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Peer Researcher Training Guide

A training course for Library and Writing Center student workers to obtain the Peer Researcher Certificate

The Reference Interview

The first step to a successful reference transaction is the reference interview. A reference interview is a conversation in which the one providing reference services has a conversation with the library user in an attempt to find out exactly what their needs are and how they can help find the appropriate information sources. the library users are not often good at communicating exactly what their needs are which is why the reference interview is so important. For example, a patron comes in and asks where to find books on Constantine, but what they actually need is information on the Fall of Constantinople and the involvement of Constantine XI in the battle. Taking the patron at face value here and sending them off to find books on Constantine the First would be a great disservice to the patron and they wouldn't end up getting the information they actually needed.

Reference interviews can be difficult and take practice to become proficient. The following are some things to consider when conducting them. These strategies may help to get you better at conducting an interview and make it easier to get at the information that is vital:

  1. Be open, friendly, and inviting. Having a customer service mindset helps set the patrons at ease and they will be much more willing to share information.
  2. Actively listen to the initial question. (Active listening involves communicating through body language and verbal ques that you hear and understand what the patron is saying. Taking notes of what is said is also a good way to actively listen and will help later when trying to find appropriate keywords.)
  3. Ask open-ended questions and paraphrase what they are saying to get clarification.
  4. Ask what they have already done to find information on their own. This way you will avoid repeating steps and it may give you more insight on what they are truly looking for. 

Open-ended questions are the best way to truly get at what the information needs of the user are. Here are some sample open-ended that could be useful in a reference interview:

  • Can you tell me more about your assignment?
  • Can you explain to me more about [X], I'm not very familiar about that?
  • What do you mean by [X]?
  • Have you already found any information about [X]? If so what have you found and where did you find it?
  • How does [X] tie into [Y]?
  • What do you think about this source we have found? 
  • Are there any limitations or specifications to your assignment we should consider when looking for sources?
  • What interests you about this topic?