A Different Take on Reference Interviews
One of my clients told me he doesn’t like my style of conducting reference interviews.* When I pressed him for a reason, he said when he comes to me, he wants an answer. When I question him about his question–which I was taught to do in library school: make sure to feel out the customer and his information need before responding–he just feels frustrated and annoyed. He doesn’t understand why I might ask him several questions for clarification in order to make sure I get him targeted information or so that I know exactly what he’s asking. If it’s a complex answer, he prefers me to give him the entire picture instead of trying to help him narrow down what he wants.
I found his annoyance baffling at first. “But in library school, I was taught that it’s my place to help you work through what you think you need to figure out what it is exactly you need,” I’m thinking.
“I need to find a librarian who actually answers questions,” he’s thinking. “I want the big picture. When I get it, I’ll figure out what’s useful to me.”
I’m glad I didn’t just walk away, leaving him dissatisfied and me baffled. I’m so used to reviewing what someone wants that I never thought it could be a barrier to service. Now that I know more about what he wants/expects from me, I hope I’ll be able to be a better librarian to him.
*Yes, I have his permission to write about our exchange.
