About this item

More an art than a science, the reference interview requires not only knowing a specific set of skills, but also how to apply those skills in an ever-changing world. Good reference interviews accomplish three goals establishing contact with the user, determining what the users information need actually is, and checking to make sure that the answer actually meets that need completely. Built around timeless service principles including Ranganathans Five Laws, The Reference Interview Today Negotiating and Answering Questions Face to Face, on the Phone, and Virtually is a practical field guide to conducting reference interviews in every modality face-to-face, phone, chat, text, virtual world such as Second Life, and even mashup reference interviews where multiple modalities are used to answer the question.