by-the-book reference interviewing

[Mark G. Stengel]

On Tue, 18 Mar 1997, Rich Gazan wrote:

> Apologies to Jahoda, but the effective reference interview is not
> something you can learn how to do from a book.  Interacting with patrons
> is an art, not a science.  Any system that attempts to treat all
> information seekers identically can't do a very good job of accounting
> for individual needs--and isn't that the business we're in here?
> 
> I would argue that the worst kind of customer service is that which
> comes from a script.  When I need help, I want the reference librarian
> to be involved with me, not with some mental checklist or flow chart.
> 
> Demanding?  No doubt.  But mass opinion of librarians is built from
> these everyday interactions...
 
 
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Interacting with people may well be an art.  
The best artists have internalized the rudiments, and we no longer see 
them.   The truly gifted are just born with an understanding.  The rest 
of us have to practice and study.

While there is always a danger of reducing techniques to simple-sounding
formulas and checklists, we can and do learn from writers and teachers like
Bill Katz and David Tyckoson and Ralph Gers.

I too want a librarian who is involved with me.  But I would rather be 
served by a librarian who cares enough to be trying to learn something 
new--even when the bones of the script still show through--than by one who 
has neither a clue nor a care.  

Mark Stengel                      
Reference Services               I do not speak for the University.     
UCSB, Davidson Library            Nor does it speak for me.
Santa Barbara, CA 93106