Telephone Reference Service 67do not like to be kept on hold for an extended period of time. Depending
on a library’s reference policy, a librarian might have to ask a patron to call
back later or ask for a phone number where the patron can be reached later,
especially when the query posed will take some time to answer. There is also
the kind of telephone reference service (one with which I am very familiar)
billed as “quick” or “ready reference,” in which the objective is to answer all
questions within three to five minutes and where patrons are not called back.
There is another aspect of telephone reference that bears mentioning:
citing the source. Citing a source should, of course, be a part of any reference
transaction, in-person, online, or on the phone. On the telephone, it is crucial
to cite a source lest we give an impression
that we are answering questions off the tops
of our heads. Telephone reference is not a
quiz show, although sometimes when the
calls are coming in fast and furious it may
seem like one. A recent article in Reference
and User Services Quarterly by Denise E.
Agosto and Holly Anderton, “Whatever
Happened to ‘Always Cite the Source?’ A
Study of Source Citing and Ethical Issues
Related to Telephone Reference,” decried the tendency of reference librarians
to neglect to tell callers the source of the information they are relaying to them.
In this study, sources were not cited in 69 percent of the 125 telephone refer-
ence transactions analyzed. Agosto and Anderton also brought to light some
disturbing tendencies among the providers of telephone reference service in
the study: some of the respondents did not seem to take the questions posed
seriously, and in fact Agosto and Anderton refer to their “cavalier attitude.” A
reference librarian should treat all patrons and their questions with respect,
whether those questions are being asked by a person in front of the reference
desk or by a voice on the other end of a telephone call. Even if it’s a question
you’ve heard many times before, that patron is asking it for the first time and
deserves an appropriate answer relayed in a professional tone of voice.
The collection used to answer telephone reference questions depends on
the library. Just as some libraries may have a separate telephone reference area,
away from the reference desk, there may be a separate reference collection
used to support it. In my experience this type of setup, consisting of a good
general reference collection of print and electronic resources along with locally
telephone reference tip
Try smiling as you answer the
telephone! Although the caller
can’t see you, studies have shown
that the tone of your voice will be
friendlier when you do.