patrons say don’t quite capture what they’re asking. Taking the time to conduct a reference review can help avoid miscommunication and accurately meet a patrons’ needs.
Ideally, the goal is to leave librarians with a framework similar to the “The 5 Pieces of Evidence” developed by the Ohio Reference Excellence Online training program which states, “by the end of the interview, you should know the basic question being asked plus: (1) who is asking the question, (2) how is the information expected to help, (3) where did the user hear about this topic/problem, (4) what type and amount of information is wanted, and (5) when is the deadline, after which the information is no longer useful? (p.14)”. Which mirrors the 5 common problems that lead to an unsuccessful reference interview: failing to establish contact (physical barrier, short conversation, lack of eye contact), bypassing the reference interview and accepting the initial question at face value, giving an unmonitored referral, failing to pay attention to cues that the transaction is going off-track, and a lack of knowledge of appropriate sources. This was particularly enlightening because some of these problems I’ve been guilty of myself!
I’ve been on a kick for learning better communication styles, so I feel like this book leads perfectly into my AmeriCorps experience as a CTEP. Although I am not a librarian, I have found that whenever I speak with a new patron for the first time, I essentially end up conducting something like a reference interview to really get at what the patron is asking. For example, I had a patron leave a voicemail asking to learn computer skills so he can go to the post office. It was a confusing voicemail, but I saw that he was able to schedule a 1:1 appointment with me the following week through another staff member. It wasn’t until I met him in person that I figured out what he actually wanted was to submit an online job application to the USPS. He was an older gentleman, so we started from the beginning to set him up with a new email account, create a resume, create an account with the USPS, and fill out the online application. It took a while to figure out what he was asking, but active listening and patience can be your best friend in scenarios like these. It can be nerve-wracking going into a situation with a new patron where you don’t know what to expect and are unsure of whether or not you’ll be able to meet their needs, but you have to let curiosity and compassion drive the meeting, not fear.
On the flip side, I have also been on the receiving end of librarians who has bypassed the reference interview and have sent patrons directly to me without giving the patron a clear understanding of what I offer. Reading this book, and having made similar mistakes myself, really helps you see from the patron perspective as to why this can be so discouraging and ultimately deter people away from asking from help, while offering constructive advice on ways to improve your interactions. I would definitely recommend this to other CTEPs, especially if you work with a diverse community and use different communication mediums (in-person and/or remote). There is a whole chapter titled “Special Contexts for the Reference Interview” where they cover the foundational skills for doing a reference interview while taking into account additional factors such as working with different age groups or assisting people with disabilities.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might have taken me more than two years to read this book, but I kept at it because it stayed interesting. It has many examples of reference librarians getting things wrong and makes me want to develop the skills do reference interviews well.

[Gail Gawlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for any reference librarian. I especially liked the readers' advisory chapter.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say-- it's a professional book. Over all the information was very useful, and the insight was great, but the authors appear to have had a problem of having to fill pages, which makes the text overly wordy and sometimes redundant.

I especially liked the discussion about the different phases of the interview- what kind of questions to ask, and when (i.e. open or closed ended questions, sense making questions, remaining professional and not asking personal question, etc.)I am a practicing reference librarian, and I read this book to try to sharpen my skills and revisit the fundamental theory of the reference interview. In this, I believe I can say that I had success.

[Robin Filipczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newly-minted librarian, this book has been a boon in helping me reflect critically on my reference skills. The authors drew heavily on the Seeking Synchronicity report (2011) and the Library Visit Study (2004), surveying information seekers and librarians alike. Detailed attention is given to each part of the reference interview, offering up tips on attending skills, teasing out the information need of an imposed query, contextualizing needs using sense-making questions, etc. The content of the book is chunked handily into sidebars, exercises, and highlighted tips. The format makes it easy to refer back and refresh your practice.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an okay read--was nice to be able to see the different steps highlighted to reflect on, but didn't find it to be super riveting or ground-breaking. Most things are just general customer service (reference work) "should do's". So if you have worked in customer service most of this will just be reminders to you about making sure you are being welcoming, helpful, and not just assuming. However, it was nice to read these practices applied to reference work. Also, as a new librarian I did find it helpful to go through the examples to "test" myself as a precursor to actually being on the desk by myself.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very comprehensive guide on how to conduct the reference interview, addresses both in-person and virtual reference and deals with how to manage difficult situations-- is geared more towards public libraries than other types of information organizations (includes info on readers advisory and working with specific populations, e.g. children and young adults, people with legal or consumer health questions, etc.)

[Heather Crozier · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I agree with other reviewers that this book is essentially common sense and good customer service, I did find it useful. It reminded me not to take seemingly straightforward questions at face value. Great for understanding theory.

[C.E. G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woot professional development reading. Actually pretty helpful, though repetitive. I'll probably continue to refer to it as I start doing more reference. Also, written by someone in my grad school department, so school pride?

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I haven't read the second edition, but the 1st edition was crucial for me in understanding theory and practice about reference interviewing.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well designed informative book. My only beef with it is that it's large and floppy.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried... This title was very helpful!

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good professional resource on conducting the reference interview. While it's old, this kind of information (the foundation) will never be outdated.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, but a bit dated.