ABSTRACT
Suggestions can be made in a number of ways. These different ways may have self-presentational and relational repercussions. This chapter examines the construction and interactional implications of suggestions for future action made in the library setting—specifically, the on-line bibliographic database search interview. It describes how librarians and clients make suggestions for future actions in preparing for and conducting an on-line bibliographic database search. The two methods for making suggestions are unilateral and collaborative. The chapter outlines different formats used for making suggestions for future action, shows how the forms in which suggestions are made appear to be differentially distributed between participants, and considers the interpersonal implications for participants of the different formats that they use. The analysis indicates that in the ways that they both shape and respond to suggestions, interactants appear to be sensitive to concerns beyond merely "getting the job done.".
