Marie L. Radford

Encountering virtual users : A qualitative investigation of interpersonal communication in chat reference

Synchronous chat reference services have emerged as viable alternatives to the traditional face‐to‐face (FtF) library reference encounter. Research in virtual reference service (VRS) and client–librarian behavior is just beginning with a primary focus on task issues of accuracy and efficiency. This study is among the first to apply communication theory to an exploration of relational (socioemotional) aspects of VRS. It reports results from a pilot study that analyzed 44 transcripts nominated for the LSSI Samuel Swett Green Award (Library Systems and Services, Germantown, MD) for Exemplary Virtual Reference followed by an analysis of 245 randomly selected anonymous transcripts from Maryland AskUsNow! statewide chat reference service. Transcripts underwent in‐depth qualitative content analysis. Results revealed that interpersonal skills important to FtF reference success are present (although modified) in VRS. These include techniques for rapport building, compensation for lack of nonverbal cues, strategies for relationship development, evidence of deference and respect, face‐saving tactics, greeting and closing rituals. Results also identified interpersonal communication dynamics present in the chat reference environment, differences in client versus librarian patterns, and compensation strategies for lack of nonverbal communication.

Power, knowledge, and fear : Feminism, Foucault, and the stereotype of the female librarian

The stereotype of the female librarian is a common, well-defined, and easily recognized phenomenon in American popular culture. A large body of literature in librarianship reflects a deep professional concern over the negative effect of this stereotypical image. This essay, however, approaches the librarian stereotype as an element in a wider cultural text: that of the relationship between power, knowledge, and fear. Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and feminist thought, the claim is developed that the form and the voice of the female librarian is a function of a system of power and rationality that is not of her own making.

Libraries, Librarians, and the Discourse of Fear.

This article presents examples of representations of libraries and librarians taken from modern popular culture, including popular film, television, and novels. Using Michel Foucaults approach to discourse, we assert that such representations are made possible by, and decoded within, the structures of a discourse of fear, a practice of speech and symbols that equates the control and fear of discourse in fundamental ways. The library as an institution falls squarely into the lived tensions of this discourse, and these tensions are made apparent in the themes of the threshold: the librarian as formidable gatekeeper between order and chaos, the other-worldliness of the library, the library as cathedral, the humiliation of the user, the power of surveillance, and the consequences of disrupting the sacred order of texts. The discourse of fear is a language and a vocabulary. It is a way of speaking about the library and the librarian that transcends any specific image or portrayal. Outside of the discourse of fear, such representations would not be recognizable as libraries or librarians at all.

Sense-Making and Synchronicity : Information-Seeking Behaviors of Millennials and Baby Boomers

A challenge facing libraries is to develop and update collections and services to meet the needs of the multiple generations of users with differing approaches to information seeking. The different characteristics and information needs of ‘Baby Boomers’ and ‘Millennials’ present a dichotomy for library service and system development. Results are reported here for two research projects that investigated habits and needs of library users and non-users. Both studies sought to identify how and why individuals seek and use information. The first study deals with the findings of focus group interviews with seventy-eight randomly selected participants, and fifteen semi-structured interviews with a subset of these participants. The second study reports the results of focus group interviews with twenty-three Millennials, and an analysis of 492 virtual reference services (VRS) transcripts. The studies indicate that both generations consistently identify Google and human sources as the first sources they use for quick searches. The younger Millennials mentioned consulting parents most frequently, while the older Millennials consult friends and professors. Baby Boomers indicate that they consult their personal libraries and colleagues. The findings have implications for the development of next generation library online catalogs, as well as services, including VRS.

Communication Theory Applied to the Reference Encounter: An Analysis of Critical Incidents

Dimensions of interpersonal communication perceived to be integral to success or failure in academic reference interactions are identified through the use of the critical incident technique. Forty-seven critical incidents recalled by twenty-seven library users and nine librarians are analyzed from the theoretical perspective of interpersonal communication developed by Paul Watzlawick, Janet Beavin, and Don Jackson. This study is the first to be published that applies the heuristically rich relational theory from the communication field to library interactions. Content and relational dimensions that have an impact on librarian and user critical incidents are identified, such as attitude, relationship quality, information, knowledge base, and approachability. Interpersonal relationships are major themes in incidents recalled by library users. Librarians give relatively more weight to content dimensions dealing with quality of information given but also perceive relationship qualities to be important. The value of applying communication theory to study of the reference interaction is demonstrated. In addition, this research also illustrates the importance of incorporating the users point of view. Evidence presented argues for a new model of the librarian-user reference interaction that recognizes the vital importance of relational messages that are communicated in the reference encounters along with the information transfered.

Librarians and Party Girls: Cultural Studies and the Meaning of the Librarian

This article responds to Wayne Wiegands argument that the library and information science field has failed in the past to extend its research and inquiry by exploring theoretical perspectives from disciplines outside the LIS field. It provides a brief introduction to the cultural studies approach using an application of the work of Stuart Hall to a popular and ever present cultural icon: the media stereotype of the female librarian. The film Party Girl is analyzed which contrasts two stereotypical images: the party girl and the female librarian. We argue that adopting a cultural studies approach to an analysis of a longstanding problematic image for LIS does allow a new vantage point for interpretation of media images of the profession. This wider focus allows a rethinking of the basic assumptions that have been made by the profession and acknowledges that there are potentially many different ways to see the same phenomenon, or perhaps to see phenomena for the first time, which were previously in our blind spots.

Structuralism, post‐structuralism, and the library: de Saussure and Foucault

Purpose – Explores the relevance of structuralism and post‐structuralism to the field of library and information science (LIS).Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a literature‐based conceptual analysis of the two philosophical movements, structuralism and post‐structuralism, as represented by the seminal figures of Ferdinand de Saussure and Michel Foucault.Findings – The principles of structuralism and post‐structuralism have significant implications for how the role of the modern library can and should be viewed.Originality/value – Provides insights into LIS by drawing on philosophical perspectives that are beyond the LIS literature.

“How much change do you get from 40

Online question-answering (Q&A) services are becoming increasingly popular among information seekers. While online Q&A services encompass both virtual reference service (VRS) and social Q&A (SQA), SQA services, such as Yahoo! Answers and WikiAnswers, have experienced more success in reaching out to the masses and leveraging subsequent participation. However, the large volume of content on some of the more popular SQA sites renders participants unable to answer some posted questions adequately or even at all. To reduce this latter category of questions that do not receive an answer, the current paper explores reasons for why fact-based questions fail on a specific Q&A service. For this exploration and analyses, thousands of failed questions were collected from Yahoo! Answers extracting only those that were fact-based, information-seeking questions, while opinion/advice-seeking questions were discarded. A typology was then created to code reasons of failures for these questions using a grounded theory approach. Using this typology, suggestions are proposed for how the questions could be restructured or redirected to another Q&A service (possibly a VRS), so users would have a better chance of receiving an answer.

?” – Analyzing and addressing failed questions on social Q&A

Erving Goffman’s theoretical framework and concept of face-work has the potential to greatly increase the understanding of interpersonal dynamics in computer-mediated communication realms. This research used an ethnography of communication approach and the concept of face-work to analyze the transcript of an interaction between a librarian and a library user in a Web-based virtual reference service environment. This highly goal-oriented interaction, even though it lacks the immediacy of face-to-face interaction, was found to be a rich source of face-work.

On Virtual Face-Work: An Ethnography of Communication Approach to a Live Chat Reference Interaction

Abstract This article reports results of a material availability study in which library users were surveyed to determine their success in obtaining materials. Both OPAC users and CD-ROM journal index users were studied and transaction logs verified their self reports. Recommendations for reducing search failures are discussed.