Can Just Anyone Do Public Service

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Can Just Anyone Do Public Service?!?

• Core Competencies for Public Service Librarians

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RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance

• Provide general guidelines applicable to any type
  of reference interaction as well as
• Guidelines specific to face-to-face encounters
  and
• Guidelines specific to telephone, email chat
  reference transactions where traditional verbal
  and non-verbal cues do not exist.

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Guideline 1 Approachability

• Make the patron feel comfortable and at ease
• Online services Place contact info in prominent
  locations dont use jargon adjust your language
  to the situation ex., less formal for IM than
  for email reference

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Levels of Service

• Most libraries have policies that state that the
  same level of service will be provided regardless
  of the mode of interaction.
• Patrons may have legitimate reasons for
  preferring one over another.

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Guideline 2 Interest

• Its hard to show genuine interest with all those
  thoughts running through your head.
• RUSA stresses eye contact (word contact for
  remote service), focusing attention on the
  patron, appearing unhurried, making QA policies
  clear.

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3. Listening / Inquiring

• The librarian must be effective in identifying
  the patrons information needs and must do so in
  a manner that keeps patrons at ease.

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4. Searching

• Find out what the patron has tried encourage
  patrons ideas
• Construct and explain the search strategy, the
  sources, and how to use them when appropriate
• Work with patron to narrow/broaden the topic as
  needed

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Attempts to conduct the search within the
patrons allotted time frame

• OK this one can be tough, as can offers
  detailed search paths and names of resources so
  that patrons can learn to answer similar
  questions on their own.

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Guideline 5 Follow-up

• Roving is one way to follow-up with patrons.
• Encouraging them to return to the desk, email
  again, etc. are other ways.
• And dont forget referrals.

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What we did with the guidelines

• Reviewed them as a group
• Made revisions to suit our environment
• For ex., we deleted the part in italics here
  Acknowledges patrons through the use of a
  friendly greeting to initiate conversation, and
  by standing up, moving forward, or moving closer
  to them.

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Can just anyone do public service? Yes -- if
the person has

• the desire
• the training skills
• the patience
• the right attitude
• a relatively small ego, yet plenty of confidence

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A note from our sponsor

• Thanks to Dewey (the YA librarian), the Unshelved
  comic strip and Overdue Media
  http//www.overduemedia.com/
• Now its your turn.
• Thanks!
• Jan Lewis, Head of Reference Interim Associate
  Director
• Joyner Library, East Carolina University
• Greenville, NC