Comments on: Reference Desk Reverence?

By: Jani

Jani — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:50:01 +0000

You write that librarians are sitting on their butts as though they were doing nothing at all while sitting. Also, your post implies that reference librarians do reference and nothing else. Where I work I do a lot of work on my butt, like design and implement curricula, or process reference statistics, or work on research projects for faculty and admins. Reference is just one part of the job description.

By: charlie cowling

charlie cowling — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:43:13 +0000

This “library immortal,” lol, kind of likes the reference desk. It gives people a fixed point at which to get help. I don’t mind answering routine questions, in part because they make me someone they know, and may feel more comfortable approaching with more “substantial” questions. It is also the case in my experience that what seem like trivial questions can turn out to be anything but.

Dare I say that there seems a certain amount of insecurity and snobbery in the anti-ref desk movement? Like we will be more respectable somehow if we are out and about, doing big important things, and not telling some guy where the potty is?

The one argument I thought in the past made some sense, i.e. that when at the ref desk one missed out on doing other, (more important?) work seems to not hold water so much in an age where I can access my desktop remotely, check email etc, all from the forbidding confines of my reference desk

What the heck is more important anyway than being out on the floor, freely available, as needed, on demand? It’s the ultimate in “just in time” service!

By: acaseforbooks

acaseforbooks — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:16:55 +0000

The closest I’ve ever come to a paging system was when I worked in a library where they had a bell at the circulation desk where they kept the phone. If a clerk answered the phone and the caller needed to speak to a librarian, the clerk would ring the bell and that would summon us from wherever we were in the building. I wasn’t fond of this system, but I’m not sure if that’s because it made me feel more like a waitress or more like a pavlovian dog.

Paging in my current branch wouldn’t work because, as you say, there is always someone who needs help. The librarian at the adult information desk is often the only one in the building. In the children’s room we have signs that we put up several times a day explaining that there is no staff on that floor and to ask for help in the adult room. But sometimes the patrons don’t feel like taking the stairs or the elevator, so they just start yelling until someone comes to help them. So I suppose that’s one kind of paging system we have in effect.

I would improve our reference desk by giving us access to our old catalog system again. Ever since we switched from Dynix to Millennium, we spend an inordinate amount of time staring at the hourglass on the screen. Sometimes the patrons stare at it with us, and sometimes they wander off for a while or even leave the building. And the more popular the book is, the longer it takes. I recently spent about 20 minutes reserving the books in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy for a patron. By the time I reserved the last book, the patron was already out the door and on her way home. There is no way that we can be productive under those circumstances.

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:45:08 +0000

Yeah, my desk is in a spot where people can approach me from behind. It doesn’t happen often, but it certainly makes me turn and look to see if they need help.

What about a paging system? Would you consider that? Or is your library busy enough that paging is impractical since there is *always* someone to help at any given point in time?

And since you vote to keep it, what would you do to improve it?

By: acaseforbooks

acaseforbooks — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:51:55 +0000

I definitely vote for keeping the reference desk, both because our patrons want to know where they can find us and because salespeople who approach me in stores asking me if I need help really annoy me. “Roving reference” might work in a building where several librarians are working in tandem, but at my branch there’s usually only one person covering each floor every hour. Most of the time when I step away from the reference desk for a few minutes because I’m bringing a patron to the shelves or because I’m weeding/shelving/etc., by the time I get back to the desk there’s someone waiting impatiently for me to return.

In our adult room we have a desk with high chairs, so we can either sit or stand while we work. In our children’s room our chairs are lower, which puts us at the level of our younger and shorter patrons. Oh, and at either of those desks patrons can approach us from the front, from the side, or from behind (which gets REALLY annoying!)

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:14:38 +0000

Rich, your reply sounds like one of the most sensible evolutions of the reference desk. It’s a base, it’s a place for people to go to, but it’s also in transition and something that can be taken elsewhere. Not a bad idea at all.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:21:52 +0000

Thanks for starting this discussion. It’s been interesting reading through all the comments. Right now, at mpow, we definitely try to balance a number of different service models, including answering questions at the reference desk (low, on the small side, allows ppl to sit/stand beside us), 1-on-1 appointments, roving (our iPad has been the perfect tool for this), and getting out in the community (speaking for orgs in the area, attending community events). I think the key is to be open-minded and flexible.

By: Lesley

Lesley — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 01:26:21 +0000

If you’re in a small library (as I am), why can’t your main desk be your information desk too? Usually everyone knows where to “check out” — no reason why they can’t ask a question there and later on check out materials in the same place…
We operate on more of a “personal librarian” model; the first person to greet you can answer your questions (whether research or where is the bathroom), recommend a book, help you use a database, or check whether you still have items checked out. It works for us, but we really are small.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:11:40 +0000

Doug, it does cut both ways. There are people who grab me when I go by in the stacks even though they’ve come by the reference desk twice. I find that the approach that works is just a simple greeting works to gauge whether someone needs help or not. That way, I can be friendly without coming across as being nosy or annoying or setting off that “annoying salesman” reaction.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:02:39 +0000

It would have to be a pro/con at the location. But I think it might help people in the stacks where they need it without having to seek out assistance.