Approved-By:  "Kara L. Robinson" <KROBINSO@KENTVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.libref-l
Date:         Thu, 17 Dec 1992 19:03:03 EDT
From:         "Gary Klein (bear at heart)" <FAC2813@UOFT01.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Reference class / Christina
              17 Dec 1992 17:36:48 EDT from <PERRYEDW@MAX.CC.UREGINA.CA>

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I cannot believe that I didn't catch the original mention about
proper/effective attire for librarians!

     Rather than trying to relate on attire as a way of making the PATRON
feel comfortable with noticing/approaching the librarian, why not take
on a totally different method of addressing the problem.

     Some will call it "Roller-Ref" others might call it being PRO-ACTIVE.

     Rather than handcuff oneself to the Ref Desk, and wait for people to
approach you, get out from behind the desk and rove around the Ref Dept a
bit.  Although we called it "Reference Rovers" (or some variation therof)
others might equate it to putting on roller skates, going out there, and
seeing who might need help.

     Take a cue from the title of that very popular British television show
that is the rage on PBS stations across the US, "ARE YOU BEING SERVED"!

     "Pardon me, but are you finding the information that you are looking for?"

     That way you don't have to wait for the perplexed people to seek you
out, while they are stressed out!  This is sort of like emergency room
triage -- checking out the condition of people, before their condition
becomes irreversibly fatal.

     And who else, but a librarian would offer help to someone in a library?

     I try making the rounds in the Ref Dept at least twice each hour, and
I do not extend my offers of assistance only to people in one part of the
floor.  Some folks adopt this sort of friendly helping extension service
ONLY with the electronic resources, leaving the paper based patron to
hunt down a librarian, while the electronically confused person gets
table side service.

     That is an absolute NO NO in my book!  Treat all patrons alike, when
it comes to PRO-active offerings of assistance.  Obviously if you are swamped
at the desk, those people come first.

     As far as reading material goes, some of my colleagues have outright
discriminated against me in the past for reading E-mail from the Ref Desk
(declaring it illegal), but encouraging me to bring books & magazines to
the desk for those slack times of the day!

     Who the hell cares if it is electronic or paper, and Why?

     I always try looking up at periodic intervals, and looking around the
Ref Dept for people who MIGHT be in need of assistance.  Sure SOMETIMES I
didn't look up fast enough, or got hung up in e-mail-land, but I have seen
PLENTY of librarians (in various libraries around the continent) who were
so engrossed in their professional reading, that they didn't know that
someone was at their desk for over a minute!

     Hey, we are all human.  You might drool over an article about Camus,
while I get stuck on e-mail about the pharmaceutical industry.  SAME THING
just a different form.  It happens to all of us (and sometimes even
to the Head of reference, but it is hard to make turn-about fair play)!

     IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MY VIEWS ABOUT ATTIRE, then I might do it if
enough people ask me to!

"Not your average Leathered Librarian"
      * * * *          Gary Klein,   Business Librarian,  Univ of Toledo
       *   *                     P.O.Box 12650 / Toledo OH 43606
        * *            WORK: 419-537-2629             HOME: 419-243-2740
         *             BITNET:   fac2813@uoft01        FAX: 419-537-2726
  B4 t+ w- g s+ k             INTERNET: fac2813@uoft01.utoledo.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: (no subject given)