Patrons Are People: How to Be A Model Librarian

Library Terms That Users Understand

Library Terms That Users Understand  / John Kupersmith.
California: 2012.

Rethinking How We Help Those Who Don’t Ask

"Rethinking How We Help Those Who Don’t Ask." American Libraries / Meredith Farkas.
Chicago: American Libraries Online, October 23rd 2012.

"For years, my experiences fueled my desire to make the reference desk more approachable. There’s considerable research on library anxiety, and many people see libraries as a place with lots of rules they don’t understand. I still believe in the value of making the library more user-friendly, but I don’t think approachability is the only reason why people aren’t using reference services.

Like me, many people simply want to figure things out for themselves. And when there’s something about the library they don’t understand, they won’t go to the reference desk. They’ll go elsewhere."

The Male Librarian and the Feminine Image: A Survey of Stereotype, Status, & Gender Perceptions

"The Male Librarian and the Feminine Image: A Survey of Stereotype, Status, & Gender Perceptions." Library & Information Science Research / James V. Carmichael.
North Carolina: Elsevier, 1992.

"An individual's sex is identified at birth; the social roles individuals are expected to perform because of their sex relate to gender. The growing corpus of both men's and women's studies provide evidence of a growing awareness of inequities suffered by women throughout history, and the reaction of men who feel similarly trapped by social expectations of them. ... Nearly 60% of subjects confirmed the existence of a male librarian stereotype (see Table III, p. 428). By age group, the largest percentage of affirmative responses received to the stereotype question were in their 20s (81%) and the smallest percentage were 60 or older (44%). By library type, school librarians were more aware of a stereotype than any other group (72%), and special librarians, least aware (53'o). Over 69% of gay men recognized the existence of a stereotype, almost 10% more than the average for the whole sample. These results would suggest a heightened sensitivity to negative stereotyping by those working in the most highly feminized area of librarianship, and by those who have reason to have experienced sexual oppression."

Professional Competencies for Reference & User Services Librarians

Professional Competencies for Reference & User Services Librarians / Reference & User Services Association.
Chicago: RUSA for American Library Association, 2003.

See Also:

Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference & InformationService Providers

Always good to brush up on!

Libraries, Patrons, & E-Books

Libraries, Patrons, & E-Books / Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Washington: Pew Research Center, June 22nd 2012.

"58% of Americans have a library card, and 69% say that their local library is important to them and their family."

"Some Cardinal Principles of Librarians' Work." Public Libraries / Sam Walter Foss.

Chicago, IL: Public Libraries 14 77-81, 1909.

  

“Don't stay in the library all the time yourself and stagnate in the musty atmosphere of your dead books. Be a public and not a private man. Get out and feel the dynamic thrill that comes from contact with live men. The club, the exchange, the street, the philanthropic and economic organizations that are feeling out for the betterment of mankind are the places where the librarian should be found frequently. He should be the best known man or woman in the city.”

Reference is For Librarians

Finding Good Information on the Internet

"Finding Good Information on the Internet." Scientific American / Kevin McCluney.
New York: Scientific American Online, July 16th 2011

Friday At the Library

Hiram College

Friday At the Library

Serendipity is Not Quantifiable

"Serendipity is Not Quantifiable." Tinfoil Raccoon / Rochelle Hartman.
Bloomington, IL: Tinfoil Raccoon, June 7th 2011.

"I got a reference question from a young man yesterday, the likes of which is not on the sheet of tracked reference questions. It was so simple that I was able to answer it off the top of my head. And it was so amazing that it made my heart nearly burst with joy. This is the first week of summer vacation, so we've had a lot of young people in the library. He looked to be high school-aged, but could have been in college. His question?  "Do you have a poetry section?" Since he was student-aged and a boy, I assumed this was a forced march for him, so I asked him if he was looking for something in particular--maybe even a particular poem (which I would have tried to Google for him). "No, I just want to browse."  Just. Want. To. Browse...Poetry?  I kept my cool. I probably smiled a little too broadly, but calmly directed him to 811 and let him do what libraries have let patrons do for decades: provide him with the non-commercial experience of leisurely browsing and discovery."

Special Reference

But why is that poor girl being held hostage?

The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******

"The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******." The Hour Community / Anne Lagacé Dowson.
Montreal: Hour.ca, May 19th 2011.

"Last week I was invited to address a congress of librarians. I discovered all over again why they are some of my favourite people.

There is something subversive about librarians and libraries. The library remains a place where information isn’t bought and sold. Even if you think of them as being fussy and discreet, what librarians do radically empowers ordinary people, enabling them to use information outside the control of elites. ...

In an age of information glut, no algorithm can replace intelligence and analysis. ...

In Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Italy and Finland, there are big national programs to improve school libraries, not close them, as we are doing."

That's a Hard One To Say

Frazz / Jef Mallett

Revamping Reference: The User Experience

"Revamping Reference: The User Experience." Library Journal / Aaron Schmidt.
America: Library Journal Online, May 1st 2011.

"Some librarians are afraid that pro­active reference is bothersome to patrons—too aggressive, a crass retail approach. If done badly, it can be all of those things. Quality reference work takes more than just being able to construct a complicated Boolean search; it takes social intelligence, too. Just the way librarians develop a command of information resources, they should also develop a greater understanding of people."

If Reference is Dead Why Am I So Tired at the End of the Day?

"If Reference is Dead Why Am I So Tired at the End of the Day?" Closed Stacks / The Librarienne.
America: Closed Stacks.com, May 2nd 2011.

"Reference can’t be dead because when I’m on the reference desk, I rarely have a moment’s reprieve.  I’m the young one, and also a distance runner, but I often go home exhausted. If people are using the reference desk, who are we to decide that it’s no longer needed?  Yes, our role is evolving, but it has always done that, and will always do that.  Saying our core function is no longer needed is not something we get to do–that’s up to the library users.

The biggest argument against the reference desk is that people are tech-savvier and don’t need our help as much. Ok, that’s fair, but with increased access to information comes the increased need to filter out good information from bad.  That’s always been our job. ... 

Also, let us not forget that many public library patrons are not tech savvy at all.  Twenty percent of people do not have a computer at home, and the bulk of library users probably grew up with keyboarding and typing classes rather than computer classes.  We’re supposed to be breaking down the digital divide and enabling people to access technology, not shutting them out because they’re not savvy enough to use the library anymore.  Ever seen an old man pick up a computer mouse and aim it at the screen like a remote control?  I have, and I don’t think it’s rude to say that that man will not be taking advantage of ebook downloads."

Happy Reference Librarian

Hazel Andres

That Library Smell

"That Library Smell." PopShifter / Jesse Roth.
America: PopShifter, March 30th 2011.

"It was during this time that I finally discovered the other scents that define what the library is currently.

On a typical day at the reference desk, I get a whiff of a variety of scents, from the pleasant to the wretched. Many times it’s that distinct smell of the unwashed, the downtrodden, who find themselves taking refuge on the street once the library locks its doors for the night. The foul odor is sometimes masked by cigarette smoke or alcohol, but is no less pungent and disconcerting."

See Also:
Are Books Smelly?

Meeting User Needs Checklist

Meeting User Needs Checklist / IFLA.
Netherlands: IFLA , 2005.

A Bibliography.