The Pedagogical Data Reference Interview

This essay reflects on the reference interview on several levels. If we accept that academic reference in general has a pedagogical role, then it is necessary to adjust the standard model of the reference interview to reflect that value. Within the specific context of academic data reference, undergraduates as a group require more instruction during the reference interview because they are less prepared than graduate students and faculty to ask for what they need. A strict service model does not meet their needs. A successful model appropriately balances the tension between instruction and service. This balance will vary from one institution to another based on different user groups and institutional goals, with implications for resource allocation. Data librarians on the one hand and general and subject reference librarians on the other bring distinct sets of knowledge and experience to bear on the challenge of "assessing the user's need," which can be a rich point of collaboration and referral between them.