1.1 Define the precise nature of the enquiry in conjunction with the client

Table of Contents

1. The Reference Interview
2. Finding out what the client wants to know
3. Spoken and written communication
4. Open and Closed Questions
   1. Open questions
   2. Closed questions
5. Nature of information required
6. Constraints
7. Special needs
8. Further Information

Open and Closed Questions

In the reference interview, you will use both open and closed questions. These have different uses. It is important to be able to distinguish between the two types of question and to use them appropriately.

Closed questions prompt yes/no or short factual answers, such as:

Q. What time did you come to the library?

A. 9 o'clock

Q. Is your daughter called Amelia Austin?

A. Yes

Open questions encourage longer answers, such as:

Q. Why did you ask for a dictionary?

A. I wanted to check whether there was a difference in meaning between "main" and "mane".

You should understand the purposes of open questions and closed questions and the circumstances in which it is appropriate to use them.

Now move on to Open questions ...