Reflection on Initial Search Stages

I found the main problem working with a high school student was his extreme need to put forth only minimal effort. I am hesitant to generalize an entire group of students based on my one interaction with my client, but have subsequently found that many people working with this age group agree on these findings. As such, I would be more inclined to gather preliminary materials in order to ensure that the articles selected by the client would be of the most relevance and accuracy. The client did not read a single thing beyond a light skimming of an abstract before recording the bibliographic text onto a source card, despite my urging that he at least make sure the source truly fits his need. I also gleaned that he would not be returning to the search outside of our initial encounter in the library.

Overall, it was very frustrating to watch someone do multiple things wrong (i.e., switching databases, not search terms; not evaluating sources; not returning to the search if the sources did not give exactly what one needs). As it is, I was working with a high school student on a research project. Therefore, the searching and selection is a part of his grade and would be unethical for a student enrolled in an accredited library school to complete that section of his assignment for him. However, I did offer simple suggestions, encouraging him to stick to one database for longer than a minute and to examine the sources. None of these suggestions were taken into consideration, which is extraordinarily frustrating. Yet another reason why I wish to explore a library career in an elementary school, not a high school.

Also, the virtual communications we shared on the internet left much to be desired. Even though children and teenagers are supposedly more adapt to these technologies, the conversation was hardly moving on his end. With a face to face interview, one is aware when the client's attention begins to drift. That is not the case with the virtual reference interview and is extraordinarily annoying if one wishes to focus solely on the problem at hand.

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