Page 68 - DLIS105_REFERENCE_SOURCES_AND_SERVICES

Unit 6: Reference and Information Services

Self Assessment Notes

Fill in the blanks:
1. Reference Work includes reference .................. .
2. The Reference and Information Services Section will address all aspects of
reference .................. .

6.2 Reference Interview

A reference interview is a structured conversation between a librarian and a library user, usually at
a reference desk, in which the librarian responds to the user’s initial explanation of his or her
information need by first attempting to clarify that need and then by directing the user to appropriate
information resources.

6.2.1 Definition

Bopp & Smith (1995) defines the reference interview as the “conversation between a member of the
library reference staff and a library user for the purpose of clarifying the user’s needs and aiding the
user in meeting those needs”.

According to ODLIS, the reference interview is “the interpersonal communication
that occurs between a reference librarian and a library user to determine the person’s
specific information need(s), which may turn out to be different from the reference
question as initially posed.

A reference interview may occur in person, by telephone, or electronically (usually via e-mail) at
the request of the user, but a well-trained reference librarian will sometimes initiate communication
if a hesitant user appears to need assistance”.

6.2.2 Parts of a Reference Interview

The reference interview is structured to help the librarian provide answers to the library user. In
general, the interview is composed of the following stages.
1. Welcoming
2. Gathering general information from the user and getting an overview of the problem
3. Confirming the exact question
4. Intervention, such as giving information, advice or instructions
5. Finishing, including feedback and summary.
These stages may occur in loops, for example, when a clarification of the question leads to the need
to establish more background information on the query topic. These steps are designed to put the
user at their ease, and then help ensure that they have correctly explained what they require. When
the reference librarian believes that the query is fully understood, they attempt to provide resources
that help satisfy it. An important and often overlooked final step is checking that the information or
service provided was indeed what the library user required.

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