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

Citation

Nesbeitt, S. (2003), "Conducting the Reference Interview: A How‐To‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians", Library Review, Vol. 52 No. 7, pp. 350-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530310487461

Catherine Sheldrick Ross and Patricia Dewdney are perhaps best known for their pioneering work Communicating Professionally (Neal‐Schuman, Medford, NJ, 1990, 2nd ed., 1998), which detailed how and why librarians should improve the oral and written communication skills they use with the public and each other. Together with Kirsti Nilsen, a fellow professor at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, they have drawn on 15 years of research to focus on one specific aspect of professional communication: the reference interview. This book takes as its thesis the idea that successful reference service goes far beyond simply looking up the correct answer. Practising librarians might be surprised that the subject of the reference interview can take up an entire volume, but it is so full of useful examples and tips that I would challenge anyone in this category to read this book and find extraneous material.

In the first five chapters the authors define the reference interview, explain why it is necessary, and proceed to take users step by step through the process. They begin by presenting an overview of an effective reference interview, then describe how to set the stage in the first 30 seconds, find out what patrons really want to know, and how to put it all together. Later the authors look at special reference situations, such as telephone queries, questions from children and young adults, adults with language problems, readers’ advisory service, and reference in an electronic environment. The book concludes with recommendations for establishing library‐wide policies and staff training. The actual material is appropriate to all library types, though the examples seem more heavily weighted toward public libraries. Academic librarians, for example, are frequently confronted with “imposed queries” (questions about assignments given by someone else), yet public library examples are the focus of this section. This is a minor criticism, however.

This book’s greatest strength is its balanced combination of theory and practicality. Its concepts are thoroughly based on studies, many of which the authors have themselves undertaken, of actual behavior performed during reference transactions. Many works in the library literature never venture beyond the bounds of the discipline, but I was pleased to note the authors’ reliance on linguistic concepts and elements of modern communication theory. Despite this apparent academic focus, the work is not dry in the least, and indeed it is full of quick tips and examples – demonstrating what to do as well as what not to do – that will make librarians think about the quality of reference service they and their institutions offer the public.

With its numerous examples, role‐playing scenarios, and exercises, this work is a natural choice for a textbook in an introductory reference course. As the title suggests, it can also be used as a staff training manual. Anyone who works in a public service environment, either professional or paraprofessional, should read this book, and even experienced reference librarians will find some useful tips and reminders here.