Reference Interviews with Children Under 13

by Jackie Kulik

When it comes to reference service there tends to be an agreement that when workloads are 

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heavy children's needs get slighted.  There have been many studies aimed at uncovering ways to improve children’s services in reference.  One particular focus is the reference interview between librarian and child.  For some children, “simply approaching a reference desk in the children’s department can be a scary proposition” (Bishop & Salveggi, 2001).  Children are unique beings going through various developmental stages, thus at any given age their capabilities are different.  Librarians need to understand the various developmental stages children go through in order to meet their needs within a reference interview.  According to Bishop & Salveggi, children under 13 years of age go through two Piagetian stages, pre-operational (ages 2-7) and concrete-operational (ages 7-11).  These different stages mean that children may or may not have understanding of abstract and logical thought, and may or may not have the ability to classify things.  The developmental stages also affect the type of vocabulary children have and the way in which they can or cannot successfully articulate their needs. Understanding the different physical, emotional, and cognitive capabilities of children will help librarians to exhibit some of the “dos” of reference interviews and to avoid the “don’ts”. 

The Maryland State Library Resource Center has created a blog containing a post,“Top Ten Reference Interview Dos and Don’ts for Children.”

Some of the Dos include:

• Use welcoming body language, smile, tell the child your name
• Direct questions to the child, even if an adult is present
• Give instructions for how you would find the information and also demonstrate
• Be patient and encouraging when children attempt to articulate their needs
• Always treat the child with the same respect you would give to an adult patron

And some of the Don’ts include:

• Don’t Rush the child
• Don’t hide behind the desk
• Don’t point in the direction of the desired material
• Don’t make assumptions that the child understand how things work (classification, index, catalog)
• Don’t make assumptions about what a child wants (avoid stereotypes, gender or age biases)

Link for full list of Ten Dos and Don’ts

 Along with the dos and don’ts there are certain techniques librarians can utilize when interviewing a child.  Some of the basic suggestions include getting an understanding of what the child already knows and what the child wants to know.  Repeating the question is also a good idea.  An article by Amy S. Pattee (2008) discusses using the K-W-L Method, a reference interview technique created by Donna Ogle in 1986.  What do I Know? What do I Want to know? and What have I Learned? Pattee’s article goes through each stage of K-W-L while using an example of a reference interview in which a child needs information on the Brachiosaurus.  In these layers of the interview process the reader can begin to understand how to pick up on clues provided in the child’s answers.  One goal of the K-W-L Method is for children to “take ownership of their questions and the reference process” (Pattee, 2008).

 Reference librarians who take the time to understand the various developmental stages of childhood and who learn some of the dos and don’ts along with other techniques of reference interviews with children will be more likely to have successful interactions with these small but important patrons.  A good reference interview with a child can help keep them on the path of becoming a life-long visitor of libraries. 

Additional Readings

Bishop, K., & Salveggi, A. (2001). Responding to Developmental Stages in Reference Services to Children. Public Libraries, 40(6-), 354-58. http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ641479&site=eds-live&scope=site

Burton, Melvin K. (1998). Reference Interview: strategies for children. North Carolina Libraries (Online), 56(3), 110-113 http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=502804725&site=eds-live&scope=site

Pattee, A.S. (2008). What do you know?. Children& Libraries : The Journal of the Association For Library Services to Children, 6(1), 30-39. http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=502946009&site=eds-live&scope=site