Riley Donelson LIS 520 Assignment 4 3/13/11 Gardening in the Pacific Northwest My user, a co-worker and friend, immigrated

to the United States two years ago from the Philippines. As winter began to wane, she mentioned her desire to begin gardening, but was unsure about gardening in a climate so different from the one she was familiar with in the Philippines. My user is in her thirties, speaks English as a second language, and can read and write English enough to, as she says, get by. She prefers information and resources with pictures and diagrams in addition to text. She is not very comfortable with using the computer beyond checking her e-mail, but she is willing to expand her skills. Our interviews occurred over several lunch breaks, and were brief, but frequent. As it began to snow again after a few days of sunshine and a little warmth, my user expressed her frustration with the mercurial weather changes characteristic of the Pacific Northwest. She mentioned that she had been hoping to start a garden since she and her husband had recently bought a house, but that she couldnt predict the weather and didnt know what she could grow and what time she could start planting. I usually grow a little herb garden each spring and a pot of strawberries, but that is the limit of my knowledge of gardening, and I knew nothing about growing conditions in the Philippines. Before I worked with her again, I brushed up on my gardening terminology so that we could have some of the same vocabulary next time we spoke, and I researched gardening in the Philippines so that I would know the way it was different from the seasons, climates and plants of the Pacific Northwest. This helped me prepare some questions to ask her that would be relevant. Robert S. Taylor writes it may be necessary to call a halt to this initial phase, in order to allow the librarian to make a brief search to determine the extent of the subject(184). Until I knew the scope of the subject, I wouldnt be able to help my user define her needs. After I felt that I knew a little more about general gardening topics and how they related to the Philippines and the Pacific Northwest, I was ready for another interview. I asked some open, conversational questions about her experiences gardening in the Philippines, and we discussed favorite kinds of plants. I learned that she wasnt interested in potted plants or growing fruits or vegetables, and instead wanted to do some landscaping with flowering plants and shrubs. I also learned that in the Philippines she had only grown a few exotic plants in pots, and hadnt maintained an entire yard before. I found that, not only was she unfamiliar with gardening in the Pacific Northwest, she was, like myself, a novice at many aspects of gardening. She had a dream for her yard, but didnt know how to even begin her project. At this point, I felt that it was time to, as Dervin and Dewdney say, assess the situation. I began to ask some neutral questions, such as What is keeping you from beginning your gardening project? This question helped me learn that she felt too embarrassed by her lack of knowledge to go to a nursery, and that she wasnt comfortable searching for help on the internet. Also, she had never used a computerized library catalogue, although her husband had and was willing to help her open a

library card. To clarify her objectives, I asked, What is your vision for your yard? Her answer revealed that she wanted a garden that wasnt too high maintenance, provided visual interest most of the year, and would make the house and yard look less bare. Once I had a better idea of what she was hoping to accomplish, I wanted to know what specific gaps in her knowledge to target. I asked her a neutral question about what she felt she needed to know so that she could begin her project, and she stated that she wanted to know about the climate and planting seasons of the Pacific Northwest. She remarked that she didnt feel comfortable going to a nursery until she knew more about gardening in an area with four distinct seasons. I also asked an open question about her past gardening experiences to gauge the extent of her knowledge. This began a conversation in which I asked some closed questions about specific types of plants and other gardening topics. I learned that she knew about garden techniques such as watering and pruning, but didnt know a lot about fertilizing, soil and pests local to the area. At our next meeting I felt that I had a clearer picture of her information need, but I needed to know what materials she preferred. I asked some closed questions about her level of comfort with books and the internet, and found that, while she didnt want to perform searches on the internet, she wouldnt mind being e-mailed links to recommended websites. Also, while she was still working on her reading comprehension for English, she was comfortable with books, especially those with pictures and diagrams. I then felt that it was time to begin the search process for some resources. When I began my search I had initially planned to find professional reviews of books and use these as a guide, thinking that, as I know little about judging the quality of gardening books, I would need assistance. However, after a few days of reading reviews and not feeling that I was finding the kind of materials my user wanted, I decided to instead use the strategy my user had found helpful: asking for help from a friend. My mother is an accomplished gardener, but is not very comfortable with computers. However, she does have a few favorite gardening websites, and I asked her to send me a list. Many of these were full of helpful pictures and brief, informative blurbs of text. I then tried to pick the sites that were the easiest to navigate, but didnt sacrifice quality for simplicity. I also scanned the Internet for gardening sites to see what resources they recommended. When I saw overlapping between the sites I selected and those recommended online, I e-mailed my user some suggestions. When we saw each other again, I asked her if she had found the sites user-friendly, and she said that, while she certainly wasnt feeling ready to start planting a garden, she felt better about visiting a nursery. I researched local nurseries, and found some that offered free workshops on gardening for people of varying degrees of knowledge. I suggested that my user visit one of these to get inspiration for her project, and to review the list of classes offered. Next, I began to look at the public library for some gardening books. I found several on gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and I looked up some Booklist reviews of these books on Worldcat. One book had a poor review on Booklist, but was highly recommended by gardeners on several websites and forums, and I eventually recommended it to my user. I felt that, while professional reviews were helpful, the advice I most wanted was from avid gardeners. I went to the library to pursue the books, and picked those that I felt best matched her qualifications. These books offered pictures of different native varieties, directions for planting in each zone of the Pacific Northwest, advice on landscape design, and ideas and tips for those embarking on 2

projects. I sent my user a list of titles that could be found at her local library, and she successfully checked out a few of them. To assess the effectiveness of the resources, I asked her some closed questions about which books or websites were most helpful, and neutral questions about the ways she hopes to utilize the new information she has acquired. She informed me that the websites were easier to use than she had thought, and that she has made some Internet searches of her own. I think I may have overwhelmed her with too many book suggestions, but she wisely decided to only check out one or two at a time. She may not be a garden expert yet, but her curiosity and interests are being met, and I am confident that she will be able to accomplish her goals. When we see each other at work, she often mentions plants she has discovered and ideas she has for her yard. As spring approaches, I eagerly await the growth of her garden.

Works Cited Dervin, Brenda and Patricia Dewdney. Neutral Questioning: A New Approach to the Reference Review. RQ. 25. (1986): 178-194. Print. Taylor, Robert S. Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries. College and Research Libraries. 29.3. (1968): 506-513. Print. Resources Recommended Easton, Valerie. Plant Life: Growing a Garden in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books, 2002. Print. Ed. Michael Lascelle. A Place in the Rain: Designing the West Coast Garden, Advice From Over 40 Experts. Vancouver, BC: Whitecap Books, 2004. Print. Great Plant Picks. Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. Hall, Carol W. Guide to Gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008. Print. Kruckeberg, Arthur R. Gardening With Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1996. Print. Lovejoy, Anne. Cascadia: Inspired Gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books, 1997. Print. Pacific Northwest Gardening. Better Homes and Gardens. Web. 12 Mar. 2011 Sky Nursery: Shoreline, WA. Molbaks: Woodinville, WA.