INFO 289 ePortfolio – Dr. Patricia Franks
SJSU School of Information / Fall 2015
Patricia Ayame Thomson
Competency I
Use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information
Introduction
Information professionals have always been in the business of connecting individuals or groups with information. Librarianship’s primary mission is summed up in the American Library Association’s (ALA) Code of Ethics stating that: “We provide the highest level of service to all library users” (2008). In order to provide the best quality of service, information professionals must be able to make the most accurate and appropriate assessments about the individual or group’s specific information needs. In the information age, patrons are going to require even more assistance to find what they are looking for due to the abundance of information available on the Internet.
Whether it is in-person or remote, it is imperative for the information professional to conduct a thorough reference interview at the user’s point-of-need. I believe conducting a proper reference interview is one of the most critical steps in providing user-centered service. In order to provide the most accurate, relevant, and appropriate results, information professionals must ask open-ended questions about the query, listen intently, search for authoritative information, and follow-up with the user to see if their needs have been met and whether they need any further assistance.
In the digital age, information professionals and users have a variety of ways to communicate besides the traditional in-person reference interview inside the library. In information organizations today, it is common to offer the following types of reference services—instant chat, email, social media, texting, and phone. Regardless of the communication format, a thorough reference interview is necessary in order to provide the most accurate, relevant, and appropriate information to the user.
The American Library Association’s References and User Services Association’s (RUSA), “Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers” guideline provides a useful framework for library and information science (LIS) professionals. In the introduction it states that: “The committee identified several areas in which behavioral attributes could be directly observed, including visibility/approachability, interest, listening/inquiring, searching, and follow-up activities” (ALA, RUSA, May 28, 2013).
In order to illustrate my comprehension about conducting a proper reference interview, I will summarize the behavioral attributes recommended by ALA’s References and User Services Association (RUSA), “Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers” guidelines in my own words below.
Visibility/Approachability
The Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA), “Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers” guideline states that it is important for information service providers to be approachable and highly-visible in the library environment. The information professional’s body language should be open and we should make eye contact to let them know we are ready to assist them. Also, information professionals should employ a friendly greeting and acknowledge others who are waiting in line. Whether the reference transaction is in-person or remote, library and information science (LIS) professionals use a question triage system to identify the users’ information needs. Regardless of the technological format of the communication, the fundamental principles, concepts, and techniques of references services continue to apply cross the board.
Interest
RUSA’s guideline suggests that the information professional should have a high degree of non-judgmental and objective interest in the user’s query. The more interest the information professional shows about the user’s question, the higher the user’s satisfaction level of the reference transaction. During the transaction, the guideline mentions that the information professional should focus completely on the patron, face them directly, and maintain eye contact. In addition, the information professional should signal understanding through nodding and other verbal and non-verbal gestures during the reference transaction.
Listening/Inquiring
The RUSA guideline continues to state that listening is one of the key components of a successful reference transaction. Information professionals should listen intently and communicate in a cordial, supportive, and receptive manner. The guideline also states that information professionals should allow the patron to fully state their information needs before responding. In addition, it is important for information professionals to repeat the question to confirm understanding. As stated above, it is not appropriate for information professionals to place a value judgment on the query and should respect the user’s privacy regarding the nature of their query.
Searching
The searching section of RUSA’s guideline opens with the salient quote as follows: “The search process is the portion of the transaction in which behavior and accuracy intersect” (2013). It is just as important for the information professional to provide the most accurate, relevant, and appropriate information to the user as it is to have a friendly and cordial manner. Usually, the two (behavior and accuracy) go hand and hand but without providing the accurate information the patron needs, they will become discouraged. As a result, the information professional should find out what search methods the user has already tried and communicate to get more information about the exact nature of their query. After receiving a good idea about the user’s query, the information professional should construct a search strategy and explain it to the user.
In addition, it is important for information professionals to be aware of the patron’s time constraint. If appropriate and when there is time, it is best practice to promote self-sufficiency by explaining how to use the resources, so that the patron will know how to do it themselves in the future. On the other hand, it would be more appropriate to provide the direct answer to the query if the patron is in a hurry and requests the most accurate answer quickly.
Also, it is important to recognize when information professionals need outside help as stated in following quote: “This might mean a referral to a subject librarian, specialized library, or community resource” (ALA, RUSA, 2013). As a result, the information professional should make certain that the patron is satisfied with the information they received and happy with their visit before they leave the library.
Follow-up
A successful reference transaction does not necessarily end when the original reference interview is done. It is important for information professionals to follow-up with the patrons after the reference transaction to make sure they are satisfied with the resources provided and they do not require any further assistance. In addition, it is good practice to invite the user back to the reference desk if they need more assistance. In that way, the information professional can try another search with different keywords and make alternate suggestions.
Finally, information professionals should make the patron aware of other information pathways and other information sources outside of the local library. For information professionals, the RUSA’s “Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers” guideline is a good reminder for best practices in reference services.
Three Artifacts Presented as Evidence for Competency I
I respectfully present three artifacts from my previous assignments as evidence to prove my competency for Competency I.
First Artifact
LIBR 210 – Reference and Information Services
The first artifact presented is from the course LIBR 210—Reference and Information Services from the San José State University, MLIS program taught by Dr. Cheryl Stenstrom. Dr. Stenstrom instructed us to read a chapter from the book Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century by Cassell and Hiremath (2011) and write a discussion post about it. I am including this artifact because I believe it demonstrates my understanding about the current and evolving changes in concepts, principles, and techniques of reference services.
Due to the rapidly-changing technology, Cassell and Hiremath (2011) explain that there is a shift in paradigm reference management, for example, the reference staffing models, how we deliver information and our roles as information professionals. The authors of the article recommend changing the traditional hierarchical management structure to a flatter more diverse body of talents and backgrounds. Among the staff, collaboration and teamwork is encouraged compared to the traditional structured chain of command.
In addition, Cassell and Hiremath’s (2011) book describe the user-centered service model. Due to the rapidly-changing technology, the authors suggest that the dramatic change in reference services require a higher degree of collaboration and “synergistic problem-solving” (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 352). As a result, I learned that the twenty-first century information professionals should have certain characteristics such as self-direction, teamwork, flexibility, and innovative thinking to keep up with the rapidly-changing technology and reference services.
Second Artifact
LIBR 210 – Information Reference Services
The second artifact presented is from the course LIBR 210—Reference and Information Services from the San José State University, MLIS program taught by Dr. Cheryl Stenstrom. In the course, the professor gave us two articles to read and we were instructed to write a discussion post about them. I decided to include this artifact since it demonstrates my understanding and competency in connecting accurate, relevant, and appropriate information to targeted community groups.
The assigned article written by Hodge and Tanner (2003) is about a successful collaboration between the public library in upstate New York and the local farming community. Agriculture is essential to the community, since farmers make up a large segment of the population. The article is about farmers in a rural community that voiced their opinion that the public library was not meeting their specific information needs. Due to the farmers’ grass-root movement, the community public library addressed the issue and provided an abundance of resources about agriculture to the community.
The successful collaboration led to mutually beneficial outcomes such as saving the library, heightened community relations, increased awareness about libraries, and information provision necessary to sustain a viable farming community. As a result, I learned that identifying the community’s specific information needs is a critical first step in providing the best resources for patrons.
Third Artifact
LIBR 210 – Reference and Information Services
The third artifact presented is from the course LIBR 210—Reference and Information Services from the San José State University, MLIS program taught by Dr. Cheryl Stenstrom. For this assignment, we had to conduct a live chat with a librarian on a library website and write an essay about our experience. The reason why I chose to include this assignment is to demonstrate my understanding and capability of the online instant chat feature of reference services conducted in information organizations.
Although this particular artifact presented is focused on the instant chat feature, we had similar assignments about the various other reference services in the course. For example, we had to experience first-hand and write about each type of reference services including in-person, email, phone, and texting. As a result, I am now confident in being able to apply the various concepts, principles, and techniques information professionals use to connect individuals or groups to accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.
Conclusion: I Am Now Competent With Reference Services
Due to the technology revolution, there has been a shift in paradigm about how to provide the best reference services. There are a myriad of technological avenues people use to access information including instant-chat, email, phone, social media, and texting. As information organizations, we have the responsibility to keep up-to-date with the latest technological devices and make sure to provide reference services through all communication systems generally used in society. I believe I am ready to conduct reference services and provide accurate, relevant, and appropriate information to individual members and demographic groups in the future.
References:
The American Library Association (ALA), Code of Ethics http://www.ala.org/advocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics
The American Library Association (ALA), Reference and User Services Association http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral