What is the best model of reference service?

Library Trends, Fall, 2001 by David A. Tyckoson

The first of Green's functions involves teaching patrons how to use the library. In more modern terms, we call this "bibliographic instruction" or "information literacy." The act of instruction carries with it three distinct facets: the subject content being taught; the process of using that information in the research process; and the ability to critically evaluate information. To be successful, the librarian must teach the patron a specific knowledge base (such as the fact that Education books within the Dewey Decimal System are in the 370 call number, or that the ERIC database indexes education journals and reports), the context and process for using that knowledge (the Dewey system divides knowledge into ten discrete categories and like subjects are categorized together in a hierarchical manner; or searching the ERIC database is most effective when using Boolean combinations of controlled language subject descriptors), and the ability to evaluate the information found in the search (this book is out of date or this ED document is directly relevant to my research project). In this respect, the skills implicit in teaching patrons how to use the library are factual knowledge, understanding the research process, and critical thinking.

Factual knowledge of a different kind is also valued in answering patron queries. In teaching patrons how to use the library, the librarian is transferring knowledge. In answering questions, the librarian is seeking knowledge from the broader world for the patron. In the first example, the librarian knows the process and teaches it to the patron. In the second, neither the patron nor the librarian know the answer in advance; they seek it together. The values associated with answering questions are not related to the process of answering, but to the answer itself.

The most common value associated with answers is accuracy. Regardless of how well the process of a reference query is handled, a wrong answer will almost always result in a poor satisfaction rating by the patron. For precisely this reason, accuracy has been frequently studied as a measure of reference success. Hernon and McClure's 55% rule (1985) and other similar unobtrusive studies are based solely upon measuring the value of accuracy. These studies have been heavily criticized by reference librarians precisely because accuracy is not the only value associated with answers to patron queries.

Thoroughness is another such factor. An answer may be accurate but incomplete. When working on a question, a reference librarian often keeps searching for a better answer even after finding one or more possible solutions. By consulting additional sources, the librarian is able to verify the accuracy of the initial response and to determine if the answer may have changed in some respect. For example, a question with an apparently simple answer (Who is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations?) may be found in any of a number of different directories. Depending on when that specific question is asked and when the source was written, the answer may have changed. To be certain that a published answer is accurate, the librarian might check the answer found in a government directory with other sources such as supplements to the original source, Facts on File, or the Internet. Finding an answer is often simple, but verifying that it is completely correct can be very difficult. Because a reference librarian usually cannot continue work on one single question indefinitely (what with other patrons or priorities to attend to), a good professional librarian has an intuitive feel for when to stop working on a question.