The Reference Interview in the Google Age
Loading...
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This paper will examine the value of the “reference interview” in the technological age of Google. At a time when the “reference desk” has been pronounced “dead,” many public services librarians have watched in dismay the disappearance of the reference librarian’s place of prominence in the library world. Many special librarians – particularly in corporate and law environments-- have been replaced by web-based tools and reference as it was conceived in 1876 with Samuel Swett Green is no longer valued. While the death knell has been pronounced over reference, the reference interview (RI), the interaction that takes place between the librarian and the patron, is still the heart of library work. The whole notion of question-answering in the virtual and face-to-face environments is still as complex as ever. The “black box” is simply “more mysterious”. Bottom line: librarians across types of libraries must still find answers to questions for library patrons and teach them how to find answers. The paper examines the most recent RI practices over the past 10 years with the goal of providing a set of tools for the public services librarian to use to serve today’s technologically-savvy patron. Many of today’s users do not visit physical library facilities. The paper will further examine how reference librarians can use the interview to connect to wider audiences (traditional non-users) – especially underserved populations. If reference is to maintain its footing in the effective delivery of public services, the reference interview will need to play an important role in returning reference to its place of prominence in information work.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Anderson, Jewell (2013). Over and out: Effectively assessing the end of a reference interview. Georgia Library Quarterly, 50(2): 11.
Breitbach, William and J. Michael DeMars ( 2009). Enhancing virtual reference: Techniques and technologies to engage users and enrich interaction. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 14(3/4): 82-91.
Bronshteyn, Karen and Kathryn Tvaruzka (2008). Using Google Scholar at the reference desk. Journal of Library Administration, 47(1/2): 115-124.
Brown, Stephanie W. (2008). The reference interview: Theories and practice. Library Philosphy and Practice, 1-8.
Cahill, Kay (2007). Google tools on the public reference desk. The Reference Librarian, 48(1): 67-79.
Cantwell, Jacqueline (2011). A call for a collaborative effort to develop a reference interview training manual. AALS Spectrum, 11-12.
Carlson, Erica and Linda Crook. (2012). Now it’s necessary: Virtual reference services at Washington State University, Pullman. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(2): 161-168.
Champ-Blackwell, Siobhan (2006). Bee stings and the library. Nebraska Library Association Quarterly, 37(4): 14-16.
Cirasella, Jill (2007). You and me and Google Makes three: Welcoming Google into the reference interview. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-7.
Cirasella, Jill (2007). Google Sets, Google Suggest and Google Search History: Three more tools for the reference librarians’ bag of tricks. The Reference Librarian, 48(1): 57-65.
Coonin, Bryna and Cynthia Levine (2013). Reference interviews: Getting things right. The Reference Librarian, 54(1): 73-77.
Deineh, Steven, Julie Middlemas and Patricia Morrison( 2011). A new service model for the reference desk: The student research center. Library Philosophy and Practice, 18-28.
Doherty, John J. (2006). Reference interview or reference dialogue? Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 11(3): 92-109.
Drew, Wilfred Bill (2008). Reference 2.0 or just good reference? One-Person Library, 24(9): 10
Eubank, Susan (2014). The reference interview? Whither thou goest? Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Newsletter, 132: 11-12.
Green, Samuel S. (1876). Personal relations between librarians and readers. American Library Journal, 1(2,3): 74-81.
Harmeyer, Dave (2010). Hybrid reference: Blending the reference interview and information literacy. The Reference Librarian, 51(4): 358-362.
Harmeyer, Dave (2010). Reviving the reference interview: From desk to chat to phone. The Reference Librarian, 51(2): 163-166.
Harmeyer, Dave (2013). The reference interview thrives. The Reference Librarian, 54(4): 345-348.
Harmeyer, Dave (2014). The Reference Interview Today: Negotiating and Answering Questions Face-to-Face, on the Phone and Virtually. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
Jia, Peijun (2011). Exploring Google to enhance reference services. Community and Junior College Libraries, 17(1): 23-30.
Kinney, Bo ( 2010). Answering the right question: The virtual reference interview. Alki, 26(2): 16-17.
Knoer, Susan (2011). The Reference Interview Today. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited.
Kraft, Ned. (2006). The reference interview. College and Undergraduate Libraries, 13(1): 73-74.
Luo, Lili (2015). Consumer health reference interview: Ideas for public librarians. Public Library Quarterly, 34(4): 328-353.
Meredith, William (2013). Web scale search at virtual reference service: How Summon is impacting reference question complexity and reference service delivery. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 18(1): 1-13.
Nichol, Erica Carlson and Linda Crook. (2013). Now it’s necessary: Virtual reference services at Washington State University, Pullman. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(1): 161-168.
Paris, Lee Ann. Faith and learning in the reference interview. Christian Librarian, 52(1/2): 28-45.
Partlo, Kristin (2010). The pedagogical data reference interview. IASSIST Quarterly, 33/34(4/1): 6-10.
Price, Toni, Christine Urquhart and Janet Cooper (2007). Using a prompt sheet to improve the reference interview in a health telephone helpline service. Evidence-based Library and Information Practice, 2(3): 43-58.
Quint, Barbara (2016). Resurrecting the reference interview. Online Searcher, 40(40): 33-34.
Ramos, Marian S. and Christine M. Abrigo. (2013). Reference 2.0 in action: An evaluation of the digital reference services in selected Philippine academic libraries. Library Hi Tech News, 29(1): 8-20.
Roth, Dana L.(2009). Reference checking in a web world. Searcher, 17(2): 22-31.
Schwartz, Howard. R. (2014). The application of RUSA standards to the virtual reference interview. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 54(1): 8-11.
Sisselman, Peggy (2009). Exploiting the social style of patrons to improve their satisfaction with the reference interview. Library Review, 58(2): 124-133.
Spencer, Brett et al. (2011). The web beyond Google: Innovative search tools and their implications for reference services. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 16(1/2): 11-34.
Sullivan, Doreen (2008). Is the virtual reference interview dead? inCite, 28(12): 13-14.
Taylor, Robert S. (1968). Question negotiation and information-seeking in libraries. College and Research Libraries, 29(6): 178-194.
Tyckoson, David (1999). What’s right with reference? American Libraries, 30(5): 57-65.
Van Duinkerken, Wyoma, Jane Stephens and Karen I. Mac Donald (2009). The chat reference interview: Seeking evidence-based on RUSA’s guidelines: A case-study at Texas A&M University Libraries. New Library World , 110(3/4): 107-121.
Vaughn, Jason (2011). Chapter 1: Web scale discovery- What and why? Library Technology Reports, 47(1): 5-11.
Ward, David (2011). Expanding the reference vocabulary. Reference Services Review, 39(1): 167-180.
Yang, Sharon Q. and Heather Dalal (2015). Delivering virtual reference services on the web: An investigation into the current practice by academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(1): 68-86.
Wilmoth, Wendy S. (2008). Using the tools of crisis intervention and empowerment counseling in the reference interview. Georgia Library Quarterly, 45(1): 9-13.
Young, Courtney L. (2014). Crowdsourcing the virtual reference with Twitter. The Reference Librarian, 55(2): 172-174.
Zhang, Yin and Shengli Deng (2014): Social question and answer services versus library virtual reference: Evaluation and comparison from the users’ perspective. Information Research, 19(4): 422-440.