Elizabeth Griffin

IST 605 | Professor Hurst-Wahl

Reference Interview Summation

Melissa Starks of Ogdensburg Free Academy

Ms. Melissa Starks of Ogdensburg Free Academy (OFA) has been working in the library
for many years. She is a believer that strong library programs produce better, more college and
career ready students. She is also terrific with reference work. Based on our interview, I got the
sense that Ms. Starks truly knows what she is doing and how to effectively reach students, either
through answering their reference questions or through teaching them how to answer their
questions themselves.
Our interview started with a brief explanation of Ms. Starks roles in her school and what
made her want to be a librarian in the first place. Her academic background is in education, and
Ms. Starks realized that while she enjoyed working in classrooms, she did not want to spend the
rest of her career in one. We then discussed her different roles and responsibilities. Ms. Starks
oversees collection development, which includes adding and taking away from the library
collection. She also serves on different committees, mentors two local librarians, manages the 7-
12 library and supervises the staff. What she finds most rewarding is the work she does with
students and teachers.
We then talked about what Ms. Starks definition of what reference work means. Ms.
Starks told me that it simply meant answering questions, whether they were simple or complex.
To her, each question is important and needs to be treated as such because it matters to the
patron. She also said that her goal for reference service was accurate and efficient answers with
a smile. Ms. Starks is typically dealing with high school aged students, and as such, her role in
the school needs to be adaptable to her students needs.
Something that really stuck out to me was Ms. Starks insistence that reference work was
not done solely at the desk. It can be done over the phone, through email, or even when shes just
walking about in the library. At two points in our conversation, Ms. Starks mentioned that
reference work was not a stationary part of her job. She said reference in her library is mobile
and active and that no matter what she is doing, she is on call. When she is at the desk, Ms.
Starks likes to have students follow along over her shoulder so she can guide them to the
information they are seeking for one-on-one reference help. This way she can explain the step-
by-step processes that go into accessing each database.
We next discussed reference resources, and Ms. Starks had a lot to contribute. While the
library has many traditional resources, such as the print dictionary and encyclopedias, Ms.
Stark mentioned how they seemed obsolete. Students and faculty of OFA benefit from 24/7
access to online resources through a variety of databases. Some of the most used resources,
accruing to Ms. Stark, are GALE, Proquest, Salem Press, and SIRS. Ms. Stark also said that the
districts Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) was one of their most valued resources and she
mentioned using it every day. Ms. Stark said they were very careful when deciding what
resources are the most useful for students, as they have had to deal with budget cuts. When
adding resources, many factors come into play. As Ms. Stark is responsible for the budget for all
the libraries in the OFA school system, she ultimately makes the decisions as to which resources
are added or removed from the library. Ms. Stark said experience is really how she decides on
resources. That, and knowing her patrons. She looks for a wide verity of resources for her 7-12
library. Students have a wide range of reading levels, so she looks for resources that can be used
by students who struggle with reading and those who are enrolled in multiple AP classes. Ms.
Stark is looking to create a well-rounded catalog that has something for everyone.
Ms. Starks also offered tips when it came to evaluating which resources librarians just
starting out should have. Her first point was to know what teachers were planning on teaching.
By knowing the curriculum ahead of time, she can ensure that she has the appropriate resources
when students come looking for them. Ms. Starks also said she needs to make sure she is up to
date with the latest in fiction as many avid readers often go to the library looking for new books.
She said having connections with YA readers can be incredibly helpful. If not, following certain
threads on popular sites like Amazon and GoodReads can help new librarians decide what to add.
Library book review journals can simplify this process even more! Ms. Stark commented that all
libraries should try to be equipped with the basic databases, such as Proquest and GALE. Lastly,
librarians need to know the technology that goes into using any resource students or faculty
might encounter. It is one thing to have access to these resources, but another to understand how
to use them.
Not all of Ms. Starks reference interactions require going through the database. She said
most of the questions she gets while at the reference desk are about books. Some of the examples
she listed included: Wheres your fiction?, Do you have the next book in this series?, or Do
you remember that book you talked about last week? When asked to explain a recent
interaction, Ms. Starks talked about a tenth grader who was asking about a specific topic. Ms.
Starks explained that she had been helping someone else at the same time so she simply directed
the student to a specific title. When the student came back, claiming to not find the book, Ms.
Starks went over with her and the two were able to find the recommended title. Ms. Starks said
the student seemed frustrated at not having been able to find the book herself, and Ms. Starks
comforted her with a smile and an It happens.
When I asked Ms. Starks which patrons she liked working with the most, she gave me
two answers and a lot to think about. She loves working with students who are avid readers as
they challenge her to know what is the latest and greatest in books. She also loves working with
teachers who understand the value of the library and see it as a vital school resource. It made me
pause and realize that must mean there are some teachers who do not see the library as such.
Perhaps the most helpful topic was her advice for students looking to work in school
libraries. Having the school librarian perspective was something I was really looking forward to.
Ms. Stark listed three areas to focus on while I pursue my degree in librarianship. The first was
the ins and outs of being a librarian. She said understanding how to catalog and maintain
collections, including adding new titles and weeding out out-of-date resources, is an incredibly
important skill to have. Next, she recommended becoming very familiar with state learning
standards, especially the Common Core literature standards. As a school librarian, you
collaborate with teachers a lot, so knowing everything about state standards will help smooth out
that process. Ultimately, Ms. Starks feels that school librarians and teachers are partners in
education and in engaging students in learning experiences. Lastly, she focused on the
importance of having leadership skills. Ms. Starks said serving on decision-making teams is a
great way to hone those skills in school settings, and that is what she does when serving on
various committees. Leadership skill development can be easily overlooked so it was interesting
to have her point out how important it is to have those skills.
Ms. Starks was lovely to talk with. She offered insights into what it really is like to aide
high school students, and that was incredible to learn. As a student in the school media program,
getting to interview someone who is already working in a setting I am interested in was very
useful to me. What really stuck out to me was how she interacts with her students. Ms. Starks
treats them all with kindness, but she does not go easy on them. She will help students more in
the early part of the year, but later, she will only help when needed. I really liked that she wanted
students to learn how to use their library resources on their own. Reference work is always about
helping the patron find accurate information to answer their question, but in schools, librarians
tread a thin line. They need to help their students learn how to access that information
themselves. In my opinion, it is a more complex way of doing reference work. Learning the ways
in which reference work is different for school librarians was very enlightening. While I have
always understood the importance of reference work, this interview really helped me understand
the impact reference has with students.