The Reference Interview

As Riesling mentions in chapter nine of the text, I believe attitude is of the upmost importance for the successful reference interview. A students courage and trust can vanish if they feel threatened or uncomfortable in anyway . I disagree that SLMS are in an exclusive position that allows them to gather data about their scoop population prior to interviewing". (p. 100). I think this is up to the individual and how much time they have and are willing to commit to get to know their clientele. A spreadsheet of student names and grades is going to tell you little compared to a season dedicated coaching the junior boys basketball team. I also feel the term "exclusive" puts one on the outside, when truly the SLMS wants to be inclusive as much as possible.
Riesling also mentions that non-verbal and verbal communication skills can be practiced to improve the success of the reference interview, but most SLMS that I've encountered do their practicing in real life experiences, where they learn from their mistakes and try to improve on the experience the following time.

Retail therapy

Honestly, when it comes to shopping, be it clothing, household items, kids toys, or items for work, I'm a bit of a shopaholic. Usually it's not the quantity of items that I buy, as much as it is the time spent pondering over things that I "think" I need. I can't see buying resources for the library being much different, regardless if they were print media or online subscriptions. I think the key is, what is readily available to view, and what is highly recommended.
I agree very much with the comments made in this weeks lesson, that a variety of sources for student and teacher use are extremely important. Although I think I might sway towards online media, which is flashy, more fun to use and generally a more all inclusive tool at hand, I am drawn to a good book in hopes that it mysteriously holds all the answers I have been always searching for.
This past week I interviewed a teacher librarian. It was determined that the use of most reference resources in the shelf, other than World Book, and the odd turn of an atlas page, was/is almost obsolete. The TL was confident amid all the resources already in the collection, that an online encyclopedia, perhaps one like Britannica, which has a modified version as well, for weaker readers, would be the most valuable.
So definatly it is still extremely important to collaborate with library users, and deem what the demand is for. A comprehensive catalogue with good reviews would be my best recommendation for buying.