Finding Out What People Want

The Reference Interview, Determining Individual Information Needs, Queries and Query Negotiation

readings

Taylor, Robert S. “Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries”, College & Research Libraries 29, 178-184, 1968.

Dervin & Dewdney, “Neutral Questioning: A New Approach to the Reference Interview”, RQ 25, 506-513, 1986.

Bates, Mary Ellen, “Finding the Question Behind the Question”, Information Outlook 2 (7), 19-21, July 1998.

Morgan, Eric Lease, “What’s More Important: The Questions or the Answers?”, Computers in Libraries 19 (5), 38ff, May 1999

Straw, Joseph E., “A Virtual Understanding: The Reference Interview and Question Negotiation in the Digital Age”, (link to guide page) RUSQ 39 (4), 376-379, 2000.

Janes, Joseph, “Question Negotation in an Electronic Age”, (pdf) white paper prepared for Digital Reference Research Symposium, August 2002.

a couple of training modules & other goodies

Reference Interview (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Reference Interview Resources (National Network of Libraries of Medicine)

The Reference Interview (William C. Robinson)

Reference Interview module (Ohio Library Council)

some examples of digital attempts

Libraries with Digital Reference Services/Web Forms (The Teaching Librarian)

questions for class discussion

in general

Why is all this necessary? Why is the “reference interview” so hard?

for Taylor

What’s the larger context in which he’s writing the article; or, to put it another way, why is he writing it?

What does he say is the central problem of “question negotiation”?

On page 186, column 2 why is this sentence italicized?

“The implications of such a statement, if taken at face value, can have the effect of redefining librarianship.”

Do you concur with his four levels of need? Anything you’d change, delete, add?

for Dervin & Dewdney

What’s the larger context in which they’re writing the article; or, to put it another way, why are they writing it?

What is a “neutral question”?

Do you find neutral questions to be awkward or uncomfortable?

In addition, look through the resources above, including the training modules and the examples of digital reference interview forms. How effective do you believe these modules are for training people to conduct effective interviews? How effective are the digital forms in replicating, simulating or even improving on the in-person interview? Is there a form you particularly like (on this page or elsewhere)? Hate?

flavors along similar lines

“The Data Reference Interview” (University of Wisconsin)