"A minor gap can lead to major problems" - ethnographic studies on reference

 A lot of ethnographic studies I've seen so far have focused on matters related to the physical space of the library or usability aspects of the library website. So I was happy to come across the ERIAL Project, one aspect of which looked at reference services. Looking through their slides from the RUSA program, I found their summary statements note-worthy (possibly because they resonate with what I've suspected from my own observations and experience - it's always note-worthy when research validates your opinions doesn't it? :) so I thought I'd share a selective excerpt of point here:

• A minor gap in the student’s information literacy knowledge led to a major problem in finding the material
• Small obstacles can lead directly to a failed search, negatively affecting students’ learning outcomes
• Very few students ever seek help from a librarian
• Students don’t understand what librarians do or their role at a university
• Students who have instruction sessions are more likely to seek help from a librarian
• Students will seek help from librarians after a faculty recommendation