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Reference Interview Questions

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Recently I had a student approach me and ask if I had any books about people with disabilities. That is a very broad topic and we have many such resources. This is where the reference interview began. First I asked the student if they were doing research for a school project concerning people with disabilities. The answer came back no. The student said she just wanted to read more about people with disabilities. Next I asked if there was a particular disability she was interested in reading more about. The answer again came back no. At that point I realized I needed to ask an open ended question to better understand what the student was really seeking. So I asked her to tell me more about the kind of book she was looking for. It was …show more content…

A good time for me to do this is during library orientation. I have each English class bring their students into the library near the beginning of the school year and I teach them how to use the search features in the catalog, where to find the books they want and many other basic library skills. The skill of asking good questions can be touched on at this time, emphasizing the library staffs’ interest and desire to help the students find the resources they need. I invite the students to ask for help and tell them we are happy to help them. The negative aspects of this group instruction are: 1. Very limited time to teach this skill, 2. If the students don’t have a pressing need for the information, they likely won’t remember what is taught. 3. The types of questions asked are really determined by a specific need and that is hard to simulate. Therefore, additional time spent with individual students is very valuable as they come seeking specific information. This starts with the one on one reference interview. As the librarian queries the student concerning specifically what information they are seeking, the student will hear those questions and hopefully learn to express details that define the information they are searching for through these interactions with the librarian. The skill of questioning is more authentic in this situation. It takes more time to teach these skills one on one, but what is learned will be valuable to that student at that moment. So, I think there is a place for both types of teaching, but ultimately the individualized help will be most

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