• Reference TrainingFor Staff 
• Reference Interview Resources 
• Interesting Readings 
• Ethicsfor Reference Service Providers 
• To>>> InformationSeeking Behavior page 
• Back to>>> Online Reference Resources 
• Back to>>>> StaffTraining Resources page 
• Back to>>>> Onthe Job Resources/Tools page 

General Guidelines for Reference Service
Wisconson Dept. of Public Instruction
http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/genref.html

OREontheWeb
Ohio Reference Excellence Web-Based Training

Utah State Library Division
How to Answer Reference Questions

Kathy Schrock's Links for Online Reference
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/referenc.html
of interest to those who work in Libraries.
Copyright links, Bibliographic Citation Formats,
Library Classification Links, Dictionaries,
and many more of the usual
"Reference" sites on the net.

Help for learning how the Reasearch Process Works
By Sandra Hughes, B.A.,B.Ed.,M.Ed.,Vice Principal/Teacher-Librarian, Editor,"Teaching-Librarian"

Related:
Professional Competencies for Reference and User Services Librarians Written by the RUSA Task Force on Professional Competencies
Approved by the RUSA Board of Directors, January 26, 2003.
http://www.pla.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/professional.cfm

Literature review Competencies for Chat Reference Interviews
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=/published/emeraldfulltextarticle/pdf/2400350201_ref.html

see too:
excerpt quoted from website
infolibrarian.com
Professional Competencies
Professional competencies are required to provide effective services to users. In the present era of Internet, we have to equip ourselves with technological competencies in addition to traditional ones. Following are few resources brought out by different libraries, professionals and associations. Please go through the links for further information.
http://www.infolibrarian.com/hrd.htm

ALA Core Competencies for Business Reference
Quoted from web site:
Sponsored by the BRASS Education Committee
The Education Committee of the Business Reference & Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) presents this web site as part of its group of ongoing long-term educational projects to provide educational opportunities and activities for business librarians and other librarians and library staff who provide business reference service. "Core Competencies for Business Reference" is the second of those projects. The Committee has previously published the Best of the Best Business Web Sites on the BRASS web site.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/sections/brass/brassprotools/corecompetencies/corecompetenciesbusiness.cfm

Top 10 Reference Competencies in Medical Reference
PDF document
http://blogs.ubc.ca/dean/files/2009/02/toptencomps061.pdf

Complementary competencies: public health and health sciences librarianship
J Med Libr Assoc. 2005 July; 93(3): 338–347.
 Copyright © 2005, Medical Library Association
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1175799/

article
Title: Thumbs up: a new definition of reference
Author(s): Eleanor Mitchell, Sarah Barbara Watstein
Journal: Reference Services Review  Year: 2008 Volume: 36 (1)
Page: 5 - 6  ISSN: 0090-7324

Book
Understanding Reference Transactions by Matthew L. Saxton, John V. Richardson, Matthew Locke Saxton
# ISBN-13: 9780125877800
# ISBN: 0125877803

Definitions of a Reference Transaction
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/definitionsreference.cfm

The Reference Interview: Theories and Practice
Library Philosophy and Practice 2008
ISSN 1522-0222
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/willenbrown.htm

 Librarian Basics: The Reference Interview 
Posted on: June 10, 2009  by Christina Pikas
http://scienceblogs.com/christinaslisrant/2009/06/librarian_basics_the_reference.php

TheReference Interview 
http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/590ref_interview.html

The Reference Interview
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jghapher/interview/

What are the steps of the reference interview?
www.hals.lib.tx.us/ref123/2interview.htm

The Six Pieces
of Evidence
What information should you get from the reference interview?
http://www.olc.org/ore/2pieces.htm

Vist MORE
Minnesota Opportunities for Reference Excellence
http://www.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/more/more.htm
table of contents
http://www.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/more/contents.htm

ORE (Ohio Reference Excellence) on the Web
http://www.olc.org/Ore/
Reference Interview
http://www.olc.org/ORE/2interview.htm

Article:
Reference transaction and the nature of the process for general reference assistance 
Library & Information Science Research
Volume 18, Issue 4, Autumn 1996, Pages 357-384 

Discussion Group on Reference Work Report (1999)
The Virtual Reference Interview: Equivalencies
http://archive.ifla.org/VII/dg/dgrw/dp99-06.htm

For more on obtaining or finding Health Information and 
Conducting Reference Interviews with Consumers: 

From the National Network of Libraries of Medicine
HealthInfoQuest - Pathfinders
Excerpt quoted from website
http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest
Pathfinders are a time-honored tradition in public libraries.
HEALTHINFOQUEST pathfinders are designed for public librarians
and health information specialists. 
Reference Interview Stages
http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest/help/stages.html
Reference Interview Resources
http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest/help/interviews.html

See too: Health Information on the Internet / Oregon Libraries
Scroll down page to see
Answering Health Reference Questions - resources & information
http://www.ohsu.edu/library/staff/judkinsd/lsta.htm

Video: "The Librarian Is In"
Excerpts quoted from website: A consumer health training video entitled 
The Librarian Is In: Facing Modern Consumer Health Issues in the Public Library 
has been underwritten by ICON, a health sciences library consortium in Nebraska and Western Iowa. 
http://www.iconlibrary.org/hhqvideo.html

The Librarian Is In
is intended to help librarians in the public library setting deal with consumer health questions they may encounter in their libraries. However, it would also be useful for librarians in any setting who deal with consumer health questions. Five scenarios on the topics of doctor credentials/questionable doctors, dealing with emotional customers, cancer treatment, alternative medicines, and drugs are covered. Each scenario demonstrates an interaction between a librarian and a customer asking for help. 
Read complete information
http://www.iconlibrary.org/hhqvideo.html

Watch streaming video online, or order video for only $15. 

The videotape and facilitator's handbook may be ordered from:
Mary Helms, Executive Secretary
ICON Consortium
University of Nebraska Medical Center
McGoogan Library of Medicine
Box 986705 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-6705

**Related**: Reference Interview, video suggestion from the Library Video Network
Excerpt quoted from Library Video Network

DOES THIS COMPLETELY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION?
19 minutes/1992/Closed captioned/10002D/$130
The reference interview is broken down into stages - set the tone, get the facts, give information, cite the source and provide follow-up. For the new or experienced librarian. "...this videotape is good for beginning librarians or useful as a refresher course for the more experienced." - Library Journal

IFLA
Discussion Group on Reference Work Report
The Virtual Reference Interview: Equivalencies

"HealthQuestions" Reference Interview Questions 

The"Legal" Questions Reference Interview 

Guidelinesfor Medical, Legal 
and Business Responses 
at the General Reference Desk

ALA Guidelines for: Behavioral Performance
Behavioral Performance of Reference & Information Professionals

PDF File (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open)
Reference Interviews and Library Research Models

Do You Know what you are really saying?
Nonverbal communication & Reference Librarianship (Poster Presentation)
Abstract:
In recent years nonverbal communication has become an area that has 
attracted interest among researchers and practitioners studying communication 
and human interaction. The art of communication is of particular importance 
to reference librarians as they are the library professionals who have 
the most "personal" contact with patrons. Although the scope of nonverbal communication
is enormous and includes such aspects as environment, territory, and personal space,
for this project the heaviest emphasis will be placed on reference librarians 
and their personal nonverbalbehavior. In order to establish effective communication
during reference negotiation librarians need to be aware of their nonverbal cues; 
hence the bulk of the research has been centered around observing the 
mode of behavior, whether it be the preoccupation mode or 
the availability mode (set forth by Virginia Boucher in 1976?),
of reference librarians as they are approached by patrons at the reference desk.
www.uwgb.edu/ganyardp/Presentations/NV_ALA/

Conducting the Reference Interview by E-Mail and the Intranet
Panel Presentation, SLA Annual Conference, June 12, 2000

Email reference interview
www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr500/fall1999/www_presentations/C_buck/ref_interview.htm

Related: Listing of E-mail Reference Sites - see examples of other libraries' services
List by Bernie Sloan / 1999
alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/e-mail.html

The E-mail Reference Interview
by Eileen G. Abels 
RQ
Volume 35 Number 3 (1996)
page 345-358
Abstract
As electronic reference services continue to broaden in scope and complex requests are 
negotiated via e-mail, the e-mail reference interview will become commonplace. 
The difficulties of conducting e-mail reference interviews have been noted in the literature, 
but research in this area is lacking. A three-phased project at the College of Library and 
Information Services (CLIS) at the University of Maryland was under aken 
to begin to explore the e-mail reference process. 
This paper, which focuses on the e-mail reference interview, 
discusses differences between e-mail reference interviews, 
and those conducted using other media, presents a taxonomy of 
approaches to e-mail reference interviews, proposes the use of 
a systematic approach to e-mail reference interviews, 
and introduces a model e-mail reference interview. 
The results suggest that reference interviews can be conducted via e-mail f
or some complex questions. However, further testing is required by 
experienced intermediaries working under the pressures of 
client deadlines and institutional constraints

The Reference Interview Online: A Cyber Dialog From Beginning to End
By Robyn E. Rebollo
http://www.llrx.com/extras/cyberdialog.htm

A Virtual Understanding: The Reference Interview and Question Negotiation in a Digital Age.
by J. Straw | Reference and User Services Quarterly
V. 39, no.4 (Summer 2000): pgs. 376-379.

Discussion Group on Reference Work Report
The Virtual Reference Interview: Equivalencies
A discussion proposal by: 
Ann Viles
http://www.ifla.org/VII/dg/dgrw/dp99-06.htm

Coordinator of Reference and Instruction
Appalachian State University

A Virtual Understanding
The Reference Interview and Question Negotiation in the Digital Age 
by Joseph E. Straw
Reference and User Services Quarterly  V.  39 ( 4)
Summer 2000
page 367-379
Abstract
This article examines the reference interview in the digital library environment. 
The reference interview is clearly at the heart of the reference transaction. 
Electronic technologies will not change the centrality of this process for librarians and users. 
Some of the challenges of interviewing users in a digital world are considered in this article. 
The first part compares and contrasts the traditional face-to-face reference interview 
with the electronic interview. 
Next, some suggestions for effective electronic interviewing are presented and analyzed. 
Lastly, conclusions aredrawn about some of the skills that 
tie together the electronic interview process,
mainly traditional letter-writingskills.

"Question Master: An Evaluation of a Web-based Decision-Support System 
forUse in Reference Environments". 
Richardson, J. V. 
College and Research Libraries 59(1): 29-37 1998. 

Virtual Reference in Libraries:Remote Patrons Heading Your Way
Searcher V.  9 (2)p. 67-  2001
To combat the dramatic drops academic libraries have been experiencing in reference statistics,
Doris Helfer checks outthe topic of "Virtual Reference in Libraries,"
looking at how both librariesand vendors would approach a 24/7 virtual reference desk.

VRD(VirtualReference Desk)
Digital Reference Training Programs
http://www.vrd.org/training.shtml

Interesting Reading on Suite 101
Life as a Live Reference Librarian
Author: Gillian Davis
Published on: August 14, 2001

Books
Book
Understanding Reference Transactions by Matthew L. Saxton, John V. Richardson, Matthew Locke Saxton
# ISBN-13: 9780125877800
# ISBN: 0125877803

TrainingParaprofessionals for Reference Service: A how-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians 
Julie Ann McDaniel
ISBN: 1555700845
Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers
Pub. Date: April  1993

TheReference Interview as a Creative Art
ISBN: 156308466X
Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, Incorporated
Pub. Date: May  1997
Edition Desc: 2ND

ReferenceEncounter: Interpersonal Communication in the Academic Library 
Marie A. Radford
ISBN: 0838979513
Publisher: Association of College & Research Libraries
Pub. Date: January  1998

Introductionto Reference Work:
Reference Services andReference Processes
ISBN: 0072441437
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Pub. Date: April  2001
Edition Desc: 8TH
Volume II
Chapter 7 : "The Reference Interview"

NewTechnologies and Reference Services 
Bill A. Katz (Editor)
ISBN: 0789011808
Publisher: Haworth Press
Pub. Date: January  2000
Reviews
From Booknews 
For librarians needing to catch up on the technologies now available
and expected in library reference service, and for net-savvy young students 
who need to know how to apply their skills to the tasks, librarians<-->some subject-specialist<-->
explore the trends, newaspects to the job, selecting information sources for users, 
and information haves and have-nots. 
Annotation c. Book News,Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com )

ReferenceWork in School Library Media Centers : A Book of Case Studies 
ISBN: 0810830981
Publisher: Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Pub. Date: February  1996

DeliveringWeb Reference Services to Young People 
Walter Minkel  RoxanneH. Feldman
ISBN: 0838907431
Publisher: American LibraryAssociation
Pub. Date: December  1998

Also:
Reference Rebel's [Beverly Choltco-Devlin] Tips for
Answering Reference Questions Using the Internet

Searching the Web for Reference Answers
http://www.wolinskyweb.net/search/

Internet Public Library
The IPL General/Reference Collection is a collection of Internet resources 
gathered together with the needs of the Internet community in mind.
It is not intended tobe a comprehensive hotlist to all sites on every subject,
but rather an annotated collection, 
chosen tohelp answer specific questions quickly and efficiently. 
Sources are selected according to ease of use, 
quality and quantity of information, 
frequency of updating, and authoritativeness.

A Report of Library-Related AskA Services
Joann M. Wasik
Virtual Reference Desk
April 3, 1998

LibrarySupportStaff.com's
Usingthe Internet to Answer Reference Questions
pages with Links to resourcesfor :
Learning how to Search Effectively
Links to General & Specialized Search utitlities
Using the Internet toanswer reference questions
Searching The Hidden Web
http://librarysupportstaff.com/librefpg.html

A Management Model for Digital Reference
Services In Large Institutions
From VRD Conference Proceedings- October 2000

Sloan, Bernie. Electronic Reference Services: Some Suggested Guidelines
Reference and User Services Quarterly 38:77-81 (Summer 1998). 
(Reproduced with the permission of the American Library Association).

Northeast Massachusetts  Regional Library System
draftof the "Reference Standards for NMRLS Libraries." 

PubZine (Note: online magazine, no longer being produced)
Vol. 1 Issue 1 1998
TheDay to Day Psychology of Doing Reference Work
by Michael Charton

TheReference Interview:
Communication and the Patron
Dale J. Parus
The Katharine Sharp Review No. 2, Winter 1996

Asking "why" questions in the reference interview: A theoretical justification. 
Dewdney, P., and G. Michell
Library Quarterly 67 (1): 50-71  1997.

Online Paper
The Data Reference Interview
http://dpls.dacc.wisc.edu/types/data_reference.htm

Oranges and peaches: communicationaccidents in the reference interview.
Dewdney, P., and G. Michell
RQ 35 (4): 520-536  1996.

PerformanceIndicators for the Electronic Library 
June 1998 paper - from Australia

Managingan Internet-Based Distributed Reference Service. 
Lagace, N., & McClennen, M.
Computers in Libraries, 18 (2): 24-28 (1998)

Toward Better Information Service: Diagnosing Information Needs
Grover, R., & Carabell J. 
Special Libraries, Winter1995 : 1-10.

Neutral questioning: Anew approach to the reference interview.
Dervin, Brenda and PatriciaDewdney.
RQ, 25: 506-513 Summer 1986.

E-Mail Reference Services:Characteristics and Effects on Overall Reference Services 
at an Academic Health Sciences Library
Referenceand User Services Quarterly
Volume 41 (2) 2002
Abstract:
The authors describe the process of initiating an e-mail reference service in 
June 1995 at the Ohio State University Health Sciences Library and 
the growth of the service through December 2000. 
Data on increases in the number of questions over five and a half years, 
types of patrons who use the service, 
and types of questions and answers are presented. 
Issues that arose while providing e-mail reference services
have caused the librarians at this library to rethink the services 
they provide to all patrons,regardless of the means of contact, 
and to integrate e-mail reference more effectively into the library&rsquo;s overall reference services. 

And read info in thisonline Ref Issues paper
REFERENCE ISSUES EXPLORATION:
ELECTRONICMAIL REFERENCE SERVICE
Carroll Botts
Rebecca Bauerschmidt 
LI813XM, Summer 1999

The Changing Nature ofReference & Information Services
Predictions & Realities
Frank, D. G., Calhoun, K. L., Henson, W. B., et al. 
Referenceand User Services Quarterly. 39(2). 151-157  1999. 

Electronic Mail ReferenceService: A Study. 
RQ, 35 (3): 359-371 (1996)
Bushallow-Wilbur, L., DeVinney, G., & Whitcomb, F. 

Reference& User Services Quarterly
ISSN: 1094-9054
Volume 37 Number 3
Spring 1998
The Imposed Query
Implications for Library Service Evaluation 
    byMelissa Gross 
    page290-299

Abstract
Evaluation is a process that depends on the reappraisal of its various methodologies
to remain responsive to new techniques, new services, and new insights in the field. 
It is the purpose of this article to explore the possible impact of a new model 
of information-seeking behavior, the imposed query, on current approaches to library service 
and system evaluation. The areas considered are reference service evaluation, 
user studies, output measures, and relevance as an evaluation tool.
Each section explores the implications of the imposed query model for r
esearch and practice and offers suggestions for incorporating the 
imposed query into theseevaluation efforts. 
It is believed that inclusionof the imposed query in current methodology
will broaden understanding of the user and the role that
information organizations play in users' information-seeking behavior.

Information Mediation: 
Selected Readings
http://www.dochzi.com/bibs/mediation.html

The Information Professionalas an Intelligence Analyst.
http://www.kysu.edu/library/CompIntell/infopro.htm

Searcher
Oct 1, 1998
ProfessionalReference Service at the Internet Public Library with"Freebie" Librarians.
Author/s: Kenneth R. Irwin

Digital Reference
http://quartz.syr.edu/eduref/digital_reference.htm
What is Digital Reference?
Digital reference refers to a network of expertise, intermediation and resources
placed at the disposal of someone seeking answers in an online environment. 

Collection Development for Reference: a Bibliography 
Training and Continuing Education
of Reference Librarians
for the Electronic Environment 
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~rrichard/RUSA/training.bib.html

Sample policy online 
Appleton Public Library
Reference& Reader's Advisory Policy 

When others use the Reference Desk :

RQ
Volume 34, Number 2; Winter 1994
ISSN: 0033-7072
Flying a Light Aircraft: Reference Service Evaluation from a User's Viewpoint
  by Patricia Dewdneyand Catherine Sheldrick Ross..............pg. 217-230

Abstract: This paper reportson the experiences of 77 MLIS students, each
of whom visited a library of their choice and asked a question that
mattered to them personally. When these users were asked if they would be
willing to return to the same librarian with another question (a measure of
reference effectiveness proposed by Durrance in 1989), only 59.7% expressed
a willingness to return. Both willingness to return and overall
satisfaction related to the librarian's behavior and the quality of the
answer. Users' detailed accounts of their library visits yielded
contrasting lists of "most helpful" and "least helpful" features of the
service received. Four themes occurred in these narratives: the lack of
identifying cues by whichprofessional librarians could be identified; the
choice by 55% of staff members to accept the user's initial question at
face value and not toconduct a reference interview; search failure
following unmonitored referrals; and the omission of follow-up questions in
two-thirds of the transactions. Remedies for these problems are suggested.
No differences were foundbetween academic libraries and public libraries.
 

Viewed & Heard from"their eyes & ears"
Form for Assessing  the "Interviewer"
INLS 111: INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES I
School of Information and Library Science
University of North Carolinaat Chapel Hill
REFERENCEINTERVIEW / INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT

Ethics in Librarianship: Reference ServiceBibliography
compiled by Lynn Feinman, Springfield Library & Museums
http://www.nelinet.net/conf/rtac/rtac99/ethics.htm
Danielson, Elena, "Ethics and Reference Service." 
Reference Librarian no.56 (1997), 107-124.

Del Vecchio, Rosemary A., "Privacy and accountability at the reference desk."
Reference Librarian no.38 (1992), 133-40.

Dewdney, Patricia, andB. Gillian Michell,
"Asking "why" questions in the reference interview: a theoretical justification." 
Library Quarterly v. 67 (January 1997), 50-71.

Futas, Elizabeth, "Ethicsand reference: no easy answers." RQ, Fall 1989 v29 n1 p8.

Golden, Fay Ann, "Theethics of reference service for the public librarian."
Reference Librarian, no. 30 (1990), 157-66.

Gremmels, Gillian S., 
"Reference in the public interest: an examination of ethics."
RQ, Spring 1991 v30 n3p362.

Koster, Gregory E., "Ethicsin reference service: codes, case studies, or values?"
(based on a presentation at the 1990 Westchester Library Association conference) 
Reference Services Reviewv. 20 no.1 (1992), 71-80.

Library Trends, Summer1996 issue dedicated to the Library Bill of Rights.

Rathbun, Susan R., "Ethicsissues in reference service: overview and analysis." 
North Carolina Libraries v. 51 (Spring 1993), 11-14.

Rothstein, Samuel, 
"Where does it hurt? Identifying the real concerns in the ethics of reference service." 
Reference Librarian, no. 25-26 (1989), 307-20.

Stover, Mark., "Confidentiality and privacy in reference service." RQ, v. 27 (Winter 1987), 240-4.

Sullivan, Kathleen andJudy Woodward, 
"Defusing the explosive reference question."
Library Journal, July 1995 v120 n12 p48.

Zipkowitz, Fay,
Professional Ethics inLibrarianship: a Real Life Casebook.
Jefferson, NC:McFarland, 1996.

©March 1999, LynnFeinman, Springfield Library & Museums

A Code of Ethics for Information Scientists
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/ethics/asiseth.html

The Librarian's Code of Ethics
http://www.wvmccd.cc.ca.us/wvc/library/ethics.html

Code of Ethics
of the American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/ethics.html

Information Ethics Resources
http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/~ethics/

Theethics of information selling
Problems for library reference services
Newspaper libraries offeringreference services to the public 
are facing tough ethical decisions about where their loyalties should lie.
by Nora Paul

News Librarians
Other views from librarians
When interests of client and newsroom conflict
http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/Ethics/views.html

Example online of a Libraries:
Reference Service Ethics
Gateway Public Service:
Philosophy and Ethics
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/gateway/modulhtml/gateserv.htm

Read also on the "LiveOnline Ref" page
what efforts are currently going on
Concerning providing VirtualReference Service in Libraries

Visit the website:
Collaborative Digital Reference Service
Delivering answers toyour desktop Now - when you need them
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/digiref/

• Reference TrainingFor Staff 
• ReferenceInterview Resources 
• Interesting Readings 
• Ethicsfor Reference Service Providers 
• To>>> InformationSeeking Behavior page 
• Back to>>>> StaffTraining Resources page 
• Back to>>>> Onthe Job Resources/Tools page 

To Contact, Me ~ Mary Niederlander
via e-mail, write to: Mary@LibrarySupportStaff.com