Fundamentals of Reference

77

fourteen

reference service to

Children and Young adults

Reference work with children is an awesome challenge

that forces the reference librarian to discern a question

amid a complexity of psychological and environmental

variables. The child possesses a question that can be

hidden behind unclear communication, psychological

attitudes and assumptions, and inexperience.

—Linda Ward-Callaghan, “Children’s Questions”

s

o Far the focus has been on the types of reference services (in-person,
telephone, online), and each of those discussions referred to library
patrons in general. One group of patrons, however, requires some special
consideration, as the quotation above illustrates. This is not to say that using

14 Reference Service to Children and Young Adults

is not appropriate, but rather that there are some additional factors that need
to be taken into consideration when doing so. Children and young adults
constitute a significant portion of the patrons served in public libraries, and
this discussion will reflect that fact.
Among the “complexity of psychological and environmental variables”
to be taken into account when providing reference service to young people
are levels of intellectual, social, and emotional development, vocabulary and
language skills, and familiarity with libraries and information sources. The
realities of the particular library setting, from layout to staffing to policies,
should also be kept in mind.
The reference process is primarily one of communication in which the
librarian attempts to understand the patron’s question. Since this process