Comments on: Reference Je Ne Sais Quoi

By: hephaestion

hephaestion — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:18:00 +0000

I very much agree that giving the customer your focussed attention is essential. I sometimes have as many as 4 phone lines and up to 10 people lined up to ask me questions, and focussing on the person who is next in line can be VERY hard, but I struggle to do so, even as I have to pick up the phone (to keep it from ringing endlessly) to tell the caller that he has about 15 people in line ahead of him. I think library school should have a course in juggling multiple customers/mobs waiting for help.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:36:33 +0000

Great points, Andromeda! There is a certain bonus to doing a little theater with reference. A little banter on my part helps smooth over the search process if I’m having trouble finding it on the computer. And, yes, treating each inquiry with importance is an excellent point. Even if it is some Harlequin bodice ripper.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:33:11 +0000

Agreed, Cindy! Your second story reminds of another lesson: don’t speak libraryese to the patrons! Don’t toss around terms that are understood by you but perhaps not by the public in general. For myself, I tend to do that with the term ILL; so e patrons get confused by it since they think any borrowing from other libraries is ILL (my library is part of a system with multiple locations). So it can get a bit mired when I say that we could try borrowing from other libraries. Take the terminology out and get the parsimony in!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:24:18 +0000

This is an important skill for all librarians – for all customer service people – for all people! (alright I’m getting a little carried away.) I think about my interactions in libraries (other than my own) and in customer service situations and attention and the appearance of your query as a priority are key. The best staff members in my library are those who have an ability to connect with the public. Even if they cannot fully satisfy the request of the person, that person knows they have given the request full attention, have not made a judgement on the relative importance of it and have given it their best shot. That person will come back.
I know there is a tendency, in public service library situations, to mentally construct invisible walls around you; you are in an open public space nearly all the time and this exercise allows you to function on your tasks. But, those walls have to immediately disappear when another person appears.
Another hard skill to obtain is explaining (for the skillionth time) some basic procedure or policy or fact with a fresh approach. I once observed a staff member (granted, a library assistant, because, surely a librarian would never do such a thing!) issue a new library card to an older woman and babble an entire string of do’s and don’ts. After he was done, I noticed her puzzled look and asked “Do you have any questions, ma’am?” and she said “I didn’t understand a single word he just said to me”.

By: Andromeda

Andromeda — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:57:41 +0000

Thinking of some experiences I’ve had at library desks lately, I’d say the je ne sais quoi can at least be triangulated…

* Do more than the minimum. Like yesterday, I was picking up a hold, and I have more books than usual out right now, so I asked if there was a limit to how many books I could check out. She said yes: 150. O_o <– my reaction. She could've just been matter-of-fact, but she joined me in the O_o. This wasn't a question that required intense engagement — literally a one-word answer! — but she still brought some rapport to the table. Similarly, when I picked up part two of a two-book series recently, and the librarian was all excited about book one, and we talked about how great it was while she checked the book out to me.

* Don't, for heaven's sake, slight my request. Like back in May, when I was graduating, right after finals week, I wanted something trashy to read. And the librarians were all, oh, I wouldn't know anything about that kind of book. I mean, they tried to answer my question, but they were very clear that they weren’t the sort of people who would read that sort of thing. And you know what? Neither am I most of the time and yet, screw you.