No Phone Zone

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of cell phone policies in university libraries conducted over a three-month period in 2005. The authors sought information about the libraries' problems regarding cell phone use and attendant noise by students and other library users. The authors began with an 18-question survey of one hundred libraries, with at least one library from every state. When the response was low, the authors expanded their research by looking at every library Web page that had the word “University” in its title. Finally, they contacted several larger libraries that had policies banning cell phone use altogether to see whether they worked. Most respondents found cell phone noise a problem. Most respondents indicated that public service staff and security officers enforced the policies; comments from the original survey were insightful concerning compliance solutions.     

Problem Patrons and Library Security

Summary

Front-line library staff members often encounter “problem patrons” —those patrons who put others in fear for their own physical security, whether or not that fear is ultimately justified. This article identifies the risks and suggests some precautions, including: defusing anger at the service points through improved interpersonal communication techniques and staff training, drafting policies and procedures to help guide staff as they deal with incidents, and improving the security of library buildings. Legal issues surrounding library security also are examined.     

The Difficult Patron Situation

Summary

Problem/difficult patron incidents that occur in libraries are on the rise. Library administrators and library employees have attempted to decrease the number of incidents by providing staff training and formulating policies and rules to control the situation. The purpose of this article is to share the proactive steps that the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, Penn State University Libraries, took to prevent or decrease the incidences of difficult patrons as the library prepares to relocate. The focus was on assisting the frontline staff members, who work on the reference desk, to acquire the competencies they need to provide consistent quality reference services to patrons, and to reduce incidences of unsatisfied, difficult, and problem patrons.     

Procedures to Follow if a Law Enforcement Official Asks for Patron Information: A Checklist for Access Services Student Employees

ABSTRACT

Since the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act was signed into law in October, 2001, library administrators have become increasingly concerned that staff–especially student employees–continue to protect the confidentiality of patron records. Administrators have also become increasingly concerned that when law enforcement officials provide paperwork giving them legal access to patron records, staff take steps both to divulge no more information than is necessary and to protect the institution from liability. In response to these concerns, the University of Colorado, Boulder, created an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use document for its public services student employees. This article describes the process by which that document was created, how it was introduced to staff and student employees, and what additional steps are planned for the future. Finally, the document itself is included as a possible model for other institutions that may wish to create procedural guidelines for student employees.     

Documentation in Technical Services

ABSTRACT

Documentation is the written record of activities, policies, and procedures within a certain organization or group. Libraries, especially technical services units, need to be more vigilant about documenting the important activities of their departments for current and future use. After looking at past library literature, this article highlights ways to incorporate documentation into acquisitions, serials, and cataloging units while emphasizing the importance of these activities and making sure all staff members are involved.     

Gypsies,Tramps and Rage

Summary

This paper proposes that encounters with problem patrons and reader rage will continue to increase. In order for the library and its staff to survive they must adhere to some basic ideas including acknowledging that a problem exists, creating a code of conduct, hiring and training staff for the task, and providing them ways to deal with the problems and the stress.     

So many students,so little time: Practical student worker training in an academic library

Abstract

Student employees are an invaluable asset to academic libraries. They supplement limited professional staffing, allow for students to engage with their academic community, and give work opportunities to those currently enrolled in school. This article reviews several practical ways to train library student workers that both minimizes hands-on staff time and allows for high customer service and student employee success. Best practices include (a) a student worker training assessment, (b) explicit student worker policies, (c) an annual mandatory training session, (d) online training, (e) a focus on student worker retention, and (f) unique student worker roles.     

CatDoc HackDoc: Tools and Processes for Managing Documentation Lifecycle,Workflows, and Accessibility

Abstract

Documentation of local policies, workflows, and procedures is an important activity for cataloging and metadata units. But creating and maintaining documentation is a huge task that is not always a high priority. Librarians at the University of Minnesota Libraries planned a documentation hackathon, CatDoc HackDoc, with three primary goals: to update a large amount of documentation quickly, to apply accessibility best practices to all documentation, and to bring new staff into the documentation workflow. This article describes the event’s planning process, structure, and outcomes, and offers guidance on how others can adapt the CatDoc HackDoc model in their own organizations.     

KANAnswer

Summary

This paper relates the collaborative planning by a task force of public, academic, and special librarians to develop KANAnswer, a statewide virtual reference pilot project. Major points include selecting software, developing policies and procedures, marketing, procuring partners, staffing and training, coordinating the project, and early impressions of the librarians who staff the service.     

A Look at Circulation Statistics

ABSTRACT

Nearly all academic libraries keep circulation statistics which are often shared with their parent university, library consortia, and national organizations. This study attempted to discover what goes into circulation statistics by surveying Southeastern research libraries. Libraries were asked what they count in their circulation statistics and what their circulation policies are to identify differences across libraries. The results of the survey indicate that there is no set formula for counting circulation statistics.     

Using Blackboard for Training and Communicating with Student Employees

Abstract

The circulation staff at Staley Library, Millikin University, in Decatur, Illinois, experimented with using Blackboard courseware to train student employees. Staff and students' feedback offer additional ways to utilize Blackboard's features. Some promising applications for training and communicating with student employees are described. The student employees' Blackboard course page continues to evolve as an integral part of student employee training.     

Proclaiming Library Worth in a Program Prioritization Process at a Mid-Sized Public University

Abstract

In an economic climate when colleges can no longer presume that legislators see institutions of higher learning as tacit public goods, institutions around the country are facing budget cuts. This article presents a case study of the experience of a mid-sized public state university and its Library in a budget crisis undergoing a university-wide program prioritization process. The authors review the process of writing three reports on the Library’s value, along with the approach to engaging staff in the process including a retreat. This article raises questions about what every library should consider assessing and provide tools for libraries navigating similar terrain.     

Chat It Up! Extending Reference Services to Assist Off-Campus Students

Abstract

A virtual reference service is likely to attract both on-campus and off-campus students and providing one service for all users can extend the hours of availability to all students. The needs of these two student populations may differ and off-campus users may present some specific challenges to the reference staff. While some libraries do have a specified distance education librarian, it is unlikely at many institutions that there will be reference staff dedicated only to answering questions from off-campus students. Reference services for off-campus students do present special issues about which general reference staff may not be aware. With awareness of these challenges and proper training, an existing virtual reference service can be extended (or improved) to help off-campus students, or a new chat service can be developed with the objective to assist all user groups with equal success.     

Library Web Pages and Policies Toward “Outsiders”

Abstract

The article reports the results of a visual survey of library Web sites conducted over a seven-month period in 2000. Included in the survey were 100 ARL libraries in public and private universities in the United States. The author sought information about the libraries' policies regarding access to services and resources for unaffiliated users-library users who are not students, faculty, or staff of a library's parent institution. The author focused on four areas: entrance to the building, circulation policies, interlibrary loan service, and the use of proprietary databases. The author also looked for mention of services to unaffiliated users in library mission statements and the costs for use of services or resources. As expected, the variation among library Web sites was great, in terms of the amount of information provided, the level of access to services and resources, and the cost for access. No attempt was made to confirm the information by direct correspondence with staff at the libraries, in part because the intent was to determine only what one could learn from a library's Web site.     

The Difficult Library Patron

Summary

The issue of the difficult library patron has been of growing concern to the library community in the last decade. A number of monographs and journal articles have been published on this topic in recent years. This article surveys the literature concerning the problem library user including the homeless, the de-institutionalized, the mentally ill, and angry/frustrated patrons. It includes literature which discusses techniques for empowering front-line employees in handling various user behaviors and responding to patron problems.     

Editorial commentary on publications received

Virtually all aspects of all library functions are going through a period of change, but a few contrasts between and among Western countries persist. First, decentralization to allow for regional initiatives and traditions persists at the risk of inhibiting growth of integrated national systems, especially in Europe. However, coordinating agencies to affect national and international exchanges are growing, and education for professional staff is receiving more attention in Europe. Second, library staff are more often bureaucratic than professional on the continent, as compared with the United States and the United Kingdom. Third, technology is adapted and adopted most often and most intensively in libraries serving medicine, science, and technology in all countries. Fourth, information privacy and sharing information continue to be major policy issues for all.

There are other problems explored in this paper that affect the status of libraries everywhere and underlie the contrasts found at all levels of technological development across national boundaries and across types of libraries: 1. (1) The need for national and international levels of information policies.

2. (2) The need to identify the components of information science that are library-related.

3. (3) The identification of the role of libraries in the changing information environment.

Resolution of these three problems will enhance national and regional distinctions, which should allow for more effective library services on all political levels.     

The Problem Patron

Summary

Library staff and other patrons encounter patrons who are one or a combination of the following: mentally ill/disturbed, homeless, street persons, angry, aggressive, unreasonable, rude. Commonly referred to as “problem patrons,” they appear in any type of library: public, academic, institutional, corporate and special. Most of them behave poorly because of their own troubles. The history of “problem patrons,” various types of problem patrons and their identifying behaviors are discussed in this paper. In attempting to define “problem patrons” the information provides a framework for understanding the problems of challenging patrons and for learning to discriminate between problem patrons and patrons who have problems.     

Student Assistant Management: Using an Evaluation Rubric

ABSTRACT

While effective communication between library staff and the student assistants who report to them can be challenging, it is nonetheless essential if students are to successfully carry out their job responsibilities. Developing an evaluation rubric helped Averett University's Blount Library staff convey what expectations they held for their student assistants together with what they had to do to achieve particular rating levels. Sharing the evaluation rubric and the comment copy of the evaluation form with the library personnel providing input for student performance helped standardize the input received. Students and library personnel alike feel that the evaluation process is valuable, unbiased, and fair.