INLS 111: INFORMATION RESOURCES
AND SERVICES I
School of Information and
Library Science
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
REFERENCE
INTERVIEW / INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT
A. Approachability:
1) Was
the information professional wearing a nametag or any other form of
identification that identified her position? Y
____ N ____
2) Were
there physical barriers between the patron and information professional?
Y
____ N ____
3) Was
the information professional engaged in other work when approached by the user?
Y ____ N
____
4) If
Yes, please describe what the information professional did when the user
approached her:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5) Did
the information professional greet the user, or acknowledge the user’s
presence?
Y ____ N
____
6) Was
the librarian focused completely on the patron’s question? Y ____ N ____
7) Please
rate the information professional’s approachability according to the following
scale:
1. Unsatisfactory—not approachable, user was
treated as an interruption.
2. Moderately
satisfactory—moderately approachable, user was acknowledged, other work was put
away for the duration of the interaction.
3. Very
satisfactory—very approachable, the user was greeted pleasantly, information
professional was focused on the information need of the user.
B.
Assessing the Information Need:
1) What was the librarian’s first reaction to
the patron’s question/statement?
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2) Did
she attempt to clarify the user’s information need by asking questions?
Y
____ N
____
3)
If so, were they open or closed questions?
Open ____ Closed
____
4)
Did the information professional attempt
to find out what the user already knew about the subject? Y ____ N ____
5) If Yes, how (please describe)
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6) Did
her behaviors indicate enthusiasm for the information need? Y
____ N ____
7) What
was/were the behavior(s)? _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8) Did
her behaviors indicate boredom or disinterest in the information need?
Y ____ N
____
9) What
was/were the behavior(s)? ____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10) Please
rate the librarian’s verbal clarification of the user’s needs on the following
scale:
1. Unsatisfactory—librarian
made no attempt to clarify user’s information needs.
2. Moderately
satisfactory—librarian made an attempt to clarify user’s information needs,
asked some questions, appeared somewhat interested in the user’s need.
3. Very
satisfactory—librarian showed enthusiasm for user’s information need, asked
open-
ended questions, found out what the patron already knew about the subject.
C.
Active Search Behaviors:
1) What
was the information professional’s first behavior in answering the information
need?
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2) Did
the librarian explain what she was doing as she conducted the search? Y ____ N ____
3) Did
the librarian offer any instruction on how to use the library resources? Y ____ N ____
4) Were
search alternatives offered or suggested (i.e. Internet searching,
fiction/non-fiction bibliographies, etc.?) Y
____ N ____
5) Did
the information professional physically accompany the patron to the appropriate
area or source? Y ____ N ____
6) Did
the librarian point to/toward resources? Y
____ N ____
7) Did
the information professional just give call numbers to the user? Y ____ N ____
8)
Please
rate the information professional’s active search behaviors on the following
scale:
1.
Unsatisfactory—information
professional conducted the search without explanation or instruction, just
handed user call numbers or pointed to resources, librarian did not indicate
patron was to accompany her on the search.
2.
Moderately
satisfactory—searches explained, patron guided to resources.
3.
Very
satisfactory—librarian explained searches, offered instruction, suggested
alternative resources, guided patron to source.
D.
Follow-Up Behaviors:
1) Did the information professional check with the patron to see if the recommended resource(s) were relevant and/or appropriate? Y ____ N ____
2)
Did
the information professional encourage the patron to return if the information
was not pertinent or unclear? Y
____ N ____
3)
Please
rate the follow up behaviors on the following scale:
1.
Unsatisfactory—librarian
performed no follow-up with the patron, did not encourage patron to return to
the desk.
2.
Satisfactory—librarian
checked to see if the resources were pertinent, encouraged user to return to
the desk if there were more questions.
E.
Accuracy of the search:
Was the librarian able to
provide satisfactory resources to answer the question?
Y ____ N
____
F. Patron Satisfaction:
Based on this reference interaction, would you be willing to return to the same
individual for additional information needs? Y
____ N
____
Please use this space (and additional sheets, if necessary ) to record the interaction, as it occurred, step-by-step.