Questions and Answers:

In the composition classroom, writing teachers regularly communicate different ideas about library research - a necessary component of the research paper - than reference librarians do. The contradictions confuse the student. And a lack of mutual understanding limits the dialogue between composition teachers and reference librarians. A survey of pedagogical theories about the research process in the composition classroom and the reference library illustrates the discrepancies. Although no one soulution for this rift in communication is possible, understanding the different approaches is necessary to restore the dialogue between the two fields.