Two useful library jargon phrases: Reader’s Advisory and Reference Interview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it helps to know insider jargon in order to find useful information, like for asking a librarian about a possible speech topic.

 

I found an accessible free downladable book by Reed Hepler and David Horalek titled Introduction to Library and Information Science. Both are at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. That book also can be downloaded here.

 Chapter 16 on Reader’s Advisory (pages 136 to 139) begins by describing how: 

“Reader's Advisory is a service that helps readers find appropriate recommendations based on their interests, reading level, and other factors. Each library has a unique method of managing Reader’s Advisory requests. Some systems incorporate Lexile ratings, which indicate the difficulty of understanding a particular book. These ratings are typically associated with age levels for a particular work. However, age should not be a determining factor when conducting Reader’s Advisory.”

There also is a long, excellent Wikipedia article on Reader’s Advisory. And Chapter 9 on Reference Librarianship (pages 84 to 91) describes a Reference Interview as follows on page 86: 

“The five parts of a reference interview are:

Initial question: User asks the question to reference librarian/technician.

Clarification of question: Librarian starts a dialog in an effort to clarify the real needs of the user and to try to obtain more information.

Translating the question into potential library sources: Librarian takes the lead by suggesting potential sources and determining what has already been consulted, and then they devise a search strategy.

The search: The reference librarian or technician leads the user through the search of appropriate sources. At the same time, they implement point-of-use instruction with each resource consulted so that the user gains some knowledge for future independent searching.

Follow-up: As the search progresses, the librarian should ask the patron, ‘Is this what you are looking for?’ to be sure that the search is on the right track. When leaving the patron, the librarian should always add, ‘Let me know if you need more help.’ This lets the user know that they can come back for more help.”

There is another Wikipedia article on the Reference Interview. And there is a 7-page pdf article at the National Archive at Boston titled Guidelines of the Successful Reference Interview from American Library Association.

 

Also, the American Library Association has a store web page describing the third edition of a book from 2019 (with 344-pages) titled Conducting the Reference Interview.

 

On February 23, 2020 I blogged about Finding speech topics and doing research. In that post I suggested that:

 

“…the best way to learn is to make an appointment with a reference librarian at your public library. Tell him or her your topic, and you can learn where to look, and get suggestions for better search terms.”

 

An image of a librarian came from Wikimedia Commons.