Clarify

From SLNSW

Clarify, moving the interview along after the opening questions.

1 Getting the details right
2 How do you clarify questions in remote or online reference situations?
- 2.1 Major point: Clarifying may be necessary at some point in the reference interview to clear up specific aspects of a patron's request.
3 Exercise

Getting the details right

Clarifying is a technique you can use when you are further along in the reference interview. Remember you begin the interview with paraphrasing and open questions. You may need to clarify a point by asking for a particular bit of information. For example, you may have discovered that the patron wants pictures of Broken Hill for a presentation. Before you proceed you need to find out whether they would like print outs or a jpg.

You can get to that information most effectively by using a clarifying question specifically asking for a particular bit of information. Remember to use clarifying questions later in the reference interview process and only when needed to nail down a particular point.

How do you clarify questions in remote or online reference situations?

Clarifying questions is part of the reference interview during telephone, online/remote reference sessions.

Suggested methods for remote interview questioning in chat or instant message (IM) sessions:

clarify the information need to allow the patron to fully explain his her information need before responding.
use open-ended questioning techniques to encourage the patron to expand on the request e.g. "please tell me more about your topic?" or "what additional information can you give me?" or "how much information do you need?".
use questions to refine the search query e.g. "what have you already found?" or "what type of information do you need?- books, articles etc." or "do you need current or historical information?"
if you are using restricted format like twitter (only 140 characters), it may be appropriate to negotiate a different format

IFLA digital reference guidelines