Competency I
“Use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.”
Statement of Competency I
David A. Tyckoson (2008) notes that the role of the library in society can be divided into three primary functions: to build and preserve collections, to create tools to organize the information within these collections, and to serve library users. This last function is what is commonly referred to as reference or information service, and is defined broadly as “personal assistance provided by members of the reference staff to library users in pursuit of information” (Tyckoson, 2008, p. 127). The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, provides an updated definition of reference work which includes “reference transactions and other activities that involve the creation, management, and assessment of information or research resources, tools, and services” (RUSA, 2008, “Definitions of Reference”). Though reference services in libraries today seem like a standard feature, within the context of the history of libraries they are a relative newcomer. Prior to the mid-19th century, libraries were primarily the domain of the elite, as they were the only ones privileged enough to receive an education (Tyckoson, 2008). During the 19th century, the idea of universal education began to take hold, which promoted the idea that all citizens should be educated with certain skills, including the ability to read (Tyckoson, 2008). As more people in the United States began to learn to read, the need for access to books grew, and thus public libraries were born. But some issues that arose from this increased access to books in libraries were that most people did not know how to use a library or obtain information from its collections. It was through such problems that the need for service to users was established, and by the 1880s this became an established feature of public libraries (Tyckoson, 2008).
Samuel Swett Green is credited with publishing the first paper about reference service, in which he identified four service roles for reference librarians (Tyckoson, 2008). There is no doubt that the tools, technologies, and collections that are used by reference services today are very different than those used in Green’s time, yet the four objectives he outlined continue to define the core of reference service today. These four functions of reference service are: question answering, instruction, reader’s advisory, and marketing and promotion (Tyckoson, 2008). RUSA (2008) further defines reference work to include both the creation and management of information resources, which they define as “the development and maintenance of research collections, research guides, catalogs, databases, web sites, search engines, etc., that patrons can use independently, in-house or remotely, to satisfy their information needs”, in addition to assessment activities, which include “the measurement and evaluation of reference work, resources, and services” (“Definition of Reference”).
Question Answering
This function of reference services is a common popular image of the role of a reference librarian. At its essence, the purpose of this function is for users to present a specific information need to a librarian, who will subsequently identify the best reference tool for that need. There is no denying that technology has changed the way that libraries have provided their services, and its impact on the function of question answering as part of reference services has been noticeable. While historically, librarians have served as gatekeepers to information that was not easily accessible to individuals in society, today that role has been transformed by the increased access to free information on the Internet. This has changed the nature of the types of questions that are commonly asked by users today—instead of questions with single and factual answers, users are now approaching reference librarians with information needs that are much more complex, and may often have multiple possible answers (Tyckoson, 2008). In this way, reference librarians now serve more as “research counselors” who guide users through the process of determining what the answer might be to their questions (Tyckoson, 2008).
The function of question answering in reference services is both an art and a science, and requires effective communication between librarian and user (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Often when a user approaches a reference desk for assistance with an information need, they may frame their question in a simplistic or incomplete way, or they may not be able to fully articulate their need. A technique that is crucial to the question answering function of reference services is the reference interview. The purpose of the interview is for a librarian to establish, through clarifying questions directed toward the user, what the users’ actual information need is, in addition to providing direction to resources for that need. Cassell and Hiremath (2013) assert that the reference interview is composed of the following six parts (p. 17):
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Establishing rapport with the user
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Negotiating the question
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Developing a successful search strategy and communicating it to the user
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Locating the information and evaluating it
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Ensuring that the question is fully answered
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Closing the interview
There is much importance placed on the behavioral aspects of a reference interview because studies have shown that users’ perception of the success of reference interactions are based more on the manner in which they were conducted, rather than on the aspect of meeting the information need itself (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Often users are intimidated by daunting reference desks, or may feel inferior because they need to ask someone else for help to resolve their information need (Tyckoson, 2008). Librarians must create a welcoming ambiance by exhibiting certain behaviors to put users at ease so that a reference interaction can proceed smoothly. Because the behavior of reference librarians is so important to the success of reference interactions with users, RUSA (2013) developed the document “Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers”, which establishes five areas that should be observed during reference interviews. These guidelines have been widely used to assist in the training, development, and evaluation of librarians who provide reference services to users. These five areas are (RUSA, 2013):
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Visibility/Approachability: A successful reference transaction requires a high level of visibility. Reference assistance should be available through a variety of technologies at a patron’s point of need. In order to have a successful reference transaction, it is essential that the reference librarian be approachable. Whether acting in a traditional/in-person role or a remote/virtual role, the librarian's first step in initiating the reference transaction is to make the patron feel comfortable in a situation that can be perceived as intimidating, confusing, or overwhelming. The librarian’s initial response in any reference situation sets the tone for the entire communication process, and influences the depth and level of interaction.
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Interest: A successful librarian demonstrates a high degree of objective, nonjudgmental interest in the reference transaction. While not every query will be of interest to the librarian, the librarian should embrace each patron's informational need and should be committed to providing the most effective assistance. Librarians who demonstrate a high level of interest in the inquiries of patrons will generate a higher level of satisfaction among users.
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Listening/Inquiring: The reference interview is the heart of the reference transaction and is crucial to the success of the process. The librarian should effectively identify the patron's information needs in a manner that puts the patron at ease. Effective listening and questioning skills are necessary for a positive interaction.
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Searching: The search process is the portion of the transaction in which behavior and accuracy intersect. Without an effective search, not only is the desired information unlikely to be found, but patrons may become discouraged as well. Many aspects of searching that lead to accurate results are dependent on the behavior of the librarian.
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Follow-up: Supplying information is not the end of the reference transaction. The librarian is responsible for determining if the patron is satisfied with the results of the search, and referring the patron to other sources including those not available through the local library.
It is important to note that though reference services have traditionally been provided through in-person, face-to-face interactions, widespread use of new communication technologies have allowed for these to happen in new ways that are increasingly virtual in nature. Despite the shift in the mediums through which reference interactions can now take place, the aforementioned behavioral guidelines are just as important and applicable to their success. In the question answering function of reference services, librarians must avoid certain behaviors such as not listening to the user, making the user feel embarrassed or stupid, or being dismissive of the user (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Instead, good communication skills are needed by librarians in order to be sure the users’ information need is mutually understood, to keep in contact with the user during the searching process to avoid confusion, and to create a welcoming environment for all information-seekers.
Instruction
The instruction function of reference services was originally established at the same time that more people began to make use of public libraries. Early American public libraries quickly learned that many people did not know how to use libraries to satisfy their information needs, and took it as their responsibility to teach them how (Tyckoson, 2008). This function continues to remain an important part of reference services because in addition to acclimating new users to the library, there are also new tools, resources, and technology that require further instruction. Today, user instruction is more commonly known as information literacy, and refers to the role of reference librarians to demonstrate “how, when, and why to use various reference sources in an integrated way that will capture the user’s attention” (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013, p. 8). Information literacy is especially important today simply because of the vast amount of information that is available through free sources on the Internet. This has made finding information much easier by users, but has made identifying in-depth and quality sources more difficult. Librarians can integrate user instruction through a variety of informal and formal interactions. Formal interactions include courses or workshops that teach users directly how to find and evaluate information on their own. Informal interactions are when librarians take advantage of “teachable moments” during interactions with users to instruct them how to locate information, use tools, and evaluate resources (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). The level and depth to which information literacy is stressed and performed depend very much on a library’s type and mission. In any case, all reference librarians “must be skilled at helping users find information and answers quickly and be ready to teach users how to use the reference sources that are available” (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013, p. 8).
Readers’ Advisory
Readers’ advisory is a function of reference services that is concerned with fulfilling a users’ information needs and matching them with materials based on their interests (Tyckoson, 2008). The early function of this role was more didactic in nature, when reference librarians were more concerned with fulfilling their educational role by matching users with materials to better themselves. Modern readers’ advisory is more associated with the recommending of reading materials for entertainment and pleasure, based on a user’s interests and needs. It is important to note that readers’ advisory goes beyond this association though, and rather entails a reference librarian’s skills for recommending resources that best fit a users’ needs (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Readers’ advisory interactions are different in nature than the reference interview because it is more of a conversation, and it also has less concrete goals. A successful readers’ advisory interaction between librarian and user requires a set of skills including: good communication and people skills, in addition to the ability to evaluate and prioritize the context, usability, and validity of information sources (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Additionally, a reference librarian needs to be very knowledgeable about their library’s collection, and how to use readers’ advisory tools and technology to assist them with this task.
Marketing and Promotion
Marketing is often one of the least visible duties of a reference librarian, but it is also one of the most important because it is necessary to promote reference services within the community (Tyckoson, 2008). Marketing of reference services is important in ensuring that the library will receive funding, political support, recognition, and general community goodwill. The goal of marketing reference services is to remind its constituencies of its ability to serve their informational needs. Cassell and Hiremath (2013) also argue that marketing of reference resources is important because the nature of electronic resources can be hidden to users; this requires active steps to make them more visible. Reference services must develop plans for marketing their resources, tools, services, and collections. The steps involved in developing this plan include: defining an audience, listing the reference sources/services/tools the library wishes to promote, and coming up with strategies to promote them (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). Promotion and marketing techniques include brochures, newsletters, newspaper articles, newspaper ads, direct mail, radio and TV advertising, and promotion on the Internet (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013).
Evaluation
According to Cassell and Hiremath (2013), evaluation of reference services “is of predominant importance simply because it gauges the satisfaction of the end user, with the collection and staff as the critical means to attain satisfying end-user service” (p. 407). Today, because of diminishing library budgets and increasing need for institutional accountability, it is important for reference departments to conduct evaluation of their services in order to determine how effective they are, and where improvements are needed. There are three aspects of the reference environment that can be assessed: the reference collection, the reference staff, and reference services. There are many evaluation techniques and tools that can be used to assess these aspects, varying from the basic to the more complex. For example, suggestion boxes in reference departments are an example of a basic tool that can be used for evaluation. The advantage of this tool is that it is easy to set-up, but a disadvantage is that it is not as good at detecting a pattern or trend. More complex tools include surveys, self-imposed observation, focus groups, and case studies.
Some common methods used to evaluate reference services include unobtrusive testing, obtrusive testing, willingness to return evaluation, and the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program. Unobtrusive testing measures whether the answers to reference questions are correct or not (Tyckoson, 2008). This involves a researcher who poses as a user who secretly records their interaction with a reference librarian. The disadvantage of this testing is that it can only measure questions that have single, invariable, factual answers—which as discussed earlier, are not received by librarians much today. Additionally, this method does not measure the complexity of reference interactions, leaving out a large portion of the work that reference librarians conduct during reference interviews. Obtrusive testing involves a reference librarian being followed by an observer who watches and records the reference process (Tyckoson, 2008). The flaw with this evaluation is that people inherently alter their behavior when they know they are being observed, so obtrusive evaluation may not paint an accurate picture of a librarian’s daily performance. The advantage of this method is that it is better at capturing the complexity of the behavioral interactions between librarian and user. Willingness to return is an evaluation method which merges aspects of both unobtrusive and obtrusive testing, in which a user serves as observer of a reference librarian’s behavior and compares it to checklist of guidelines in addition to reporting on the accuracy of the answer given by the librarian (Tyckoson, 2008). The final evaluation of this method is based on a single factor—would the user return to the same reference librarian with a future question? Lastly, there is the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program (WOREP), which combines several aspects of the previous three evaluation methods. In this method, both users and librarians fill out an evaluation form after the reference transaction. These forms are processed centrally at the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University, and the library must pay a fee to cover the costs. For this method, librarian and user must indicate on the form that the question was answered accurately to be considered successful. If this standard is not met, the librarian can indicate the reason why on the form. Additionally, the user can rate the performance of the librarian on a variety of factors. According to Tyckoson (2008), WOREP is the “only evaluation tool that combines measures of accuracy and behavioral factors from the perspective of the librarian and the user.”
Assessment of reference environments is incredibly important because it allows reference departments to establish priorities, remove redundancies, allot proper funding, allot for new initiatives, and provide defensive institutional justification (Cassell & Hiremath, 2013). It is important for reference services to not only conduct assessments, but to also act on their findings. Evaluation should be viewed as an ongoing process, part of a cycle that once completed and acted upon, must begin again.
Future of Reference Services
Personal interaction is the hallmark of reference services offered in libraries today (Tyckoson, 2008). Much transformation has already occurred in the short history of this library service, and yet more change is to be expected in the coming future. Despite this, the personal interaction between librarian and user that defines this service will continue to remain at its core (Tyckoson, 2008). The tools and information sources that we use in reference services will continue to change how we meet the information needs of our users, and new communication technologies will transform how we interact with them as well. Ultimately, “in the foreseeable future, reference librarians will continue to teach users about information resources and search tools; answer informational queries and determine what they need; recommend resources; and promote the library within the community” (Tyckoson, 2008, p. 145).
Evidence
Evidence 1: Employment Experience- Berkeley Public Library Children’s Department
As a longtime employee of the Berkeley Public Library, I had the opportunity to work in a higher job classification than the one I was assigned after taking the requisite exam and shadowing another employee for 3 months. This opportunity was first presented when my home branch library was closed for a year and a half for a complete rebuild. During this time I was temporarily relocated to the Children’s Department of our Central Library location. The librarians I worked with in the Children’s Department were aware that I was a student in the iSchool at SJSU, so they often assigned me higher classification work outside of my normal job duties. After gaining experience through this type of work, I often worked on the information desk of the Children’s Department to cover shifts on weekends, or when a children’s librarian was out sick. During these shifts I had several reference service duties, as I helped to man the Children’s information desk. This work opportunity provided me the invaluable experience of meeting the information needs of children, young teens, parents, and educators, by providing reference related service to them. My duties while on the information desk entailed all aspects of reference service including answering questions, readers’ advisory, marketing, and user instruction. I communicated with users during face to face interactions, where I conducted many reference interviews and readers’ advisory conversations to assist with homework assignments and reading suggestions. I helped to promote reference services by creating unique displays of children’s department materials. Lastly, during my interactions with library users I often took advantage of “teachable moments”, where instead of just providing users with answers or materials that they needed, I instead provided instruction on how they could find them themselves using various library resources. There is truly no better way of honing reference related skills than actually performing them in order to become more comfortable with the craft. My employment experience allowed me to gain first-hand knowledge about the real-life joys and challenges that come with performing this crucial library function.
Evidence 2: LIBR-210- Exercise #2
This exercise assignment was completed for LIBR-210: Reference and Information Services. This course introduced me to many of the formal and important aspects of reference and information services, and provided greater insight on how to improve my performance serving on the information desk at my place of employment. During this course, students completed three question answering assignments; this evidence is the work I completed for the 2nd exercise. The format of the assignment is quite simple in nature - students receive a set of 10 reference questions, and are expected to answer them from the perspective of a reference librarian. For each question, a response to the library user is crafted, using the principles of reference interview as a guide. Additionally, an explanation of the process used to find the answer is also included for the professor of this course. It is important to note that these questions are not always straightforward, or even necessarily clear in nature. I used the format of the reference interview to guide my question answering process. For example, even though this interaction is virtual in nature, I always opened with a friendly greeting to convey approachability and interest in the users question. Additionally, I made sure to ask both open- and closed-ended questions in order to clarify the user’s information need, and restated the question in my own terms in order to reach mutual understanding. I will admit that the majority of the questions were in areas I had little to no familiarity with, but I used a variety of reference tools and resources to best assist the library user. Lastly, I took advantage of many teachable moments through the virtual reference interactions. For example, for question #8, the library user is seeking reviews of a particular book. Instead of just locating the reviews and forwarding them to the user, I instead suggest examples of databases that are good for locating historical book reviews. Additionally, I provide screenshots of a particular database and provide a mini-tutorial to the library user on how to retrieve the full text of the book review. This exercise was paramount in providing me hands-on experience with the important reference duty of question answering. This experience not only helped me improve my performance at work while working on the Children’s information desk, but it also provided me the important experience of using the reference interview to answer library user questions. As an aspiring youth librarian, this exercise is invaluable in learning how to perform the reference service duties I will no doubt be responsible for.
Evidence 3: LIBR-210- Investigation #1: Bibliography
This assignment was created for LIBR-210: Reference and Information Services. The purpose of the assignment was to construct a bibliography of 25 reliable and quality sources for an undergraduate or gradate course of our choice. The sources had to include a combination of print and electronic resources including, books, article or essay collections, databases, electronic articles, and webpages. Additionally, we have to provide relevant Library of Congress classification subject headings that could be used by students in the courses. Lastly, a write up about the justification of the sources that I included in this bibliography is included. I created this particular bibliography for a SJSU undergraduate Women’s Studies course. In particular, this course has a focus on women of color, so I had to curate appropriate and quality sources related to this topic. Before looking for sources, I first carefully read the course syllabus to get an understanding of the types of topics that would be covered, and the objective of the course. Topics of race, class, gender, sexuality, feminism, discrimination, oppression, and marginalization, in addition, to different racial and ethnic groups help guide my searches, both in looking for subject headings and as keywords. The creation of this bibliography was a wonderful exercise in the readers’ advisory function of reference services. I had to find a variety of materials and resources for undergraduate students to help enrich their classroom experience to meet their needs and interests. Researching, evaluating, and compiling a variety of materials and resources to meet the library users interests and needs lie at the heart of readers’ advisory. This investigation helped me to expand on my readers’ advisory skills by performing the task of creating this bibliography, which I will certainly use as a future library professional.
Evidence 4: LIBR-210- Investigation #2: Library Orientation Exercise
This assignment was created for LIBR-210: Reference and Information Services. The purpose of this assignment was to create a meaningful library orientation exercise for a particular group of library users. The exercise is comprised of ten questions for the user group to answer, and is designed to help them get up to speed in an academic library. In addition to each question crafted for this assignment, a justification of why this question was written is included. I created this library orientation exercise for SJSU freshmen students who are enrolled in introductory English and Comparative Literature courses. What was important to me in creating this orientation document was to create meaningful tasks for students to complete so they could gain first-hand familiarity and experience working with a variety of library resources. Instead of creating rote tasks, I instead crafted questions which focus on aspects specific to their coursework to encourage a more meaningful orientation experience. The tasks and questions I crafted provide students with an opportunity to learn about: the types of information that can be found on the SJSU library catalog, how to retrieve eBooks and scholarly articles, how to use a variety of databases, how to use a citation management tool, and how to critically evaluate resources. The creation of this library orientation provided me experience in the important reference service duty of user instruction. This duty is crucial in guiding library users to learn about a variety of reference materials, resources, and tools, and is important for all library professionals to be proficient in it.
References
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2013). Reference and information services: An
introduction (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman.
Reference and User Services Association. (2008). Definitions of reference. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/definitionsreference
Reference and User Services Association. (2013). Guidelines for behavioral performance of
reference and information service providers. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral
Tyckoson, D. A. (2008). Chapter 12: Reference service: The personal side of librarianship. In K.
Haycock, & B. E. Sheldon (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (pp. 127-146). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Evidence Files
Click to download the following files:
Work Experience Jennifer Santure resume