Library Services Student Assistant Guide

One of the most important factors in successfully answering patron questions is to fully understand their information needs. This process is called the reference interview.

Listed below are the main steps involved in the reference interview.

• Paraphrasing
• Asking open questions
• Clarifying
• Verifying
• Getting all the needed information
• Follow-up questions / ending the interview

Please note that you may not need to go through all of these steps in every case.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is a useful technique that will help you discover a patron's real information need. You repeat back what the patron said in their words without adding any thoughts or questions of your own. You mirror the patron's thoughts, showing the patron what the question "looks like" to you.

Paraphrasing has three outcomes.

1. It reassures the patron that you are listening to them.
2. It reassures you that you have heard correctly.
3. The patron may clarify or amplify their original request with more information.

Paraphrasing is also useful when you have a very talkative patron. Sometimes people will tell you their story, then tell you again, then again. They might want to be sure you heard them. If you paraphrase after the first telling, they will know you understand and will continue with the rest of their story.

Examples

The patron says, "I'm looking for the Journal of Academic Ethics. I've looked on the library website but I can't seem to find it"

You can say something like... "Alright, so you need to locate the Journal of Academic Ethics"

Give Patrons a Chance to Tell You

Open questions are an effective way to give your patrons the freedom to express information needs in their own words, while at the same time guiding them in the direction that will best help you find the material that will fulfill their information needs.

Always give your patrons a chance to tell you what their questions are, rather than telling your patrons what you think they ought to be.

An open (or neutral) question is one that can't be answered by "yes" or "no." These are sometimes called probes. You have probably had experiences like the following, which are a common result of asking closed questions:

"Do you need this for a school report?"

"No."

"Do you need this for a trip you are going to take?"

"No."

Why Use Open Questions?

Closed questions often don't get you much closer to the patron's real need. You feel as if you have to keep guessing what the patron is doing. It's much more efficient to simply ask, "What kind of information on ______________ are you looking for?" You compel the patron to talk to you about their information need rather than just saying yes or no.

If you offer choices, the patron may choose one of them, even if that choice isn't what's needed. They may be trying to be agreeable or may think the choices represent all that's available. When you offer leading questions, you are putting words in your patron's mouth and asking your patron to pick one of your choices. If you have not guessed right, you may never find out the real question.

Using open questions also saves you from having to know about the topic. You have to know something about a subject to begin with to ask a leading question. With open questions, you don't have to know anything about the subject. You just need to ask an open question like, "Can you tell me more about that?"

Referral to a Librarian

The process of using open ended questions will also help you assess if the patron's question will be best answered by you or a librarian.  For example, when you ask them "What kind of information on citation styles are you looking for?", they may respond with something like "Oh, I just need the APA style guide" which you would be able to help them with or "I need someone to help me format my citations" which a librarian would be best suited to answer.

Getting the Details

Clarifying is a technique you can use when you are further along in the reference interview. Remember, you begin the interview with paraphrasing and open questions. But you may need to clarify a point by asking for a particular bit of information.

For example, you may have discovered that the patron needs to locate the Journal of Academic Ethics. Before you proceed, you need to find out if they are looking for a specific article in that journal or just the journal itself, whether they prefer it in print or electronically, or any date range needs. You can get to that information most effectively by using a clarifying question specifically asking for a particular bit of information.

Remember to use clarifying questions later in the reference interview process and only when needed to nail down a particular point.

Check one last time...

You can verify by restating the question and asking if you have the request correct. Try not to jump to conclusions. Listen to the patron all the way through before deciding what the question is and how you plan to answer it. This important step can save you time searching for something the patron didn't really want in the first place.

When you think you have the question clearly in mind and are ready to search for the answer, check one last time before searching to verify you have the patron's real question.

Examples

"So, what you specifically want to know is the phone number for Cams pizza. Is that right?"

"What you need is help locating the article entitled the Impact of a multifaceted intervention on nurses’ and physicians’ attitudes and behaviors in the journal of Critical Care Nurse, right?"

This last check ensures that you and the patron understand what you will be searching for.

Good Examples of Bad Assumptions

Sometimes we think we know what the question is before the patron even finishes talking. The student looking for information on Barcelona is obviously writing a paper on the city, right? Not necessarily, they may be taking a trip there and want to know if we have any travel guides.

When You Think You're Done!

After you think you have answered a patron's question, always ask a follow-up question such as:

• "Does this completely answer your question?"
• "Do you have everything you need?"
• "Is there anything else I can help you find?"

Asking the patron  if they have everything they need will improve your success rate in filling information needs. Follow-up questions ensure you have really provided what the patron wanted. If the patron answers yes, you can be confident you have done your job successfully.

You may phrase it differently, but you need to offer your patron the chance to tell you that the information was not just what was wanted. Reference studies have shown that library workers who ask the specific follow-up question, "Does this completely answer your question?" meet their patron's needs most often.

Ending the Interview: No Is Never an Answer!

If the answer is no to your follow-up ("Does that completely answer your question?") make sure you take the necessary steps to either fully answer their question or refer them to someone who can.