Mistakes and Failures at the Reference Desk.

Abstract

The impact of occupational failures and mistakes is of con cern to every profession. Previous studies have suggested that individuals who provide reference service make mis takes about half of the time. This study, based on data collected through observation and structured interviews, explores the incidence of mistakes and failures by reference staff in an academic library. Three main questions are addressed: (1) what actions or behaviors constitute a mis take or failure? (2) what techniques are used by reference staff to alert each other of mistakes? and (3) do mistakes at the reference desk conform with the typology developed by Bosk in his study of medical mistakes? Results suggest that reference librarians must deal with competing goals and that providing a correct answer may not be the most important goal for every transaction.

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