Whither reference services? Views of some Ghanaian library school students

Abstract

Purpose : This paper reports on the experiences of sixty-five library students who visited one of three selected libraries on the campus of the University of Ghana to find out the extent to which the principles of reference services were being adhered to. Design/methodology/approach: The unobtrusive method for evaluating reference services was used. Students were specifically asked to pose two questions (specific- search or research questions) of their choice to two different library staff at the reference desk of the selected library. (The library staff were unaware of this evaluation and exhibited their real behaviors to the clients.) The choice of these types of questions was to allow the library staff to engage them in a reference interview. Their observations were to be summarized in a two page report. Findings : Students were not only concerned with correct answers to their questions but were influenced to return to the same library staff by certain factors such as approachability of the library staff, effective assessment of their information need, good communication skills and the attentiveness of the library staff. Practical implications : This exercise gave students a first hand experience of being information seekers and directly experiencing what ordinary users are subjected to whenever they visited libraries. This experience it is hoped would guide them when they are later employed in libraries to conform to behaviors that enhance the quality of reference interview and user satisfaction. Originality/value : This is a modest contribution to the literature on reference services from a developing countries perspective as very few empirical studies are carried out in this area.