Reference Desk Observation

Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Hours: 3

Today I observed at the Reference desk with Ruth and Sylvia. Most of the questions that they answered were quick - either "where can I find...?" (usually a certain department of the Library) or "I need a book on this topic." The interviews were done in under 5 minutes and the students were on their way again.

Ruth and I sat down together to further discuss what particular projects I could work on. She suggested I work with Sue and even Claire. With Sue I'd be doing some Archival work and scanning. With Claire, I'd be helping her clean out government documents as well as assist her research for the History of the Rohrbach Library. She and I also worked on scheduling my hours for the semester. We didn't go very far into the month because she wanted me to wait until Sue could let me know when she was available for me to work with her. I didn't like the idea of waiting because getting all the time in would really be a crunch, but I understood why she wanted to wait.

Things I learned Today
You can do inter library loans with Ebscoe Articles if your library does not subscribe to a certain database. I did not know that, but I think that is very useful!

One of the most important parts of a Reference Interview is to find out how a topic will be used. In other words, is it for a paper, and what kind of paper? Essay, research, etc. Is it for a project or presentation? Knowing this information will help direct you to what sort of resources that will be useful to the patron.

If you lend materials to other libraries through the Access PA Database, your library earns money.