PSSCTC Meeting Minutes 2-27-08
We discussed communication issues as they related to cross-training possibilities.
We decided that the best way to finish the yearly report would be to collaborate via the blog.
Possible future trainings were discussed as divided between Karen Southwell- related trainings and PSSCTC-exclusive trainings.
We felt that Karen’s role would be more of the curriculum focus while ours would
be more isolated trainings like ref. interviews, database trainings, etc.
What to do with the Blog?
-Meeting minutes, brainstorming, and feedback.
-Bottom line: USE THE BLOG!!!!
BLOG TOPIC OF THE MONTH:
What should we cover in the reference interview training? We need to have this figured out within the next couple of weeks!
I guess a reference interview is how you talk to a patron to figure out what they need and how to help them find it? I guess that the training should cover techniques to help the patron figure out what they’re looking for (in case they ask for something really vague), what sort of questions to ask, if there’s anything you shouldn’t ask, etc.
Comment by ghwilliams — March 4, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
Yeah, I think we should go over the “neutral question” idea: How to ask about a patron’s research project without defining for them.
The Situation-Gap-Bridge strategy should be covered as well.
Comment by aalohmeyer — March 4, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
What is the Situation-Gap-Bridge strategy? I haven’t started library school yet, so I don’t understand your fancy concepts! I guess I could always wait and find out at the training.
Comment by ghwilliams — March 10, 2008 @ 8:26 am
Gross, M. (1999). Imposed versus self-generated questions: Implications for reference practice. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 39, 53-61. Available in Omnifile database, through the FSU Libraries home page –> databases.
Dervin, B., & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral questioning: A new approach to the reference interview. Reference Quarterly, 25, 506-513.
These are the articles used to teach the reference interview in the C of I’s reference class. These cover both neutral questioning and situation-gap-bridge.
Not sure how universal this terminology is in the field, but basically, you want to ask open ended questions (as opposed to yes/no questions) so that the patron can define their research for the interviewer, rather than the other way around which often happens. Also the sit-gap-bridge approach is that the interview should have a logical progression or plot which first defines the nature of the question/research (situation), then identifies the problem or the missing link in the research which led the patron to you (gap) and ultimately, identifies the answer (bridge). It’s all pretty common sense stuff, just sometimes it’s easy to forget common sense when you’re on the spot, therefore, it’s nice to give yourself a pretty simple structure to follow. The posted articles would be a good read if interested.
Sorry for the librarylese…I just like to flex me neurological muscles for the pssctc to swoon over my mighty acronyms and jargon.
Comment by aalohmeyer — March 10, 2008 @ 10:15 am