Why bother with a reference interview? -- The first thirty seconds -- Finding out what they really want to know -- Beyond negative closure -- Special contexts for the reference interview -- The reference encounter in virtual environments -- The readers' advisory interview -- Establishing policy and training for the reference interview.
Summary:
"This book focuses on a key problem that occurs in a reference transaction at the very first step: finding out, quickly and efficiently what the user really wants to know. We offer readers a comprehensive way to tackle the problem though a multi-faceted approach that includes the following elements: explanatory text that summarizes key aspects of each topic together with relevant research on the topic; cases and exercises that allow for an interactive approach in learning new skills; and annotated bibliographies for further reading. Distinctive features include: 1. An approach that emphasizes teachable skills 2. Authentic examples from extensive research data 3. Cases and exercises useful for training 4. Engaging structure that draws the reader in 5. A detailed index that provides multiple ways to access the materials, including listings of cases and exercises. 6. A new feature New in the third edition will be input from practitioners on "Lessons Learned from My Most Difficult Reference Interview" - i.e., what happened, what they learned. We plan to ask some Super Reference Librarians--for example, some of the RUSA former presidents as well as other reference librarian friends--to provide vignettes, which in edited form we would locate in the section of the book to which they relate"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.