Face-Work in Chat Reference Encounters

Presented by Marie L. Radford

andLynn Silipigni Connaway

Library Research Round TableJune 24, 2006

ALA, New Orleans, Louisiana

Presenters• Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.

– Associate Professor,– Rutgers University, SCILS– Email: mradford@scils.rutgers.edu– www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mradford

• Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.– Consulting Research Scientist– Email: connawal@oclc.org– www.oclc.org/research/staff/connaway.htm

• Grant Website: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/synchronicity

Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives

• $1,103,572 project funded by:

– Institute of Museum and Library Services

• $684,996 grant

– Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and OCLC Online Computer Library Center $405,076 in kind contributions

Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives

Project duration10/1/2005-9/30/2007

Four phases:I. Focus group interviews*II. Analysis of 1,000+

QuestionPoint transcriptsIII. 600 online surveys*IV. 300 telephone interviews*

*Interviews & surveys with VRS users, non-users, & librarians

Phase I: Focus Groups

• 7 so far– 4 with non-users– 2 with VRS librarians– 1 with VRS users

• 3 more to come– 3 more with VRS users

Phase II: 24/7 Transcript Analysis• Generated random sample

– July 7, 2004 through June 27, 2005– 263,673 sessions– 25 transcripts/month = 300 total

• 256 usable transcripts – Excluded system tests & technical problems

• 226 of these analyzed for today’s presentation

Classification Methodology

Qualitative Analysis– Development/refinement of category

scheme– Careful reading/analysis– Identification of patterns

– Theoretical framework from Erving Goffman (1967)

Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior (1967)

Erving Goffman1922-1982

Essay:

“On Face-Work: An analysis of Ritual Elements in Social Interaction”

Face-Work

“Much of the activity occurring during an encounter can be understood as an effort on everyone’s part to get through the occasion and all the unanticipated and unintentional events that can cast participants in an undesirable light, without disrupting the relationships of the participants”

(Goffman, 1967, p. 41)

Face Defined

• Positive social value person claims

• Self-image in terms of approved social attributes

Establishing Face

• Face is located in flow of events– Feelings about face reinforced by

encounters

– If better face is established – feel good

– If expectations not fulfilled – feel bad or hurt

– Neutral experience – expected, not memorable

Positive Face

• One can…–Have face

–Be in face

–Maintain face

–Give face

–Save face

Librarian Facilitators

Librarian

89

274

600

141 92

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

GreetingRitual

Defference RapportBuilding

ClosingRitual

NonverbalCues

User Facilitators

Users

33

283

464

98 81

050

100150200250300350400450500

GreetingRitual

Defference RapportBuilding

ClosingRitual

NonverbalCues

Librarian and User Facilitator Comparisons

Facilitators

89

274

600

14192

33

283

464

98 81

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

GreetingRitual

Defference RapportBuilding

Closing Ritual NonverbalCues

Librarian

Users

Wrong Face

• One can also…– Be in wrong face

– Be out of face

– Both result in feeling shame & inferior

• Poise is ability to conceal shameface

• In wrong face, can still be confident if others hide this from you

Librarian Barriers

Librarian

59

83

0

10

20

30

4050

60

70

80

90

Negative Closure Relational Disconnect

User Barriers

Users93

48

0102030405060708090

100

Negative Closure Relational Disconnect

Librarians and User Barrier Comparison

Barriers

59

8393

48

0102030405060708090

100

Negative Closure Relational Disconnect

Librarian

Users

Expectations

• To maintain an expressive order– regulates the flow of events

• To go to certain lengths to save face of others & themselves– Otherwise seen as cold, heartless, ruthless.

• To do this “willingly & spontaneously because of emotional identification” with others & their feelings

Kinds of Face-Work

• Rituals – Greetings & Farewells

• Corrective Process – Repair & Apology

• Avoidance Process– Prevent Threats to Face

• Poise – Control Embarrassment

Face-Work in Chat

• Goffman provides a powerful way to frame analysis of chat encounters.

• Face, face-work, & line of participants are located in flow of the transcript (event).

• Analysis identifies instances of face-work.

• Major categories – see handout.

Transcript Reading

• Positive VRS experience– Duration = 1 hour 11 minutes– Academic User– Question – Boston drug company - diabetes– Relational Work– Enthusiastic user– Helpful librarian

• Less than positive VRS experience– Duration = 39 minutes– Middle school or high school student– Question – physics – car acceleration– Poor reference work– Extreme negative closure

Positive Transcript Example

U Where can I find the leading drug companies in boston doing diabetes treatment / prevention R&D?

L I can probably give you a few sources to get started, but I may wind up referring you to a business and/or medial librarian specialist.

L Let's start witht eNortheastern library web page...

U ok great thanks

L OK. I'm going to try the "co-browse" option -- that might let us see the same information at once...(if it's working!)

U wonderful

L since what you want to find are drug companies, I'll try to get you into a busienss database...

U perfect thank you

L Sorry, I thought there was a way you could search by sic code and get a ranked list of companies in a certian code.

U thats alright, seemed liek you were on the right track

Positive Transcript Example

Negative Transcript Example

U Which way is ur car accelerating when you’re thrown forward after hitting another bumper car?

L Is this a homework question.

L I'm not an expert on driving so I really can't answer that

U can u find a website or something

L I'm not sure what you are asking.

Negative Transcript Example

U …hello?

L I really don't understand how I can answer that for you.

U can i hav another librarian

L The information you gave you me does not help me find any resources to help you.

Endnotes

• This is one of the outcomes from the project Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives.

• Funded by IMLS, Rutgers University and OCLC, Online Computer Library Center.

• Project web site: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/synchronicity/

Questions

• Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.– Email: mradford@scils.rutgers.edu– www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mradford

• Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.– Email: connawal@oclc.org– www.oclc.org/research/staff/connaway.htm