Easy questions = Easy Job, right? Not so much.
Reflecting on my time at the Undergraduate Library, I found that this is no easy place to work. It may seem that perhaps we don't get the most intense questions all the time, but we certainly get some gems. Our questions vary from "Where's academic advising" to "Where is my class?" to "I need books and articles on mass media" to "How much of the metro Detroit population is Arabic?" to "I need to find out what the weather was like back on January 7, 2006." There are many questions we face and just because we work at the Undergraduate Library doesn't mean that we get all Undergraduate questions.
In fact, we get questions of all sorts. Reason being, we're open the longest. Our reference desk is open the longest and our building is open the longest. That means that all those law students, grad students and medical students flock to us at night. We also get a lot, and I do mean a lot, of community users.
Community Users
The UGL is very much like a public library. There are the most terminals that are open to the public in this building. All sorts of characters come in, but usually everyone behaves. Some of the questions I've noticed a lot from the community users are as follows:
- *How can I print?
*I want to start my own business, can you give me some information?
*How do I use email?
*Legal questions
*Word definitions
*Local events
*Phone numbers and/or location information
*Many will ask questions on Word, usually pertaining to changing resumes.
There are a few things to remember about community users. For one, they have every right to be there. We are a public institution and unless the patron is breaking a rule of some sort, they cannot be booted from the library. If a community user asks you to go help them at their computer, use your judgement. If you have another GSA or PIC at the desk, go for it. If not, just inform them that you cannot leave the desk empty.
Noise
It's noisy in here. It's not your typical library. We try to have security keep the peace, but this is not always possible.
Porn
Porn and all it's smut counterparts are intellectual property, meaning as long as they're not "reacting" to the porn and just viewing it, that's ok. Seriously. However, child-porn is illegal and should be reported immediately.
So can you do it?
I don't do the hiring, but I think there are some specific things that will help you get a job here. For one, experience. Usually, but not always, GSA's have already had some library experience. If you don't have any, volunteer and get some. Also, try to focus on your customer service jobs as well. Customer service is what it's all about.
Next, references. I've pushed two names to my supervisors and both folks got hired. Now, this isn't an invitation for you to ask me to be a reference. I won't. In fact, neither of the folks whose names I dropped asked me to do so. I did it on my own and because I knew they were right for the job. And if I believe in you, than I will drop your name as well. But don't ask, cause then I definitely won't recommend you.
Third, personality. You need a bit of hipness to work here and that's based strictly on the fact that most of the people that come in are little undergraduates. Have you had experience with teenagers? That will come in handy. Also, if you're a woman, be aware that the horomones are always raging at UGL, so be prepared to shoo some kiddos away. Typically they're harmless, but they need to be dealt with professionally and, to be frank, tersely. The more friendly chit chat you share with them, the more they'll come back for more. Don't be rude, but be stern.
Fourth, you need some sweet reference interview and research skills. Chances are, the folks you deal with on a daily basis have never been to a library and just don't know what they're looking for. I had a lady call me and ask "I need to know about hot dogs." After some reference interview work, I found she needed to know how to start a small business - a Coney Island. Be patient with the patrons, they're not all as good at computers as you. They don't know our library jargon. And further, they're novice researchers. If you give them some stepping stones, you'll be pleased to see that most will get on their own two feet.
I would encourage the other GSA's to add their comments about what they think it will take to work at this desk.
1 comment:
Eva G.'s narrative provides a truthful and accurate portrayal of life at Club UGL.
The place occationally takes on the the atmosphere of a three-ring circus: dynamic, sometimes shocking, and always entertaining. Where else can you watch campus police round up truant middle-schoolers while listening to a certain, well-known patron complain about his apparent allergy to the library's plant fertilizer?
This kind of entertainment is par for the course at UGL and lends the library its character. If you want to be successful at UGL, you should be able to take all the quirks of the library and roll with them. I've only been here for a little over a month, but here's a few other "librarianly" virtues you should be prepared to adopt:
Patience
Patience will always be a valuable and sanity-saving virtue. Can you withstand the rigors of a 20-minute marathon session of pointing to the academic advising office? Can you keep your cool when people come to the Info Desk to proselytize, evangelize, or generally give you a piece of their mind? Can you slow down and restate yourself when someone just doesn't get what you're saying?
You will hear the same questions incessantly, but for patrons the questions are new, important, and pressing. You will soon tire of pointing to the bathrooms, but you should still do it with a smile.
Good Humor
This is an offshoot of patience. You really need to be a people-person to work here (and at any reference desk, presumably). Patrons will tell you their problems, all of them, and at great length. You should be prepared to listen to them or nicely deflect their conversations. Here is a sampling of the conversations I have had or deflected within the last week:
~A woman telling me about waking up to find what she believes to be a ghost at the foot of her bed
~A women talking about the difficulties of going back to college at the age of 47
~Many men espousing their theories about and love for women. This is a standard and oft-repeated conversation that you should quickly deflect
Sometimes these conversations can be interesting and engaging for you, and they can be therapeutic for the patrons, giving them a positive library experience. On the other hand, these conversations can also be time-consuming, unwelcome, and irksome.
The trick is finding the delicate balance between two main objectives: 1)Making the library a rewarding and welcoming place to be for patrons, and 2)getting your work done and maintaining your sanity.
A Backbone
I tend to be a people-pleaser and not naturally prone to confrontation, but I've learned that it is not my job to solve every patron's problems. Patrons will try to negotiate with you . . . Here are a few of my favorites:
~Can I borrow a pen? I swear I'll bring it back!
~It takes so long to log onto the computers and I have to run to class. . . Can you just print my paper out for me?
~Could you read my paper? I really need to get a good grade on it?
~I have to prepare handouts for 50 people in the next five minutes. Could you help organize and staple them?
~Can't you just find some articles and print them out for me?
~I have to run an errand. I won't be gone very long. Can you watch my (purse/expensive piece of technology/lunch/child)?
You will probably annoy the asker, but the answer to all these questions should be "No." You can try mumbling something about policies, but I've found that many people believe policies were made to be broken. I've found that in certain situations a vague half-truth may carry more weight. If you tell people our policy is not to lend out our pens or watch other people's stuff, they'll try to negotiate with you. If you tell them you're out of pens or will be leaving the reference desk shortly, they'll give up much quicker.
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