TGIF Tips – Issue 21, 10/30/2009

At a time of the year when chats on Ask a Librarian are often on the rise (just wait until you see Diana’s stats next week), understanding the significance of basic staffing etiquette on Ask a Librarian is more important than ever. While there are several interests that are helpful to reflect on, we’ve decided to expound upon a few of the most fundamental ones.

Be on time for your shift, and ready to help.

Things happen – we all understand that. But you must view your shift on Ask a Librarian shift as you would your shift at the Reference Desk, Circulation Desk, or any other in-person function. Why? Because the others staffing (and the patrons needing help) aren’t ‘virtual’ – they’re in their offices, or libraries, or homes. Because everyone is balancing Ask a Librarian with other duties, it is essential that everyone log in for their scheduled shifts… and at the appropriate time. For example, regularly logging in 10-12 minutes late may not initially seem all that important to some, but imagine being on the desk for 10 full minutes, alone or understaffed – trust me, it’s important. (Ditto for leaving 10 minutes early.)

The other big part of this is that you’re actually ready to start taking patrons when you’re scheduled to staff. Mark yourself Available and start helping right away. Being Available means that you can work on email or other programs and be alerted when someone enters the queue, but make sure you’re around to hear that sound alert or see that pop-up alert. Don’t staff at the same time that you’re expected to be approached by help live patrons (except in guarded circumstances, like multiple staff, in-house handling strategies, etc.); find yourself a spot as removed from public access as you can so you can completely focus on your (chat) patrons. Being in the console but not able to help doesn’t only impact patrons negatively, it impacts the other staff scheduled to cover that hour with you.

Don’t let patrons sit in the Queue.

Because Ask a Librarian is a statewide service available to all Florida residents, chances are that you will help another library’s patron during a Collaborative or Academic shift. That is a good thing… it’s what makes this service possible! And of course, you may be able to anticipate some of your own library’s patrons a bit faster or easier than another’s – but if staff lets that deter them from picking up those other library’s patrons, everyone is affected. Previewing can help you strategize, but pick up patrons swiftly. Let them know their time and patronage is important to us. Use the tools at your disposal (such as the KnowledgeBase and Gale links) and just do your best – your best, with a positive attitude, can’t go wrong. Don’t make the patron wait due to uncertainty. You can even say, “I’m not quite familiar with that topic – can you tell me more?” or “I’m not quite familiar with that, but let me see what I can find.” Whatever you do, never let a patron just sit in the queue.

Communicate, communicate!

Just like with your patron interactions, it is essential for you to keep the lines of communication open in the Ask a Librarian staffing community. Let’s look at some top reasons to communicate and discuss some best practices in going about it. (Your site coordinator may have system-specific strategies.)

1) You find yourself alone on the desk (or very understaffed).

– Email the Ask a Librarian HelpDesk at askalibrarian@tblc.org immediately. This goes to several people at once, which is crucial due to Ask a Librarian staff travel schedules.
– Email the AskRef email listserv at askref@lists.tblc.org and ask subscribers to hop on if possible. True, there may be 20 staff covering Collaborative ten minutes later, but 20 actively helping is a whole lot better than 1 actively helping.
– Send a message to the whole group using the Agent Room group chat feature. Check the Alert box to put that text in red, and ask if anyone’s able to take a transferred chat.

2) You cannot make a scheduled shift.

– If it’s a day or more in advance (or more than five business hours until the shift), please email the AskRef email listserv at askref@lists.tblc.org . Let them know you’re unable to cover and ask subscribers if they can help with those hours.
– If it’s less than a day in advance, email the Ask a Librarian HelpDesk at askalibrarian@tblc.org immediately.
– If it’s a week or more in advance, please email me, Traci, at avett@tblc.org so it can be added to the next call-for-help email.

3) My shift schedule needs changing/ shift X is always understaffed/ library X hasn’t shown up for the last 3 weeks (or stays unavailable)/ etc…
We want all staff to be as pleased as possible with Ask a Librarian. If something isn’t working for you, we have to work together to find a solution. First, work within your library system – ask your site coordinator to find you a more private space for your chat hour. Discuss an in-house system for advertising known-about schedule conflicts. If you are the site coordinator, make sure your library’s schedule on the WhenToWork website is correct. Second, work with other systems – use the Agent Room group chat and private chat features in the Agent Console to communicate with others. When someone asks a question in the chat room, respond to it – if everyone thinks “There are 28 people logged in; several will respond”, then 28 people may sit and watch as no one responds. Be helpful, and you’ll be remembered for having helped. Use the AskRef list for help calls or reference stumpers. Paste a really funny library-related joke in the Agent Room. Third, let us know what’s happening! Of course, if it’s something truly immediate, always email the HelpDesk at askalibrarian@tblc.org . But if it’s not an emergency, please send me an email at avett@tblc.org. Give me your ideas on features or best practices. Let me know what isn’t working. Tell me my Tips are blindingly awesome.

Help out on the desk.

What can I say? Be helpful! Think of the truly collaborative nature of Ask a Librarian and see others’ patrons as your patrons; other library’s staff as your peers. We know you’re busy – and that some are more able to help than others (because of time, etc.) – but pick up shifts when you can! Those you are helping will not forget that you helped them, and you’re role-modeling assistance & enthusiasm to others – themselves hallmarks of great reference service. With 1,445 “real” AskRef subscribers, that is no small thing. Of course, we know that not everyone has the flexibility of advance scheduling – but there are other ways to help. Perhaps you find yourself here and there with some non-desk time for journal-reading, email catchup, etc. Why not jump on the desk to see if staff could use your help? Staff can log in “just in case” when not scheduled in order to assist as you are able. (You may want to send a quick message to the Agent Room letting others know you aren’t scheduled but there to help on an as-can basis). If you see a regular need for a shift you’re able to work, let your site coordinator know – your picking up an additional hour not only benefits you, but your entire library system as a whole. Remember, one weekly hour equals about 50 more hours per year for your system. That is a week and 1+ days of a relaxing-vacation’s-worth of coverage… from just one person, with just one hour.