The Reference Interview the Computer-Based Setting
Sara D. Knapp · 2016
Freed from drudgery by the machine, search analysts are fortunate in the oppor tunity to utilize capacities in their work. Opportunities abound for knowl edgeable search analysts to assert their concern as user advocates vis-a-vis the corporate producers of search services and to act as responsible intermediaries in the interaction between patrons and search systems. The reference interview and the analysis and strategy of the search are all inseparable parts of one process, in which the search analyst can truly give bit of one's self, can be imaginative, creative, understanding, and unquestionably more intelligent than the most sophisticated, personalized, anticipatory computer pro gram. I use the term computer-based setting rather than speak of the presearch inter view, for my observations are drawn from the practice (by no means universal) of requiring the patron to have an in person interview with the analyst and to be present at the on-line terminal while the search is entered and the results are sam pled. This practice reduces the short comings of the delegated search. At SUNY Albany's university library, where we have been searching on-line since 1972, appointments are scheduled in advance by the section secretary, with ad vice when necessary from reference librar ians. At the time of scheduling, patrons are given search request forms to com plete and bring to their appointments. The forms are on two-part paper so that origi nals can be retained and copies returned to patrons with the search results. The forms include space for a brief narrative statement; category limitations such as human or language restrictions; and a request for a recent relevant cita tion, if known. It does not include a re quest for key words or descriptors, al though some patrons do include them. During the half-hour appointment (some searches require longer), the search analyst and the patron are seated opposite each other at a long table beside the com puter terminal. The table provides open work space where together they can con sult thesauri and reference books or scan printout. While promoting joint collabora tion, the table preserves a comfortable dis tance for those who find too much physi cal closeness distracting. We hope in the future to be able to provide patrons with a CRT monitor of the search process, while retaining the hard copy for the analyst's use. User and analyst negotiate search strategy and the user's needs. Search statements are entered at the on-line ter minal, with immediate feedback from the system. Generally, only titles and descrip tors from a sample of citations are printed. If the sample is judged satisfactory, and the total number of citations retrieved seems reasonable, then off-line printing of the search is ordered. It is the feedback from both patron and system, combined with the patron-to-analyst interview prior to signing on but continuing throughout the process, which mitigates the disadvan tages of the delegated search and takes advantage of the expertise of both search