Instructional Strategies for Digital Reference: Methods to Facilitate Student Learning

8. Share Secret Knowledge

Digital reference transactions offer the librarians the opportunity to share the secret knowledge of the information-seeking community with students. To maximize this opportunity, librarians should provide definitions for specialized community language. By arming students with knowledge of library jargon, librarians prepare them to become equal members of the information community. Librarians should also acculturate students by confiding the “tricks of the library trade” and explain the ethics, standards, or history of library services, policies, and the role of librarians when relevant.

Data Preparation

After conducting the pilot examination of digital reference transactions and establishing definitions for eight instructional strategies, the researchers collected 1,474 instant message reference transactions. (These transactions were generated over the course of one academic year at a large southeastern research-extensive university that has offered digital reference service provided by reference librarians, support staff, and graduate assistants since 2001.) First, all personally identifying information (e.g., user and librarian names and e-mail addresses) was deleted from the transcripts. Next, each transcript was numbered. Then, the researchers worked independently to code transcripts for the presence of the eight instructional strategies (see table 1). To check for consistent coding, the researchers engaged in periodic peer checking; 80 percent of the transcripts were discussed by both researchers. Finally, the transcript numbers and codes were tabulated using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Results

The results of the study demonstrated some use of instructional strategies in digital reference. In fact, 62 percent of the transcripts included at least one instructional strategy. A few transcripts include the use of multiple instructional strategies (see appendix A). However, a detailed breakdown of the instructional strategies reveals that many librarians do not take full advantage of the instructional opportunities that occur during digital reference transactions. For example, only 2 percent of digital reference transactions included the “Catch Them Being Good” instructional strategy (see appendix B). Slightly more transactions (6 percent) revealed the use of the “Think Aloud” strategy. A larger percentage (43 percent) of transactions included the use of a “Show, Don’t Tell” strategy; however, most of this percentage is attributable to librarians pushing webpages or sending URLs to users. The “Show, Don’t Tell” strategy of directing users to open browser windows and follow along with the librarian occurs in only 15 percent of the transactions. Three percent of the reference transactions include a “Chunk It Up” strategy, and the same percent of transactions exhibit a “Let Users Drive” instructional strategy. Librarians use a “Be the Welcome Wagon” strategy in 4 percent of reference transactions. The “Make Introductions” strategy is used in 18 percent of transactions librarians, 14 percent to other reference venues and 4 percent to experts. Finally, 8 percent of the transactions reveal a “Share Secret Knowledge” instructional strategy.

Discussion

The results of this study demonstrate that, while librarians frequently use “Show, Don’t Tell” strategies, many other instructional strategies are infrequently employed in digital reference transactions. Such results indicate that librarians may not be exploiting the full instructional potential of reference service; indeed, they may be letting many instructional opportunities pass by. To align reference service with the teaching and learning missions of libraries and their overarching institutions, librarians should recommit to the instructional role of reference and their professional responsibility to actively encourage student learning. One concrete way to support student learning is to learn instructional strategies and use them in the provision of digital reference service.

To increase the presence of instructional strategies in digital reference transactions, librarians can engage in a variety of professional development and training activities. For example, librarians can develop their skills in this area by obtaining outside training about digital reference instructional strategies in resources such as “Effective Instruction in the Virtual Reference Environment”¹⁵ or through consultant visits. Armed with the eight instructional strategies addressed in this article, digital reference librarians can analyze their own or a colleague’s reference transactions for the presence of instructional strategies. Additionally, librarians can practice by rewriting past digital reference transcripts to include additional instructional strategies. Over time, reference staff can identify instructional strategies to adopt as standard practice for all librarians and align the use of instructional strategies with information-literacy or general-education learning outcomes at their institutions.

Conclusion

Because this study represents a new approach to the study of instruction in digital reference, the results await confirmation by future researchers. Continuing research in this area should examine the presence of these instructional strategies at other institutions, evaluate the effectiveness of training librarians to use instructional strategies, investigate barriers to the use of these strategies, and explore the direct impact of librarian instructional strategies on student learning.

In the current climate of educational accountability, reference librarians should embrace the opportunity to align reference service with the teaching and learning missions of their libraries and overarching institutions. One way to integrate teaching into reference service is to employ a variety of instructional strategies throughout reference transactions. Are librarians using reference service to teach students, or are they overlooking instructional opportunities? This study indicates that librarians use some instructional strategies, but could learn and employ several more in their efforts to create information-literate students. In the future, increased training in the use of these eight instructional strategies may allow librarians to maximize their impact on student learning.

Megan Oakleaf is Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. Amy VanScoy is Associate Head of Research and Information Services, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Submitted for review July 31, 2009; revised and accepted for publication December 8, 2009. Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 380–390 © 2010 American Library Association. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for nonprofit, educational use.

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