Competency 9

Competency 9: use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users

Having worked many years at a bookstore information desk, and loving it, I believed working learning about and working at a reference desk would come natural to me. In Library Science however, the skills at which goes into working the reference desk, especially in today's climate of technological complexities and options, the principles of reference take quite a bit of research and training. Furthermore, the simple and common act of "Googling" doesn't even begin to cover the principles, techniques, access points, and accuracy a Reference Librarian must have in their arsenal. As Librarian's we are essentially in the service industry. Just as a diner may serve food, we serve information.

Today, we have more then one way of facilitating information service. First, traditional Reference Librarian's still exist in almost every library across the county. But most library's have gone further to introduce 24/7 Instant Librarian's who will instant message you at any time of the day and from various libraries. Some libraries have text messaging reference available. While others, may have a variety of other methods and services.

Reference is a one on one, personal connection a librarian must make with a patron. They must have an arsenal, as I said, because patrons can come with any question, about anything. It can get sticky, complicated, or be relatively easy. A reference librarian must be personable and ready for anything with a smiling face and calm demeanor. The key to keeping patrons would be directly associated with a reference librarian. often times, this will be the only face (especially with self-checkout stations sweeping the circulation world) a patron will see. The direct image of a librarian, as well as, fulfilling our duties to help people access information all lays within this area of expertise.

The ways in which we locate information can be also broken down. We have the OPAC or library catalog. This can be searched within the library so that we can enter the physical book stacks with a patron. We have electronic resources, i.e. Databases and Indexes to help facilitate our searches. And we also have general and specialized online resources that are at our disposal. We also have the ability to create tools for our patrons that can help the reference process with forethought and planning. We can create pathfinders on popular or tricky sections that help users work through the library and its resources. We can write Reader's Advisories that can help direct fiction seekers to new and interesting reads. The combinations of resources for patrons at reference today are exciting and vast. Familiarizing oneself with the tools that are available in your particular library and having the tools at your immediate disposal are more important then trying to memorize a reference formula.

The only formula for reference that is truly applicable is understanding the right questions to ask and how to start a reference dialogue. This is called the "reference interview."

"The reference interview is composed of several parts...

• Establishing rapport with the user
• Negotiating the question
• Developing a strategy for successful search and communication it to the user
• Locating the information and evaluating it
• Ensuring that the question is fully answered-the follow up
• Closing the interview" (Cassel, 2009)

Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2009). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition(Second ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc..

Demonstrative Works

While in my studies at SJSU I got a wealth of reference practice and background. Both in traditional reference interview philosophy and in tools such as the reader's advisory and pathfinder.

In Artifact 1, I demonstrate my proficiency in creating a reference-based pathfinder. Pathfinders are created as a basic tool for users to take advantage of when searching a topic. They can be a tool that alerts patrons to the path they need to take within a library specifically or they can be general. For example one could create a pathfinder on Art History and it would tell them everywhere they can search including Dewey Call numbers, Websites, Electronic Resources, and so on. For my pathfinder I chose a the topic that is both currently popular and widely unknown: The Steampunk Genre. I define what Steampunk means and then set forth in presenting a general pathfinder for the basic in beginning research on this subject. To help capture the Steampunk mood and movement, the pathfinder caters to it's victorian mashup nature with music (from the movement), visuals, and a general appeal that will draw the user in.

Artifact 2 is a standard Reader's Advisory. This is in traditional paper form and can be housed in a binder in a Teen Zone or for reference needs. It is on a popular subject (Vampires) that doesn't seem to be loosing speed (even a year after this reader's advisory was written). Each entry (twenty-five total) contain both annotation and review, as well as, information on the title. Mainly young adult titles, a few vampire staples (such as titles from Anne Rice) are included. Although this assignment was to be only written, I took it upon myself to create a virtual companion to the paper in the way of an Undead Blog. Both can be found in the links below.

Artifact 3 is one in a series of three observations I completed in, LIBR 210, my Reference Services introductory class. This particular exercise put us beyond just watching other librarians do their job (both on the internet and in person) but took that observation to the test by pairing us up with other students from the class to ask and answer questions for each other. We then had to report back out activity and experience in paper form. Here are the questions and the answers that gave us a chance to both play librarian and patron and really evaluate reference behavior from both ends (as well as let us put some of what we learned to the test).

Artifact 4 is the backbone and core of my reference experience and understanding of practical application in searching for questions that a patron my pose. This is the first of three activities all of which I got better and better at answering and searching for patrons. The professor made it tricky and vast in his exercise questions and as we responded in a paper, I included both screen shots of what I found as well as the rationale and responses I had as a learner. I not only learned the core of reference work through these exercises but I created such a detailed document that I can use it for my own reference when looking back on the skills I acquired while in LIBR 210.

Artifact 1: Reference Pathfinder The Steampunk Genre

Artifact 2: Annotated Bibliography/Reader's Advisory Vampire Fiction (Plus A Virtual Representation as Extra Credit).

Artifact 3: Reference Observation LIBR 210 "Mock Patron/Reference" Scenario

Artifact 4: Reference Exercise