Selling the Library from the Reference Desk

Abstract

Many library directors and administrators spend a significant portion of their time attempting to market the library and its services. Getting patrons into the library and keeping their business is an integral part of the day-to-day management of the library. This mission, however, is not always effectively passed on to the front lines to the one group of people who face the patrons on a daily basis -the reference librarians.

This article will show how the library's service points can be used as marketing tools; outline what librarians and public service staff should know about their library; and discuss ways in which reference service librarians can help further the library's marketing and public relations goals.     

Healing After the Unpleasant Outburst

Summary

Library personnel encounter angry library users regularly at various service points. Unpleasant incidents are detrimental to library staff attitudes and morale, and may have a lasting effect on the library staff member. This article describes techniques to lessen the impact of an emotional outburst of a library user and decrease the library staff member's recovery time from the incident.     

Positioning the Library

Abstract

As environments become more challenging and resources decline, a library must position itself strategically within the university. This article provides twenty-three ways to improve the library's image on campus and to position the library for future success. Following these recommendations will enable the library to become a positive force in campus life and to establish its centrality to the academic mission.     

Redesigning library orientation for first-year medical students during the pandemic

Background:Prior to 2020, library orientation for first-year medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine took the form of an on-site treasure hunt competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the orientation for the MD class of 2024 was shifted to an all-virtual format. This shift mandated a full redesign of the library orientation.Case Presentation:The Samuel J. Wood Library sought to preserve the excitement and fun of the treasure hunt in the new virtual format. The competition was redesigned as a Zoom meeting using breakout rooms, with library faculty and staff serving as team facilitators. Tasks were rewritten, shifting the focus from the library''s physical spaces to its virtual services and online resources. The redesigned orientation was evaluated using two data sources: a postsession survey of student participants and a debriefing of the library employees who participated. Student evaluations were positive, while the faculty and staff provided numerous suggestions for improving future virtual orientations.Conclusions:A successful virtual library orientation requires careful preparation, including testing the competition tasks, full rehearsal with library facilitators, and a thoughtful approach to technology and logistics. We have chosen to share the materials we developed for other academic health sciences libraries that may wish to take a similar approach to their own virtual orientations.     

Social Media Marketing: Determining and Comparing View of Public Library Directors and Users

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The present study aims to determine and compare the views of directors and users of public libraries on the use of social media for the marketing of library services.

Methodology: Data collection was done through two researcher-made questionnaires, one from the viewpoints of directors and one investigating the views of users. The questionnaires’ validity was done by four libraries and Information Science professionals, and the reliability was determined by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The statistical population of this research is made up of all directors and users of 12 public libraries of the city of Isfahan, one of the largest cities in Iran.

Findings: In users’ viewpoints, the “interaction capability” is the most important feature that social media marketing can have in libraries. From the viewpoints of the directors, “creating a true picture of the role of the library” and “informing users about library services” are among the most important reasons for the marketing of libraries in the social media. From the perspective of both groups, the Telegram is the most appropriate medium for the marketing of library services.

Results: To maintain their customers and their market position, libraries need to use more exciting tools such as social media for marketing. Library directors of this study emphasized on this fact and 79.1% of users expressed interest in receiving library information through social media.

Value: The findings of this study would help the library directors to better decide on the marketing of their library services in social media.

Type of the study: Scientific-Research     

Collaboration Between Distance Education Faculty and the Library

Abstract

At a university with no centrally administered distance education (DE) program, the library is faced with the challenge of not only identifying but also supporting a rapidly increasing number of disparate DE initiatives. In this environment, a one-size-fits-all approach to inviting and encouraging faculty collaboration in the integration of library research into the DE curriculum was not sufficient. This presentation will discuss various methods used at one university to increase the level of collaboration between the library and distance education (DE) faculty.     

Finding the Balance in Online Library Instruction: Sustainable and Personal

ABSTRACT

The UCF Libraries are continually developing new forms of library instruction to meet the needs of a growing student body with the same number of librarians. These efforts attempt to find the balance between impersonal online tutorials and time-intensive embedded librarianship. The pros and cons of each model employed at our growing university are discussed, along with strategies to identify and implement sustainable library instruction in an academic library.     

Reference Services and Collection Development Faculty Outreach Through the Campus Network

Abstract

Effective reference services and collection development in a small academic library depend upon collaborative planning and performance by the entire library staff. Coordination of library activities and understanding of the library and college mission are the foundations of a program responsive to the needs of the college community. Partnerships between the library and classroom faculty ensure that curricular needs are satisfied through activities as diverse as bibliographic instruction and materials acquisition. Traditional interactions have been greatly enhanced through rapid advances in telecommunications, offering librarians additional tools for faculty outreach.     

Journals of the Century in Psychology

SUMMARY

Electronic resources are one of the last collections in a public library to receive attention for usage and for promotions. Oftentimes their statistics go unnoticed as well. An effort is needed to consciously study, track, and evaluate the usage of these resources. Then a library can focus on educating the staff and patrons regarding the existence and use of these resources. This paper details the steps involved in initiating, conducting, and financing a marketing campaign for education and promotion of electronic resources for a public library.     

Electronic Reserves: A Centralized Approach to the Scanning Process

ABSTRACT

Electronic reserves are being offered at colleges and Universities across the country creating an opportunity for collaboration between the library units of academic libraries. Library units with course reserves in medium and large academic libraries can capitalize on the benefits working with a centralized scanning unit, thus consolidating the scanning process of electronic reserves processing. The cooperation between library units to provide better service results in a positive relationship between course instructors, students, and the library.     

Reference Librarians Speak for Users: A Learning Commons Concept That Meets the Needs of a Diverse Student Body

ABSTRACT

This article describes creating a learning commons at a main campus library.     

The After-Five Syndrome: Library Hours and Services for the Adult Learner

Summary

“Communication” is the key to providing appropriate library hours and services for adult learners, students twenty-four years of age and older. This report of a survey at Western Oregon University shows that while there are some differences, the needs of both adult learners and traditional students may be similar. Both groups have a need for a variety of library hours, especially evening and weekend hours, and for remote access to both library collections and services.     

Library as the Technology Hub for the Health Sciences

Abstract

Academic health sciences libraries have an important role in facilitating the use of technology in health sciences curricula. Serving as a technology hub, the library supports, advocates, and provides access to new technologies. The library introduces many faculty and students to new technology tools, techniques, and equipment for new multimedia creation. As the technology hub grows and expands, library personnel can provide expertise, which demonstrates the library's value in leading the exploration of new technology, including Do-It-Yourself multimedia tools, virtual reality, virtual anatomy, and 3D printing.     

Librarians in the Classroom

SUMMARY

This article reports on a survey conducted by the author to determine how librarians and library directors feel about librarians teaching outside the library, i.e., in academic disciplines. The author discusses her own experience in the classroom and examines the benefits and detriments of the “professor librarian” model. She includes comments from those surveyed, and offers suggestions for further study.     

Bringing a Small Academic Library Back from the Brink

Abstract

When Villa Madonna College moved from Covington to Crestview Hills, Kentucky in 1968 to become Thomas More College, the designers of the new campus knew that the library would be a vital component of academic success for future students. As Thomas More transitioned from “College” to “University” in 2018, the library had unfortunately endured a long slow decline. With a recent renaming to the “Benedictine Library” in 2017, administration knew that more substantial changes were needed. In April 2018, the library started a new course with the 16^th Library Director in institutional history. This column illustrates the ambitious first two years of the new library administration, and details the work completed in the library’s “digital modernization plan”.     

Starbucks in the Stacks

Summary

Teams can be effective tools to evaluate electronic collections and implement new services. With rapidly changing technologies and the availability of new options, teams provide a way to share information, learn new skills, and develop a greater appreciation for the work, concerns, and needs of staff throughout the library. This communication and involvement can be critical to implementing new library services.     

Planning for the Integration of the Digital Library,Clinical Decision Support,and Evidence at the Point of Care

ABSTRACT

Integrating knowledge-based resources at the point of care is an important opportunity for hospital library involvement. In the progression of an IAIMS planning grant, the digital library is recognized as pivotal to the success of information domain integration throughout the institution. The planning process, data collection, and evolution of the planning project are discussed.     

Publication Services at the University Library Graz: A New Venture,a New Role

ABSTRACT

Establishing Publication Services in the library at the University of Graz did more than broaden the service portfolio of the library. A convergence of expertise at the library, needs of researchers at the university, and ongoing changes in scholarly communication also contributed to the evolution of the library's role and profile. The new services offer first-level support for matters pertaining to scholarly publishing and communications. Furthermore, Publication Services has developed into a knowledge sharing platform, extending beyond the library to other administrative departments and creating a community of practice.