Effective Reference Interviewing

Program Type:

Webinar
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Program Description

Event Details


**NOTE**: Access information for this learning event will be sent to all registrants by American Library Association before the start of the event. In order to take this course/attend this webinar you will need to create (or use an existing) ALA account to proceed. It is free to create an account and you do not need to be an ALA member. If you do not wish to create an ALA account please cancel your registration.

Whether in-person or online, the reference interview is a core vehicle of reference service delivery. This interview is not a simple process of one person asking a question which another person answers. A proper reference interview can, depending on circumstances, involve open or closed-ended questions, require neutrality around controversial topics and take multiple interactions to complete.

In this 90-minute session, you’ll learn about how this interaction is essential to library services, how a successful interview unfolds, and how, through strong communication and close attention, you can become proficient at this important process.

After this event, participants will:

  • Understand several best practices for reference interactions in online, phone, and email or snail mail situations
  • Have basic strategies for understanding and working through communication challenges like language, abilities, and age ranges
  • Strategies for practicing interviewing skills with the goal of continual improvement.

Francisca Goldsmith has been teaching library staff development courses for both paraprofessionals and professional librarians in reference methods and best practices for over 20 years. She currently develops and delivers online courses for the Infopeople Project and for the American Library Association and has written several professional texts, including Crash Course in Contemporary Reference (Libraries Unlimited, 2016). Her library career has spanned public, school, and academic libraries, in reference departments, youth services, and collection management.

This event will be hosted in Zoom. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and registrants will receive access to the recording within a day after the event ends. Live attendance for this event is limited to 1,000 viewers; if you are unable to attend live, you will still receive access to the recording.

 

 

CALL Training Partner for this Event: American Library Association

Additional Information

Enrollment Statement

I understand that a space will be reserved for me in this learning opportunity at a cost to CALL, and if I am unable to attend this learning opportunity, I will cancel my enrollment as soon as possible and before the start date. 

Single Enrollment Disclaimer

I understand that I can register for only one course at a time (no concurrent courses). If I do not attend this course, I understand that I may forfeit the opportunity to enroll in additional CALL courses during this fiscal year.