This document discusses how a librarian's perceptions and biases can affect reference interviews. It explores how a librarian's worldview and that of the patron can impact the interaction. Research shows librarians may exhibit biases related to linguistic differences, closed stacks policies, and virtual reference services. The document also examines predictable gender differences in how men and women meet their information needs and cultural shifts that have occurred in library communities with high Mexican immigrant populations, such as adjustments to collections, programming, staffing, and communication.

1. CULTURE
Lee Ann R. Benkert
SLIMDenverCohort X
LI 802 Learning Assignment #1
July 18, 2009
Seminar to Learning Group

2. ANSWERS

3. BROOKY
How does a librarian’s perception of a
culture affect the reference interview?

4. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 Worldview of the
librarian
 Worldview of
the patron
(stude nt)
Kumar and Suresh, 2001, Wang and Frank, 2002, & Liu, 1993

5. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 Closed stacks
 Returning books
 Reference service
 Self-service
 Classification Systems
 Plagarism
Kumar and Suresh, 2001, Wang and Frank, 2002, & Liu, 1993

6. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 Linguistic
bigotry
 Black English
 Spanish accents
Hall, 1992

7. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 Are Virtual
Reference
Services Color
Blind?
Shachaf and Horowitz, 2006

8. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 More ignored requests
 Slower response time
 Less time and effort
 Less adherence to
professional guidelines
Shachaf and Horowitz, 2006

9. LIBRARIAN BIAS IN THE REF.
INTERVIEW
 More ignored requests
 Slower response time
 Less time and effort
 Less adherence to
professional guidelines
Shachaf and Horowitz, 2006

10. REFERENCES
 Hall, P.A. (1992). Peanuts: A note on intercultural communication. The
Jo urnalo f Acade m ic Librarianship, 1 8 (3), 211–213.
 Kumar, S.L., & Suresh, R.S. (2001, August 2). Strategies forproviding
effective reference services forinternational adult learners. The
Re fe re nce Librarian, 33(69), 327–336.
 Liu, M. (1995). Ethnicity and information seeking. The Re fe re nce
Librarian, 23(49), 123–134.
 Liu, Z. (1993, January). Difficulties and characteristics of students
fromdeveloping countries using American libraries. Co lle g e &
Re se arch Librarie s, 54(1), 25–31.
 Shachaf, P., & Horowitz, S. (2006, November 1). Are virtual reference
services colorblind? Library & Info rm atio n Scie nce Re se arch, 28 (4),
501–520.
 Wang, J., & Frank, D.G. (2002, April). Cross-cultural communication:
Implications foreffective information services in academic libraries.
po rtal: Librarie s and the Acade m y, 2(2), 207–216.

11. AMY
Are there predictable differences between
how MEN and WOMEN meet their
information needs?

12. AMY
Are there predictable differences between
how MEN and WOMEN meet their
information needs?

13. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
Burdick’s Study
 How do males and
females experience the
Information Search
Process?
Burdick, 2006
 Are their information-seeking actions, thoughts,
and feelings the same?

14. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
Burdick, 2006
 Initiation = gather/complete
 Emphasized information
collection
 Those who were confident
strongly expressed that
confidence
 Initiation = investigate/
formulate
 Expressed reflection
 Less comfortable expressing
“I” in their focus statements
 More optimistic at beginning,
more doubtful/uncertain at
end

15. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
Burdick, 2006
Males
 Initiation = gather/complete
 Emphasized information
collection
 Those who were confident
strongly expressed that
confidence
 Topic selection = M only
 Less likely to ask for help
Females
 Initiation = investigate/
formulate
 Expressed reflection
 Less comfortable expressing
“I” in their focus statements
 More optimistic at beginning,
more doubtful/uncertain at
end
 Topic selection = M & F
 More likely to work together

16. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
Liu, 2008
Lorigo et al., 2006

17. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
 Submitted longer queries
 Revisit results more often
 Greater dissatisfaction with
online reading
 Print out e-documents to read
 More thorough readers
(online and paper)
 Make more marginal notes
Lorigo et al., 2006 & Liu, 2008
 Viewed results more
linearly
 Spent more time on
results page
 More browsing/scanning,
one-time reading, and
non-linear reading (e.g.,
jump from link to link)
 Paid attention to lower-
ranked results

18. PREDICTABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
Females
 Submitted longer queries
 Revisit results more often
 Greater dissatisfaction with
online reading
 Print out e-documents to read
 More thorough readers
(online and paper)
 Make more marginal notes
Lorigo et al., 2006 & Liu, 2008
Males
 Viewed results more
linearly
 Spent more time on
results page
 More browsing/scanning,
one-time reading, and
non-linear reading (e.g.,
jump from link to link)
 Paid attention to lower-
ranked results

19. REFERENCES
 Burdick, T. A. (1996, Fall). Success and diversity in
information seeking: genderand the information search
styles model [findings of a study in fall 1994 at the
laboratory school of a large university]. School Library
Media Quarterly, 25(1), 19–26.
 Liu, Z. (2008). Genderdifferences in the online reading
environment. Jo urnalo f Do cum e ntatio n, 6 4(4), 616–
626.
 Lorigo, L., Pan, B., Hembrooke, H., Joachims, T.,
Granka, L., & Gay, G. (2006). The influence of taskand
genderon search and evaluation behaviorusing Google.
Info rm atio n Pro ce ssing & Manag e m e nt, 42 (4), 1123–

20. NICOLE
Does the disproportionate
number of women working
in libraries affect different
cultures’ usage of the
library?
Any resistance from some
cultures?

21. WOMEN IN
LIBRARIES/LIBRARY USAGE
 Library
 Libraries
 Library use
 Library services
 Librarians
 Multicultural
 Information barriers
 Perception
 Gender
 Gender differences
 Gender discrimination
 Gender bias
 Cultural bias
 Women
 Women librarians
 Muslim, Muslim-
American


22. WOMEN IN
LIBRARIES/LIBRARY USAGE
 “A librarian’s gender may
influence the way an international
student approaches them” (p.
153).
Trew, 2006

23. WOMEN IN
LIBRARIES/LIBRARY USAGE
 Non-user populations excluded in
studies

24. WOMEN IN
LIBRARIES/LIBRARY USAGE
 Non-user populations excluded in
studies

25. REFERENCES
 Trew, F. (2006). Serving different
constituencies: International
students. In P. Dale, M. Holland, &
M. Matthews (Eds.), Subje ct
librarians : Eng ag ing with the
le arning and te aching e nviro nm e nt
(pp. 149–172). Burlington, VT:
Ashgate.

26. HOLLY
In library communities
with high populations of
Mexican immigrants,
what (if any) cultural
shifts or adjustments
have resulted?

27. LIBRARY RESPONSE TO
IMMIGRANTS
 Collection
 Collection adjustments
 Foreign language reference materials
 Foreign language-based catalog systems
 Programming
 Collaboration with local community organizations
 Bilingual advertising
Herring, 2005, DeLaurie, 1998, & Guerena and Erazo, 2000

28. LIBRARY RESPONSE TO
IMMIGRANTS
 Training and Development
 Active recruitment of bilingual/bicultural librarians
 Educating staff on cultural/linguistic cues (e.g.,
pointing, gesturing)
 Educating the patrons on available
resources/services
 Communication
 Inte rnal: Multilingual signage (e.g., hours of
operation, Spanish-language option RE:
automated phone system)
 Exte rnal: Outreach officers, gatekeepers,Herring, 2005, DeLaurie, 1998, & Guerena and Erazo, 2000

29. LIBRARY RESPONSE TO
IMMIGRANTS
Fox News article, 2005
 Role of library
and public funds

30. REFERENCES
 DeLaurie, A. (1998, Spring). Diversity and the library media teacher
[children's books about cultural adjustment; bibliographical essay]
[Electronic version]. CSLAJo urnal, 21 (2), 23–24.
 Güereña, S., & Erazo, E. (2000, Summer). Latinos and librarianship.
Library Tre nds, 49 (1), 138–181.
 Herring, S. (2005, Spring). Meeting the information needs of a
community: A case study of services to Spanish-speaking patrons at
the Pasco Branch of the Mid-Columbia Library District [Electronic
version]. PNLAQuarte rly, 6 9 (3), 5, 21–25.
 Payne, J. (1988, May). Public libraries faceCalifornia’s ethnic andracial
diversity(Report No. R-3656-SUL). Santa Monica, CA: Stanford
University Libraries. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
EDED305073)
 Roznik, S. Misconceptions about Hispanics beingtackled: A pathto
understandingtheHispanic community. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from
http://thelatinojournal.blogspot.com/2009/01/misconceptions-about-

31. IMAGE CREDITS
 Images from slides 4, 7-9, 11-13, and 24: Retrieved July 11, 2009,
from Microsoft Clip Art
 Image from slide 2: Bi-Fins by jayhem. Reproducible under the
Creative Commons license. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayhem/3643603988/
 Images from slide 3:
 skeptical in seattle by lanuiop. Reproducible under the Creative
Commons license. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanuiop/2376190710/
 Kimat the Reference Deskby Cloned Milkmen. Reproducible under the
Creative Commons license. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clonedmilkmen/2764078058/
 SharoneyBaloney by Bah Humbug. Reproducible under the Creative
Commons license. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibbons/1083309919/

32. IMAGE CREDITS
 Image from slide 9: YSL Head Scarf by Indigo Goat. Reproducible
under the Creative Commons license. Retrieved July 12, 2009,
from http://www.flickr.com/photos/indigogoat/180015143/
 Images from slide 16:
 Google logo. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.hotmobile.org/2008/uploads/images/google_logo.jpg
 Sun Yat-Sen University (i.e., Zhongshan University). Retrieved July 12,
2009, from http://www.sysu.edu.cn/en/index.html
 Image from slide 20: Librarian by queenmab04. Retrieved July 12,
2009, from
http://bookology.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/librarian.jpg
 Image from slide 26: Ann ArborLibrary – Pittsfield Branch by
jhoweaa. Reproducible under the Creative Commons license.
Retrieved July 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhoweaa/327651705/

33. APPLICATIONS TO LIS?
 Gender differences
 Librarian bias
 Women working in libraries
 Library response to Mexican immigrants