Four Queries at the Reference Desk
A public library in Pune serves 350 members. In one afternoon: a farmer asks for the exact quantity of a pesticide for his cotton crop and shows a label he cannot read in English; a Class 12 student wants previous years' question papers of the HSC board; a reader asks for 'everything on cancer treatment' and then asks whether chemotherapy or ayurveda is better; a journalist asks for the names of members who borrowed books on a local protest. The library has 1,200 reference books, no medical database, one librarian, and a 15-minute queue. The collection development policy says 'provide information, not advice'. There is a notice board but no legal adviser.
1. Explain how you would conduct the reference interview for the farmer and the reader, and where you would draw the line between information and advice.
Read the worked answer
Both queries need negotiation before any source is opened.
Farmer: the stated query is a dosage, but the real need is safe crop protection. Ask open questions: which crop, which pest, what the label says, whether the farmer has used the product before. Read the label with him, but do not convert the label into a personalised dose. Provide the label's permitted use, the local agricultural officer or Krishi Vigyan Kendra contact, and a state agriculture department leaflet in Marathi. Say clearly: 'I can help you find the official recommendation; I cannot calculate a dose for your field.' Record the referral.
Reader: the first query is broad; the second is a request for a treatment decision. Use a reference interview to clarify who the patient is, what decision is being made, and what information is wanted. Provide vetted consumer-health material and explain that the library does not compare treatments or recommend therapy. Offer to help find questions to ask an oncologist. Do not say 'ayurveda is better' or 'chemotherapy is better'.
The line is between finding and explaining sources and applying them to a person's decision. The policy supports that line, but the librarian must say it politely and offer a next step, not just refuse.
2. The student wants HSC question papers within 15 minutes. Distinguish ready-reference and long-range service and plan the response.
Read the worked answer
This is a ready-reference query if a published compilation or official website is at hand; it becomes long-range if the library must borrow, purchase, or compile papers.
Within 15 minutes: check the catalogue and the board's official website; check any bound past-paper volumes; show the student how to search the board site. If the paper is available, give the call number and a photocopy within copyright limits.
If not available: do not leave the student with 'we don't have it'. Take a request slip, explain the interlibrary loan or acquisition route, and give a realistic date. Add the item to the desiderata list. If many students ask, create a pathfinder and a single shelf for board papers.
Distinguish the two modes: ready reference is a fact or a source found quickly; long-range service is a planned search, loan, or acquisition. The queue means the librarian should answer the quick part first, then schedule the long part. Record the unanswered query so the collection gap becomes visible. This is also a management signal: repeated student queries should influence collection development, not just be absorbed at the desk.
3. The journalist demands borrower names. Set out the ethical and legal response.
Read the worked answer
Borrower records are confidential. The librarian should not confirm or deny who borrowed the books, and should not show the circulation screen.
- Immediate response: 'I cannot disclose member records. I can give you aggregate statistics, such as the number of borrowers in a subject area, if that does not identify individuals.'
- Ethical basis: the IFLA Code of Ethics and professional practice treat user privacy as a core value; disclosing reading choices can expose people to harm. The library's own membership form should state this.
- Legal basis: in India, a public authority or police request should be in writing and under the applicable legal process. The librarian should not act on a verbal demand. Refer the matter to the governing body or legal adviser, record the request, and preserve records rather than delete them.
- Do not tip off the journalist about which records exist; that itself can breach privacy.
- Review the policy: if no written privacy policy exists, draft one and display it. Staff should know who may authorise disclosure and how to log a request.
The judgement call is between being helpful and being safe. Aggregate data may satisfy a legitimate story; individual borrowing history does not become public because a journalist asks.