6.1 Define the detail of a complex enquiry in conjunction with the client

Table of Contents

1. Reference interview techniques for complex enquiries
   1. Defining the nature of the enquiry
   2. Communication skills
   3. Spoken language
   4. Body language
   5. Feedback
   6. Note taking
   7. Writing e-mails
   8. Open and Closed Questions
   9. Using open and closed questions
2. Eliciting information and advice from knowledgeable clients
3. Determining the nature of detailed information to be provided
4. Constraints

Reference interview techniques for complex enquiries

In this outcome we will explore how you should tease out the details of a complex enquiry posed by a library client. We define a complex enquiry as one where:

• the sources to be searched for information are not obvious at the outset of the inquiry
• the precise nature of the topic requires to be teased out in some detail with the client
• a minimum of 3 variables are linked in a Boolean search.

From this we can see that the typical client for such complex enquiries is likely (but not always) to be a person with some knowledge or expertise in the subject area. Where this is so, you should capitalise on this at the initial stage and gain as much specific information as possible from the client.

Let's look at Defining the nature of the enquiry ...