Blog about Libraries: Reference in the Raw

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Reference in the Raw

The Myth of Multitasking (or The Truth About Multitasking)
Originally uploaded by Tim Morgan.

A while ago I commented on the contradictory messages we managers send to our staff when we require them to bring "off desk" tasks to the public service desks. In my opinion, the effects on public service of having a cart in front of oneself, or of being immersed in a non-patron oriented task are terribly detrimental. We focus on our computer while we compose a message that we want to get just right, we look down and furl our brow as we try to understand something we are reading. In short, we concentrate on the tasks at hand, no matter how "interruptible" we feel they may be.

Now, how does this look to our visitors? From the results of the mystery shopper program I am conducting, the message is that we just don't seem approachable. Sure, we do a great job once the person gets our attention, but from an outsider's perspective, having to actually initiate contact to speak to us sends a pretty important message, that we are either too busy to be interrupted, or that we are at that service point for some reason other than to help people. Furthermore, my gut tells me a good percentage of patrons don't know that we usually have our own workspaces away from the public desk. Many of them probably think we are out there all day long and that only a portion of our time can be spent helping people, the rest of the time being spent on other duties. The proof is in the action of so many patrons who stand patiently by a desk, waiting for the librarian to look up, or who approach tentatively, even offering an apology for the interruption (and by the way, if this happens to you I really hope you are returning the apology for making them ask you for help in the first place).

I am not saying we send these messages or create these perceptions intentionally, but the truth is that a sedentary, passive library service setting, wherein staff wait for questions and/or do other things until a patron approaches us runs the risk of sending exactly those kinds of messages. There is simply no way around that- either you are aware of your surroundings and are looking for engagement, or you are not.

So, with this in mind, I have deemed September "Naked Reference Month" in my department. The idea is that all public desk staff will leave everything behind when they work at our desk. No food, no bookcarts, no stacks of journals to read. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. And there are few ground rules to go along with this:

If it seems boring- walk around, find patrons, spruce up the place, try to drum up some business.
If a staff member needs a break to have a little snack, someone has to provide it. This means we need to pay closer attention to each other- offer breaks, ask if they need help, etc.
If a staff member has a pressing deadline for a project- someone needs to help them make it happen by taking all or part of their desk shift. That includes me, the manager.
Lastly, every staff member needs to think "public first, off desk stuff later".

We will revisit this experiment in the beginning of October. I'm hoping we have some insights that I can share here, too.

NOTE:
The photo above came from Tim Morgan's flickr page.

# posted by Steve @ Saturday, September 09, 2006

Comments:

This is an excellent initiative, Steve! Have you also thought about asking staff to jot down a few thoughts/observations/notes after each shift that you could talk about as a group after the end of "Naked Reference"? I wonder if by writing thoughts down so they're not forgotten, you'll uncover some interesting service opportunities. Sounds like great marketing research of sorts and I look forward to reading about your results (oh, and I'm going to participate too!) :-)

# posted by

Jill : Tuesday, 12 September, 2006

this idea is anti-intellectual, managerial crap. steve, you sit at the desk doing nothing, but with some dumbass smile on your face, waiting for the next blessed patron. i'm not selling tickets to the show. i'm an information provider. i'm a librarian. i develop my skills by reading and poking around, and doing whatever work i believe i need to do. the reference desk is the perfect place for this activity. i will never work for or with you.

# posted by

Anonymous : Wednesday, 13 September, 2006

I agree. I've been at this a long time. I've developed a sixth sense for when someone wants/needs help and when someone wants/needs to be left alone. Besides, we are so short-staffed that everyone is spending an inordinate number of hours on the desk...and when is the rest of the work supposed to be done. I don't live/work in an ideal world, I'm afraid.

# posted by

Anonymous : Wednesday, 13 September, 2006

You are right on when you say that librarians should not take work to the reference desk. This is especially true for older librarians working with younger patrons. I'm an old academic librarian and I've been doing this for a long time. Currently I'm working for a community college. Some of the young people I see in my library have got all kinds of hardware hanging off their noses ears and lips, shaved heads with a top notch and pants hanging dangerously low. Believe it or not a lot of them are really very shy…Very shy and they may have to take guff from their professor but they can very easily the librarian. Especially a busy librarian. Look bored! Look like it would just make your day if someone would ask you a question (hey it would wouldn't it)? Look busy when the college president walks by, but for the students look bored. Greet them when they come by. Not like the greeter at Wall Mart they won't go for that you've really got to engage them. "How's it goin' man"? When that guy with the Mohawk haircut and the ring in his nose comes by you say, "how are you sir"? That's right SIR. He's not expecting that and he will like it. The secret of doing good reference is developing a report with your patrons. This takes time and it takes work. This is the work you need to be doing at the desk.

# posted by

Bruce : Thursday, 14 September, 2006

Although I like the idea of trying this for a short time, to remind ourselves that we should be doing more of this, I will be curious to read your post in October about how well it worked.

I work in a public library. We really have a LOT of different sorts of patrons with different perceptions and expectations. Some want you to look available; others want you to look busy. For instance, when I make myself available (looking up, not reading, etc.) I get comments from patrons like "bored?" or "you have an easy job". When I am busy, I sometimes get the "I hate to bother you" response. It's like a no-win situation. Some patrons like you to look (and be) busy. I think they feel that I am not "wasting taxpayer money" if I am multi-tasking.

Then the flip side is the patrons who want help but don't want to be a "bother".

So even though "naked reference" sounds good, I think the best tactic is to mix it up, day to day, hour by hour. If the area around you is getting more foot traffic, drop what you are doing and focus on the people. If it's quiet, take advantage and get some other work done for a while. Then take a break, and move around to see if you are missing an opportunity. This is also the chance to make sure there is paper in the printer, and books not piled up on the floor, etc. and do some "menial" task. I almost always get "interrupted" when I am doing these sorts of things. And, almost always when I return to the desk, someone has been patiently waiting for me to get back to the desk. You can only do your best.

# posted by

Anonymous : Thursday, 14 September, 2006

I cannot believe you get paid to sit around and blog on the job. Especially this pat-yourself-on-the-back bullshit. Your neck must be amazingly strong to hold a head so inflated upright. Your department must run like a well-oiled, fine-tuned machine if you have time for this. Where do I sign up for library supervisory jobs that pay me $50K-plus to sit around and write a personal blog?

# posted by

Anonymous : Tuesday, 19 September, 2006

Greetings from Utah. Cool blog.

# posted by

Brandon Doyle : Wednesday, 20 September, 2006

First, I find it ironic that someone would wax on about intellectualism but would remain anonymous.

Second, quality public service is not about sitting around with a smile on your face. If you are a good reference librarian who really cares about putting people and information together, you know that good service is not passive. If you think it is, I suggest seeking another line of work.

Third, whether you like it or not you have no choice but to pay attention to the way you are perceived by your patrons. In my library, they also happen to be paying my salary through their tax dollars. So, if you think your time on the public service desk is better spent "poking around" than trying to interact with patrons, then by all means go ahead. Just remember, every moment spent with your head down may also be a moment some patron sees you and thinks your are too busy to help them.

Look, I'm not suggesting that public service librarians should act like mindless greeters or commission based sales people. And I am not suggesting that they cannot explore resources or try to learn more about their craft while on desk (god forbid you would actually learn while helping patrons or actually pursue it on your own time as a professional endeavor). What I do object to is the idea that this work might somehow be as important as helping patrons, which it simply is not.

This project was about barriers that management places between staff and the public. If you think it's too much to ask that my staff be ready to answer questions at all times, then I guess we'll just have to disagree.

# posted by

Steve : Monday, 09 October, 2006

steve, i've spent nearly 17 years manning reference desks in various settings, from academic to public. my service ethic is impeccable and my patrons are usually satisfied (i've got a long list of cookies and compliments to prove it), even the overly polite ones who've asked if they were bothering me, to which my usual answer is, no, i get paid to be bothered.

incidentally, then, steve, how do you explain the virtual reference boom, where the patron can't even see what i'm doing, where i might not even be in a library? being invisible, do we look more inviting? naked reference? yea, i've done that from the privacy of my own home office. how about that? i've answered reference questions actually nude. and got paid to do it.

you can disagree with me all you like. you're wrong. flat out. you don't know what you're talking about. nobody shies away from asking a question they really need the answer to. and i don't care what kind of ridiculous marketing survey results you call up. you are wrong, and have nothing better to do with your life.

what about the moments where i'm actually engaged with a patron and another patron doesn't see me at all. does latter patron just leave, despite the fact that he had an actual question?

screw your mystery shopper results; george bush had more credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction in iraq.

a good reference librarian is always aware of what's going on in his immediate surroundings, no matter what he is doing: purchasing books, tallying statistics, or typing ridiculous messages on some ambitious nincompoop's blog.

where did anybody say that helping patrons was secondary to any other activity conjured up at the reference desk? nowhere. you made it up because you think you're better than the rest of us, that most of us are stupid librarians who have no idea about customer service. in other words, you and your condescending attitude are an insult to the profession and the people we serve.

# posted by

Anonymous : Friday, 13 October, 2006

The ad hominem is not necessary and I am sorry to see it. You are mistaken entirely about this blog and about the author.

# posted by

Steve : Monday, 16 October, 2006

I am so curious how this experiment turned out. I know that when I get up from the desk, walk around and ask people if they need help, they usually say that they do.

I do not have enough off-desk time to get all of my other work done, so I do often work at the desk. I also do often hear patrons apologize for interrupting me, which makes me cringe and I explain that they are not interrupting me...it is my job to help them. You are right though - patrons should never have to apologize for asking a reference question.

At any rate, you have given me a lot of food for thought. Thanks.

Oh, and the person who said that they do naked virtual reference creeped me out. Ewww.

# posted by

Anonymous : Thursday, 07 December, 2006

Someone above said that this is all "managerial crap." I agree, it's similar to the managerial crap that you'll see in commercial organizations-- highly successful ones. But this is managerial crap of the best kind-- you're actually trying to find a way to simplify the demands made on your employees while improving service to the patron. And you're not doing it in this fascist manner that some commenters suggest-- you're testing it. That's all. I would love to know how it turned out.

# posted by

Sara : Thursday, 14 December, 2006