There are no "right" answers for many of these questions.
Working with people requires good skills and good judgement.
Discuss the questions with your supervisor or other staff members to learn how things work
in your library.Approachability
Walk around the reference area of your library. How well does the area
meet the following suggestions for approachability?
- Provide an appropriate setting:
- Maintain privacy
- Eliminate physical barriers
- Reduce desk clutter
- Lower distracting noise levels
Model behaviors
- Print the Model Reference Behaviors Checklist if you haven't already done so.
- For a period of one week, monitor your behavior while working with patrons. Work through
the Model Behaviors Checklist.
- Which behaviors are already part of your routine?
- Which behaviors do you need to incorporate into your interactions with patrons?
- Record the spoken questions or instructions used when working with the patron.
- Discuss your results with your supervisor.
Barriers
An interesting exercise is to bring a friend into your library to look
around with a new perspective. Choose someone who doesn't often use the library. Ask for
reactions on the general atmosphere, signs, lights, arrangement, and ease of finding
things.
[5.14]
Age groups
Talk to staff in your library who work with children. Ask them what they
do differently when working with children and what they consider the most important thing
to remember when working with young people.
Different cultures
Locate statistics (library statistics, census information, demographics
from local Chamber of Commerce, etc.) on the percentage of people in your town from a
different culture, or ESL (English as a Second Language) patrons.
Telephone and email
- What is your library's policy/procedure for telephone reference, call backs, priority of
in-person versus phone patrons, or other telephone situations?
- Does your library use email for reference and/or as follow-up for other forms of
reference? What are the guidelines? Are privacy and confidentiality covered in the
guidelines?
Tricky situations
What is the procedure in your library for handling many people? Do you
work with patrons and also take calls? If you can't answer a question completely do you
call back later? If you're not sure, talk to other staff members about the ideas suggested
here.
ORE on the Web, Ohio Library Council, 2008.
See Copyright-Credits at http://www.olc.org/ore/supervisor.htm#credits for
information regarding design, source of materials, and for use of the site.
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