The unsuccessful reference transaction is a teachable moment

What didn’t work the last time a patron walked away unsatisfied? Did you analyze the transaction according to these five facets:  Approachability, Interest, Listening/Inquiring, Searching, and Follow Up?  The RUSA-approved guidelines reflect decades of experience and knowledge passed down through generations of librarians, and they have been adapted for the digital age.  Any one of these facets will affect the outcome, and satisfaction of the patron, although failures on one of these doesn’t mean the patron didn’t get what he or she came for. Standards are something to be striven for, but there are so many unpredictable elements at a public library (especially) that affect these. Giving patrons undivided attention and expressing great interest in what they are saying, while being interrupted by phone calls, other people waiting, patrons calling from across the room from a computer station, and patrons nervous about their parking meters–all these things affect your effectiveness. And, of course, if you look busy, that affects your approachability.

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About emodza

MLIS, 2009. Mid-career changer, learning on the job at a major metropolitan library. Being at a reference desk day in day out teaches you a lot about the operation of a library, the many people who lead, organize and execute the work. It teaches you who lives in the city--lives of hope, lives of desperation? We participate in their daily struggle, in their excitement to learn, in the minute steps people take towards better situations in their lives. I learn from my colleagues, I share what I learn, and hope to get better at what I do.

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