In Wendy Duff and Allyson Fox's 2006 article "'You're a guide rather than an expert': Archival reference from an archivist's point of view," the authors present a discussion of recommended approaches to the archival reference interview. In this article, Duff and Fox discuss and analyze interviews with archivists of two archivists conducted about the subject of archival reference, a topic discussed very lightly in archival literature.
The subjects interviewed suggested that the traditional library reference interview, in which a librarian seeks to understanding both the context and the specificities of a patron's information need, is significant in the archival context and is often effective. Archivists then refer the archival patron to the appropriate finding aid, database, or biography. The subjects interviewed generally stated that, when suggesting a finding aid for an appropriate archival collection, decisions were generally made based on an intuitive knowledge based on the provenance of the collection and record functions. When the decision was not intuitive, the archivists surveyed turned to online catalogs to help find related material. Archivists also stated that, when faced with difficulty in recommending material, they would often consult other archivists or consult the records of previous reference transactions.
When asked about training, archivists stressed that on-the-job experience provided important preparation for effectively answering reference inquiries, both in the context of knowledge of use of collections and knowledge of the institution. When asked about barriers to providing reference service, the subjects of the survey stated that time constraints in both in-person and remote transactions as well as poor finding aids were common issues.
Generally speaking, I find that this article provides an interesting overview and discussion of a variety of issues regarding archival reference. Duff and Fox also provide insightful advice regarding the importance of clear finding aids and of on-the-job experience for a reference archivist. However, I find that much of the discussion assumed that a majority of archival patrons visit an archives with broad research questions with the hope of gaining insight into a particular topic. The patrons who contact or visit an archives looking for a specific document or piece of information are not significantly addressed in this study. Thus, the authors paint a somewhat a biased picture of the role of the reference archivist and the type of activities he or she typically performs, as well as a somewhat biased picture of the needs of archival patrons in general.
Duff, Wendy, and Allyson Fox. 2006. "‘You're a guide rather than an expert’: Archival reference from an archivist's point of view." Journal of the Society of Archivists 27, no. 2: 129-153.
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