The document summarizes the author's observations of reference transactions at a high school library. In two key interactions, a student asked about nursing careers but received an unhelpful response from the librarian who failed to properly understand the student's information need. In contrast, a second interaction involving a question about automotive tuning was more successful, as the librarian used open-ended questions, maintained eye contact, and found appropriate sources to meet the student's need. The author argues the first interaction highlights how some librarians can improve at building rapport with students and properly diagnosing their information needs.

1. Running Head: REFERENCE TRANSACTIONS IN A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY 1
Reference Transactions in a High School Library
Staci M. Novak
Emporia State University

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Reference Transactions in a High School Library
When I was a high school student in Iowa I remember walking into my high school
library and being immediately greeted by both the sunshine coming through the windows and a
bright face telling me, “Good morning!” It was a welcoming environment where a student could
go to do research, read a book, or simply spend time. My classmates and I knew that if we had
questions the librarians were more than willing to help us not only find the physical location of
items but also give us a jumpstart in researching our topics. The library in which I observed had
several of these factors but during my observation I did not, according to Jones (2009), see the
highest level of mentoring nor relationship building occur during the reference process.
My observation took place February 10th and February 12th from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00
a.m. both days. I chose these days and times specifically because I knew that a senior English
class would be conducting career-related research. This high school library is very open
spatially with many windows to allow in natural light. There is a large area with tables
conducive to student work as well as a horseshoe of computers. When you enter the library, the
librarians’ desks are up against the wall next to the long checkout counter. Both librarians have
computers at their desks and have their backs facing the books, tables, and computers. I think
this creates an environment that is unwelcoming and not advantageous to students who wish to
ask questions. Not once during my three hours of observation did a student approach their desks
to solicit assistance.
As previously mentioned, the students in the senior English class were researching
careers. While many of these books were not found in the reference section the librarians had
collaborated with the teacher and had books pulled for them. These were set on a table within
the reference section. Students could easily access these books but many of the other books were

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located behind the librarians’ desks and I assumed students must ask for assistance before
obtaining them. When I presented this question to one of the librarians she clarified that the
students were welcome to browse and use the materials as needed. With the exception of the two
or three students searching for materials in relation to their respective careers, I did not observe
any students or any activities in the reference area.
During my time in the library I witnessed several transactions. Each transaction began
with the librarian getting up from her desk after noticing a student lingering or browsing through
the books. She said that her personal style and preference is that if the students need assistance
they can come to her. She doesn’t like to hover around them because she doesn’t want to seem
like a pushy saleswoman. Only if she notices that they seem lost will she approach them first. I
think how an information professional goes about beginning an interview is a matter of personal
preference; however, in dealing with high school aged students, establishing rapport and creating
positive relationships is essential to effectively diagnose the information need (Jones, 2009,
p.78).
One of the first interviews I observed was that of a young lady looking for books about
nursing. She told the librarian what she was searching for, and without responding, the librarian
pulled a book from a shelf and began looking in the index. She showed the student what she was
doing but didn’t explain how to use the index. When they found the section of the book the
librarian asked, “So you want to be an RN?” The student said she wasn’t sure, so the librarian
used her background knowledge to explain what an RN was and what they did. The girl clarified
somewhat by saying she wanted to work in a hospital specifically. The librarian said, “So you
want to be a surgical nurse?” The student again said that she didn’t really know what that was.
The librarian looked through a few more books and said that the other students were using most

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of the medical books, so she should go and check with them. The girl gave a sigh of frustration
and simply walked away. As the student left, the librarian turned to me and said, “I don’t think
she had any idea what she wanted.” This statement struck a chord with me because it is the
central concept of what we do as information professionals. According to Grover and Carabell
(1995), “information professionals may become frustrated when their clients are unable to
articulate their needs, yet clients should not be expected to know what to ask” (p.2). This is
especially true when dealing with a younger clientele. Librarians that deal with students need to
do more than simply retrieve a source or show a student where those sources are located, and
they must also remember that many “Lack both the cognitive structure and the experience
needed to evaluate and synthesize the information they find into something meaningful” (Cassell
& Hiremath, 2009, p.308).
During the interview the information professional used closed questions that elicited only
“yes” or “no” responses and limited the response of the student. When the student said she
wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a surgical nurse, the librarian could have asked her to explain
what it was she wanted to do as a nurse. Because of the questioning technique, I felt that the
diagnosis of the service cycle was unsuccessful and not user-centered. According to Dervin and
Dewdney (1986), “If the librarian uses communication techniques that are not addressed to the
user’s key, the resulting interview may be ineffective” (p.510). I also felt the prescription was
unsuccessful. Instead of telling her to ask the other students the librarian could have found other
sources for her to use or went with her to look for the other medical books. In other words, her
resolution did not meet the needs of the user and the appropriate sources were obviously not
found for her.

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During this transaction nonverbal communication was apparent, especially that of the
librarian sitting at her desk with her back to them. “The librarian can also look approachable by
roving through the reference area…[because] many users may not be comfortable initiating a
conversation with a librarian when they need help” (Cassell & Hiremath, 2009, p.18). Had the
librarian been moving around the student with the nursing question may have felt more
comfortable asking for help and her presence may have also facilitated more questions from
other students in need of assistance.
The last reference interview I witnessed was much different from this one. The librarian
was already up working with students when a boy approached her with a question. His question
was much more specific than the nursing student. He told her he wanted to be an automotive
tuner. The librarian said, “Okay, let’s see what we can find under automotive.” When she
searched and couldn’t find anything she said, “You know I’m not really sure about this subject.
What else can you tell me about it?” The boy went into more detail about the profession and the
librarian gave him a book on the auto industry. She asked him if that would apply. He looked
through it and said yes. She then asked if the book would be helpful. The student seemed please
with her selection in that he said yes, thanked her, and walked away.
I felt this transaction was a much better example of what a reference interview is
supposed to look like. She began with an open question to get a better understanding of what the
profession was. Since she already knows why they are researching and what they are going to do
with the information, I felt the open-ended question was appropriate in place of a neutral one.
Towards the end of the interview she moved to closed questions in order to evaluate the
diagnosis and bring the transaction to a close.

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The nonverbal communication in this interview was also much more positive. To make
sure the student had what he needed she stayed close to the reference section and shelved several
books. A few minutes later he returned for more information. The information professional
asked, “Did you find what you were looking for?” The boy said that he had not. She looked
through a few other books and handed him one. “Did you look at this one yet?” He paged
through it and replied that he hadn’t but that it looked promising and he sat back down.
In this case, she made herself more available to her users and I think his positive
experience with her made him more likely to return, unlike the previous transaction. When the
boy was explaining the topic she maintained eye contact and nodded to demonstrate
understanding. Her nonverbal communication told him that she was willing to help him and
listen to his information gap.
During both reference interviews I also noticed two different types of closure. In my first
observation of the girl looking for information on nursing, the librarian employed a strategy of
negative closure. The librarian made it obvious to the student that her search had ended when
she told her all of the books on that topic were already being used and that she should check with
the other students. Of the ten negative closure strategies described in Ross and Dewdney (1998),
this falls under the eighth when “the librarian states explicitly that the search has reached a dead
end” (p.756). In the other observation I didn’t really feel as though the closure was negative
because she asked him both times if the source would work for him. However, I feel that the
closure could have been improved with a follow up question such as, “If that turns out not to be
what you’re looking for, make sure you come back and we’ll look for something else.”
When I walked into the library to complete my observations I expected to walk into my
high school memories of sunshine and smiles, which was in part what I observed. I think the

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information professionals in this library truly want to be helpful to our students but I was
surprised by the way in which this was done. It is no secret that library science is moving
towards a more user-centered perspective but it seems as though our librarians are still in the old
mindset of librarian rather than user-centered techniques. A library should be a place where
students feel welcome and a place they can find information. For this to occur, a librarian must
utilize the best tactics in conducting reference interviews.

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References
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2009). Reference and information service in the 21st century
(2nd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Dervin, D., & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral questioning: A new approach to the reference
interview. RQ, 25(4), 506-513.
Grover, R., & Carabell, J. (1995). Toward better information service: Diagnosing information
needs. Special Libraries, 86(1), 1-10.
Jones, J. (2009). Dropout prevention through the school library: Dispositions, relationships, and
instructional practices. School Libraries Worldwide, 15(2), 77-90.
Ross, C.S., & Dewdney, P. (1998). Negative closure: Strategies and counterstrategies in the
reference transaction. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 38(2), 151-163.