User-computer-librarian interaction in end-user online searching

This paper reports on a study of user-librarian interaction within the context of end-user searching. In end-user searching, unlike a mediated searching situation, interaction between librarians and users may occur whenever users encounter problems during an information retrieval search. Given this situation, users' behaviors before and after their interactions with librarians deserve further attention as does the nature of the interaction itself. The data were collected by observing user-librarian interactions and by interviewing a user and a librarian. The observation data involved 35 cases and 7 librarians. Following the grounded theory method, field notes and interview transcripts were segmented into small thematic units, and three major categories were identified: user anxiety, librarian role conflict, and gap in assistance. Five different types of user-computer-librarian interactions were identified, which account for the diverse patterns of these interactions and their outcomes in the end-user online searching environment.