Part II & III

How did you feel as a customer seeking reference assistance?

I felt a little rushed as a customer with the Ohio Libraries IM. I think the person wanted to answer the question, but only wanted to answer to the minimum. I felt comfortable with the person who was helping me and with the technology. The answer that I received was only somewhat satisfactory. They only provided articles and only general articles. They did not try to help me narrow the search further. Nor did they bother to look to see if they had any books on the subject.

As customer with a PA staff member, I felt like my question was important. I definitely felt comfortable with the person helping me (to be fair, I already knew they were a nice friendly person). I was very comfortable with the technology used during the transaction. I got a very satisfactory answer. The PA staff member made sure that I had found all the information that I needed.

What was your experience like as an interviewer?

I am used to being the interviewer. I did feel comfortable asking the customer for more information. Of course it helps that I knew the person. Most of the time, I don’t have problems with asking strangers for more information (unless the subject matter is very personal). I did feel like I was able to help the customer find what they were looking for.

How did this experience help you to better understand the process of reference interviewing?

It is always good to be reminded of what it is like to be a customer. It is easy to forget how different the customer’s experience can be from the reference librarian’s. Using the Ohio Library IM, reminded me of how important it is to greet people and to ask follow up questions at the end to ensure that the patron has found everything that they needed.