Mediation in
librarianship &
information
retrieval
Reference interview
Searchers as intermediaries
in information retrieval
© Tefko Saracevic
1
Mediation definition
Encarta dictionary:
1. intervention to settle a
dispute
“the intervention by a third party
between two sides in a
dispute in an attempt to help
them reach an agreement.”
2.
action as medium
“PSYCHOLOGY the action a
medium that transfers
something from one place to
another”
Thesaurus:
arbitration, intercession, conciliation,
intervention, negotiation
© Tefko Saracevic
2
Definitions (cont.)
Mediator:
A person who intervenes in the
information search process of
another
Informal mediators: friends, family …
Formal mediators: librarians, teachers
…
Professional mediation involves
diagnosing the user’s problem
and identifying what
interventions would be helpful
© Tefko Saracevic
3
Fit?

None of the dictionary
definitions really fits, even
though elements are there
– this is often the case when general
terms are appropriated in science,
professions, technology
 think “windows,” “media”

A standardized definition for
“mediation” in IR & searching
has not yet emerged, so we will
make one
– however the notion and practice is
long standing
– it has achieved more importance,
exposure & explication since use
with technology
© Tefko Saracevic
4
Mediation in
searching
 “literature”
= recorded knowledge
in many forms
 Main
role of searchers is to
be an effective interface
between users & literature
 Mediation is a qualified dialog
& discourse between a
searcher & user to determine
the information needs of a
user and act according to
that in the above role
 Mediation is both a
communication & a related
intervention process
© Tefko Saracevic
5
Role of mediation

Mediation involves a number of
things
– diagnosis
 helping a user to clarify the
information need
– searching: presenting the need to
a system & results to user
– counseling, explaining
 among others, helping in evaluating
output
– elimination of ambiguity, reducing
vagueness
– influencing attitudes

Meeting user-expectations
– involving the user during the
process

Base: effective communication*
© Tefko Saracevic
6
Processes
 In
reference:
reference interview
– long standing concern
– a basic & major professional
skill of librarians
– literature mostly prescriptive,
some theories from
communication
 In
information retrieval (IR):
question analysis
user-intermediary
interaction
– connected with humancomputer interaction (HCI)
– also prescriptive, theories from
HCI & cognitive science
© Tefko Saracevic
7
Reference interview
 Broader
context:
Interview and interviewing
as treated in a number of
fields
– theories from communication
 interpersonal, social interaction
– theories and practices from
sociology - among main
methods
– theories and practices from
journalism
– ethical concerns
© Tefko Saracevic
8
Reference interview ...
 Dyadic
& (usually) face-toface, by phone or chat
 Reference interview
characteristics:
– purposive by both participants
 user has goal, searcher has goal
– restricted to given subject(s)
– relies on questions - answers
for diagnosis
– situation bound; social
encounter
– possible counseling aspects
– connected to informational
outcome
 level, quantity, type ...
– user evaluates encounter,
outcomes
© Tefko Saracevic
9
Variables
 Same
characteristics at hand
in all mediation
 A number of variables
involved in mediation
– meaning that there are many
elements that are capable of
changing & varying
– and that they affect outcome
 These
are the elements that
the searcher has to consider
– “worry about” & deal with to
positively affect the outcome
 Mediation
may be subject to
communication accidents &
failures
© Tefko Saracevic
10
Elements to worry about
User
 Problem, task
 Inf. need
 Knowledge
 Intent
 Demographics
Searcher
 Comm. skills
 Knowledge
– subject
– inf. resources


Affective
Intent
Library
• Inf. resources
• Situation, set-up
• Policies, rules
Results - outcomes
• Effectiveness, validity, reliability
© Tefko Saracevic
11
Diagnosis
 What
is user’s information
need?
 Taylor’s classification of
information needs:
– Visceral - unexpressed
 user has a need but it is vague
– Conscious - within mind
 user has a relatively well formulated
need in mind
– Formalized – statement
 user has expressed the need in a
statement, question, example
– Compromised - as presented
 user has presented a need to a
system – query
 Searcher
© Tefko Saracevic
has to analyze them
12
Diagnosis questions
 Types
of questions asked:
– Closed questions
 “Do you want articles in English
only?”
 ‘yes - no’; ‘this-that’ answers
– Open questions
 ‘tell me more about project ...”
 elicits descriptive answers &
encourages user to talk
– Neutral questions
 getting the background situation
(how the information need was
generated), the gap or missing
piece of understanding, and the
uses, or how the user plans to
use this information
© Tefko Saracevic
13
Role of questions answers
 Clarify,
expand, and perhaps
repair the need or question
as it is initially presented by
the user
 Provide basic information for
user modeling
 Prepare for selection of files
or resources
 Establish user priorities &
evaluation criteria
 Prepare for translation of
need, question into an
appropriate query or queries
 Do a good job
© Tefko Saracevic
14
Art of interviewing
purposive social interaction
Situational factors
– setting, physical environment
– rules, regulations, ethics
– appearance, demeanor
Communication skills
–
–
–
–
–
semantics; language
expression, delivery
nonverbal communication
turn taking
encouragement; backchannels
Social factors
– establishing confidence
– rapport
© Tefko Saracevic
15
Interviewing ...
Strategies
– progression in stages
– opening moves
 setting an agenda, stage
– exploration, guidance
– maintaining focus. re-focusing
– feedback, re-iteration
– closure
Content, questions
– from categories in other slides
– role of explanation of choices
© Tefko Saracevic
16
Counseling,
enabling
 Users
often do not have
– well defined problem
– well expressed or specific
question
– ideas what inf. or resources
exist or may be useful
– what to do next, as to
information or sources
 Counseling:
– help in definition, focusing
– advice on action
 Enabling:
– instruction on use, technology,
structure of resources ...
© Tefko Saracevic
17
IR - problems
addressed (reminder)
Objective: provide the users
with effective access to &
interaction with information
resources.
1. How to organize inf.
intellectually?
2. How to specify search &
interaction
intellectually?
3. What systems &
techniques to use for
those processes?
Searcher = intermediary
© Tefko Saracevic
18
Mediation in IR
 Dyadic
model (direct)
Interface
User
 Triadic
Computer
model (indirect)
User
(human interface)
© Tefko Saracevic
Interface
Intermediary
Computer
19
Elements to worry
about
 ‘Computer:’
– stands for a number of things
 hardware, software
 inf. resources; meta information
 Interface:
– inf. to & from computer
– commands, display, navigation
 User:
– factors as in previous slides
– visualization
 Intermediary:
– acts as additional interface
– factors as in previous slides
© Tefko Saracevic
20
Roles of
intermediaries
Traditional
 mastering
– interfaces
– databases
– technology


searching for
users
diagnosis
– as in reference


counseling
packaging &
delivery of
results
© Tefko Saracevic

Evolving
(due to rise in
end-users)
mastering
– networking





instruction
assisting
guiding
enabling
inf. resources
– selection etc.

system administration
21
Discourse in IR


In IR, interview is involved (as in
reference interview), but there is
more
There is a discourse about a
number of things
– goes through several stages
– involves more then question-answer

Searcher is also an intermediary
between user & system
– could be considered as a human
interface
– technology plays a role

Intermediary & user ask
questions, provide explanations,
answers, guide, evaluate …
© Tefko Saracevic
22
Stages in user intermediary discourse
 Presearch
–
–
–
–
opening gambit; socialization
modeling of user
file, resourse selection
explanations by intermediary
 Online
–
–
–
–
interview
search interaction
tactical maneuvering; changes
terms, search tactics; db
feedback; reiteration - dynamic
explanations by both parties
 Closure
– closing downdrift
– focusing on output; evaluation
– delivery; advising - next steps
© Tefko Saracevic
23
What are they
taking about?
User problem, task
Request, inf. need
Expectations

Context

Terminology

System
explanations

Search tactics Selection, variation
Concepts & terms
Boundaries
Restrictions
How, what, when ..
Features, files, resources
– terms, logic, files
Mistake correction
© Tefko Saracevic
24
What are they talking
about? (cont.)

Review &
relevance

Actions

Backchannels

Social/
extraneous
© Tefko Saracevic
Review, evaluation
– tactics, terms,
sources ...
Relevance judging
Feedback
Description of
activities
Explanations
Communication
prompts, fillers,
acknowledging ..
Social discourse
Formalities
25
Terminological
imperative
 What
was the topic most
involved in discourse?
 Studies show that aspect
related to terminology was
discussed more than any
other topic
–
–
–
–
–
meaning of terms
categories, related terms
what terms to use in queries
validation of terms
appropriate vocabulary
 Why?
Most important in
query formulation
 At the end, searching is
about language
© Tefko Saracevic
26
Conclusions
 Mediation:
a complex
process
 Requires varied knowledge &
skills of intermediaries:
–
–
–
–
communication, interviewing
diagnosis, counseling
inf. resources, meta inf.
systems, networks
 Intermediaries
role changing
 In IR: terminological
imperative
– most talked & asked is about
terms & vocabulary
 But:
GREAT FUN &
SATISFACTION
© Tefko Saracevic
27
YESSSSSSSSSSS!
© Tefko Saracevic
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