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Unit 6: Reference and Information Services

6.2.4 Library Users and Reference Services Notes
Library users are not always comfortable with reference services, let alone satisfied with them.
Unobtrusive user studies suggest that only around 55 to 65% of users leave a reference interview
satisfied with the result and willing to return. Demographics, social factors and users’ preconceptions
about libraries all contribute to this figure. Embarrassment, shyness, and anxiety can prevent a user
from approaching the reference desk, and poor signposting and explanation of services can mean
that some customers are not aware that the reference service exists. To be as effective as possible,
libraries must be proactive in publicizing their services and reducing the stigma of asking for help.

6.2.5 Usefulness of the Reference Interview

For a long-time the value of the reference interview has stood unquestioned. More recently, with
technological developments streamlining some of the tasks which once comprised the interview,
some researchers are beginning to question the validity of the reference interview, and the investment
that a reference librarian represents. Others argue that reference services should broaden their target
audience. As people increasingly use the internet to make major, life-affecting decisions, so they also
require the services of professionals who are able to provide help in this environment. If this proves
to be the case, it will become more vital that the reference interview is conducted professionally and
successfully. In the age of information overload, a successful reference interview may empower users
to confidently make such decisions in their lives.

Facts about Librarians and the reference interview

1. Herbert White (1992) says that librarians need to emphasize their strengths. As computers
increasingly take over clerical tasks that computers are good at, librarians should focus
attention on aspects of service involving human communication that computers cannot do
well, Let computers get involved in document identification, document delivery, overdue
notices, interlibrary loans and cataloguing, White argues, and let librarians take a proactive
role in information intermediation, making the reference interview even more important.
2. In an unobtrusive study of reference service in Suffolk County public libraries on Long
Island, Thomas Childers (1978) instructed surrogate users to pose “escalator” questions,
starting initially with a broad request so that librarians would have to use probes to discover
the specific questions the users really wanted answered. No matter how general the initial
question was, in 67 percent of the cases library staff members asked no questions to clarify
what information was required. The result was that these staff members got to the last step—
the real question only 20 percent of the time and hardly ever provided an accurate answer.
By contrast, the third that did use probes to arrive at the specific question provided an accurate
answer 62 percent of the time.
3. Accuracy is highly prized by librarians, but it is not the only, or even the most important,
element that users look for: Users want information packaged in a certain format; they want
it within a specified period of time; they want it in a certain amount; and above all they want
it not to take more than a certain amount of effort to get it. Depending on their purpose,
users may be quite satisfied with ballpark answers and would not require anything more
exact. Part of conducting the Reference interview successfully is to find out how finely-
grained the helpful answer needs to be. Matthew Saxton and John Richardson (2002) found
that public library users were highly satisfied with the service despite lack of accuracy.
Fifteen percent were highly satisfied even when they did not find everything they needed.
Three percent were highly satisfied even when the response they received was later judged to
be inaccurate. Three percent were highly satisfied even when they did not find anything useful.

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