Robert S Taylor Background Information: Robert Taylor has worked at both Lehigh and Syracuse Universities. His positions at Lehigh university included: Librarian, Director of the
Library Center and Professor of Language and Communications. At Syracuse University he held the positions of Professor and Dean. Additionally, he has published articles in the area of
‘user studies’ and is known for his ‘value added approach’ to information services. His awards include the 1972 (ASIS) Best Information Science Book, and he was appointed a Fulbright
Lecturer in1965. He also held the office of ASIS President in 1968. Mr. Taylor is currently 82 years old.

This paper deals with the process of asking a question and the ensuing negotiation process. Taylor points out that one of the purposes of this article is look at the question-negotiation
process at a "point closer to fact," and that more research into this process could be done in order to expand on the current knowledge base.

Per Taylor information seeking in the library can take on two forms

   1.working through the human intermediary- the reference librarian
   2.self help, where the user interacts with the library and its components.

In the self help model the user often, according to the author, mills around unsure of what it is they are looking for, or uncertain of what tools are available to help them find the
information they are seeking. In short, assumes that the user is not familiar with a library.

The challenge being brought to light is: "How can a librarian help the library patron when the inquirer has an ill defined question?" Throughout the article, there are excerpts provided
from interviews with "special librarians," as opposed to academic or public librarians, because it is thought, per Taylor, that these librarians deal with meaningful questions , the inquirers
usually know what an acceptable answer is, and the librarian usually must understand and ‘negotiate’ the question.

Taylor tries to enlighten us with a model of an inquiry. He suggests that an inquiry is more than a single event, but instead a dynamic process, or "a micro-event in a shifting non-linear
adaptive mechanism". Basically the inquirer changes the question as he searches for a result. One of the important statements made by Taylor is that a query is "not a command as in
conventional strategy by rather a description of an area of doubt in which the question is open ended, negotiable and dynamic."

Taylor suggests that the information seeker goes through several steps before he even reaches the library. First he may go to the literature or search his own files; then he may consult
with a colleague. The author suggests this questioning process can only take place if the inquirer has analyzed the question sufficiently enough to look through the files or confront a
colleague. Secondly, the inquirer decides to pursue the library. The author makes the distinction that arriving at the library can occur in several ways such as by telephone, letter, or face
to face interview.

When the patron arrives at the library, "the librarian is an interlocutor, between the inquirer and the system."

Taylor then moves onto describing the four levels of questions:

        1.Q1:"The actual , but unexpressed need for information(the visceral need)". Per the author the question is more of a need and has not yet developed into a question and
          thus will change through investigation/analysis.
        2.Q2:The conscious, within-brain description of the need (the conscious need) At this point the author suggests that the inquirer asks the question of another individual,
          usually in the form of a stream of consciousness form with the hope that:

          a) his colleague will understand the ambiguities

          b) these ambiguities will gradually disappear

        3.Q3:the formal statement of the need(the formalized need)
        4.Q4:The question as presented to the information system( the compromised need)The inquirer must adapt the question to accommodate the available resources (i.e. books,
          reports, paper, drawings, table)

The author suggests that it is the librarian's job to help deal with the compromised question or answer the question with the resources available in/to the library and help the inquirer get
back to answering the (Q3) formalized question through a fruitful search strategy.

Information from the interviews suggests that there are five filters that a question passes through from which a librarian can derive information to help formulate a search strategy. These
are as follows:

   1.determination of subject: helps provide some delineation of the subject area.

The example given is that of making a distinction between the terms biomedicine, genetic, and DNA. Through dialog, it is suggested the subject is better defined. Through clarifying
questions such as " Is this what you mean?" the librarian can get a better idea of the question. The author suggests that the phrase ‘put it in writing,’ often used to help an inquirer focus
a question, comes from a faulty model since you get no feedback from writing.

2.) objective and motivation: helps the librarian the point of view or the angle at which the question is being presented

The author suggests that those who are not involved in the negotiation process do not participate in the negotiation process, because they believe

        a.they know what they want
        b.know more than the librarian
        c.are aware of the search strategies necessary to satisfy their need

   1.personal characteristics of inquirer

     This filter determines what question should and might be asked, because it is dependent on factors such as: the inquirer's experience with the library, his/her background, and
     his/her knowledge of the subject matter .

     From the librarian’s perspective, it is helpful to have some familiarity with the person. For example: is the inquirer at ease or do they feel that someone is looking over their
     shoulder? It also may be important to know the intent. Who is this search intended for, the VP of a company or a researcher?

   2.relationship of inquiry description to file organization

     The author states that the inquirer is generally not familiar with the sources available to him.

     The author makes analogy to chess where the librarian knows the rules of the game, while the usual inquirer doesn't know how to play.

   3.anticipated or acceptable answers.

Essentially, the user comes to library with a preconceived notion of an acceptable answer. Understanding what is an acceptable answer can be an important filter to comprehend.

The author suggests that the filters and their related problems are obvious and familiar to librarians, but the concept may not necessarily have made concrete previously. Taylor also
makes another important distinction between a command and a question. The author states that a command is similar to Q4 and is constrained by the rigid system and by the specific need
'assumed' by the inquirer. A question is more like Q3, or even Q2, and is more ambiguous, therefore requiring feedback from the system or from a colleague in order to get an answer.

When this paper was written in 1968, Taylor points out that most subject naming systems offered a more object oriented approach. A description of the resource, a book, for example, was
offered, but little or no help was provided for subject definition. Taylor focused on the fact that feedback from a system is very useful because it provides the user with subject
alternatives.