Case 2: Job Search
In this interaction, a thorough reference interview was not conducted and left the subject feeling unsatisfied. In the scenario the librarian created tension; they seemed rushed to complete the interaction and move on to other tasks. This was shown through their closed question "that's the sort of thing you want. isn't it?" The question wasn't assessing what the customer actually wanted and no further clarification questions were asked. The question also wasn't welcoming, and seemed to pressure the customer into deciding what they were looking for when it's clear they didn't know, which is why they responded "yes."
RUSA guidelines are relevant to this scenario because they provide conversation prompts that can help both the librarian and customer decide what they are looking for. Section 4 provides questions and advice on how to further explore what customers want. Section 4.3 states "[the librarian] uses open-ended questions to encourage the person to refine or expand on their request or present additional information throughout the search process.] These tactics should have been used so the librarian could actually uncover what the customer wanted.