Assignment 6: Reference Scenario and Analysis. The following script demonstrates an idealized reference interview taking place during the

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1 Assignment 6: Reference Scenario and Analysis Julia B. Chambers 1 The following script demonstrates an idealized reference interview taking place during the school year at a Middle School Library at an independent school in an affluent Bay Area, California suburb. The script identifies Cassell and Hiremath s (2013) steps for conducting a reference interview using (Subheads in italics in parenthesis). Following the interview scenario is a paragraph analyzing and synthesizing how the script addresses the RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Service Providers. (Step 1: Establish Rapport with User) Reference Script LIBRARIAN: Hey there, First Name of Student (henceforth to be known as Cosmo)! COSMO: Hey.(then, silence) LIBRARIAN (smiling): What s up? Can I help you with something? COSMO: Um I have to start my pollution paper. LIBRARIAN (still smiling): What s that? COSMO: Well, we all have to pick a topic and write a five page report. LIBRARIAN (raise eyebrows in interest while smiling): What s your topic? COSMO: Chicken farming. LIBRARIAN: Oh wow, cool topic! How does chicken farming relate to pollution? COSMO: I don t know. That s what I need help with. (Step 2: Negotiate the Question) LIBRARIAN: Got it! So you want to write about how chicken farming contributes to pollution? COSMO: Yah. LIBRARIAN: Is this for science class?

2 2 COSMO: Yah, we re doing a unit on the environment. LIBRARIAN: Oh, that s right. Well, what do you know about it so far? COSMO: Nothing. LIBRARIAN: Hmm what got you interested in the topic? COSMO (finally showing passion): I saw this really sick documentary about chicken farming they pump all these antibiotics into the birds and they can t walk and they never get fresh air. LIBRARIAN: Oh, wow. That is sick. So, you think there might be a connection between the treatment of chickens on chicken farms and pollution? COSMO: I don t know. LIBRARIAN: Do you want to start your research by finding out what types of pollution chicken farms create? COSMO: Yah! (Step 3: Develop a Successful Search Strategy and Communicate it to the User) LIBRARIAN: Okay great. Lemme turn my computer screen so you can see what I m doing. Since we don t yet know about the specific type of pollution that chicken farms cause, let s start with a search for information that will give you some general background about chicken farm pollution. I m going to start by looking in our online encyclopedia. So first, I m going to go to our library webpage, click on Research Tools, and then click on Encyclopedia Britannica. Now, let s try a broad search of chicken farm* AND pollution. I m putting chicken farm in quotes so the database will search the entire term, and do you see that asterisk? It s a way to search for any word that contains farm so it will search for farming, farms, and farmer it helps make sure we don t miss anything related to farming. By searching for both chicken farm*

3 3 AND pollution, I m only going to get documents or articles that have both topics in them, so it will narrow our results and hopefully give us exactly what we need. (Step 4: Locating and Evaluating the Information) LIBRARIAN: Okay, wow, we pulled up a LOT with that search. Do you see all these entries each one goes to an article, and you can get an idea of what the article is about by reading these short abstracts. (LIBRARIAN then reads a few out loud, pointing to them with the cursor.) You know, these articles seem to be more about pollution, but not necessarily about chicken farming pollution. Let s modify our search. I m going to go back up to the search bar and search the broader subject of chicken farm* OR poultry farm* and see what we get. COSMO: Okay. LIBRARIAN: Okay, we re getting a lot about chicken farms here these top two look good, let s click on the first and see (LIBRARIAN does a quick skim of the article and sees that it doesn t provide much about the pollution aspects, though it does provide some information about the sick aspects of chicken farming that inspired the topic, and the LIBRARIAN communicates this in a running commentary.) Cosmo, it looks like you ll get some good background on chicken farms from this article and maybe the other articles from this search, but I m not seeing anything specifically about chicken farm pollution. I m going to you the results of this search, so you can read these articles on your own time, but to get the more specific information you need right now, let s try our Proquest database it contains lots of articles from magazines and newspapers, which might give you more current information anyway. (LIBRARIAN talks Cosmo through another search and retrieves many articles about chicken/poultry farming pollution.) COSMO: I think these are good.

4 4 LIBRARIAN: Yah, me too. Do you see this article from USA Today? It s about an EPA study on the poultry industry s affect on water pollution. I can help you find that study right now. Would you like that? COSMO: No this is enough. Can you print it for me? LIBRARIAN: I can and I can also you the results from this search. But does your teacher want you to use primary resources in your paper? COSMO (beginning to stand and sling his backpack on his shoulder): I dunno. What s that? LIBRARIAN: Primary resources are original studies, articles written by experts, books original research -- not just reported research. A newspaper article is considered a secondary resource it has good information, but the author of the article is just reporting someone else s work. COSMO (heading to the printer for the article): I think this is good. (Step 6: Follow Up -- Ensure that the Question is Fully Answered.) LIBRARIAN: Okay, but check with your teacher to see if newspaper articles are okay to use. Did you get everything you needed from me? COSMO (on his way out the door): Yah, thanks! (Step 7: Closing the Interview) LIBRARIAN (calling out the door): Lemme know if you need anything else I m always here for you, Cosmo! RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Service Providers The above scenario adheres to the following five guidelines for behavioral performance of reference and service providers, as developed and updated in June 2004 by the American Library Association s Reference and User Services Association (RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance, 2013).

5 5 Approachability: In the above scenario, the librarian attempted to make the patron feel at ease by greeting him by name, smiling, and asking how she can help him. To further her approachability, she used casual language that would resonate with a sixth grader. Interest: The librarian demonstrates interest in the patron s information request by maintaining eye contact throughout the inquiry process, raising her eyebrows in interest where appropriate, and offering encouraging commentary while negotiating the question. Listening/Inquiring: The librarian maintains an encouraging tone while asking clarifying questions, making a point not to reveal judgment when the patron seems unsure of his research topic and his exact information need. She asks open-ended questions to further identify the information need. When the exact inquiry begins to formulate, the librarian restates the information need and waits for confirmation before initiating a search strategy. Searching: The librarian explains her search strategy and invites the patron to follow her along as she comes up with search terms and evaluates the results. She explains which databases would provide the best resources for the patron s topic and makes suggestions for narrowing the results. Follow-up: The librarian asks if the patron got what he needed and lets him know that he can come back if he needs anything else.

6 6 References Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2013). Reference and information services: An introduction. [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from Introduction-ebook/dp/B00AI9AZPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=8-1&keywords=reference+and+information+services+an+introduction. RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance. (2013). Retrieved from

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