Best Practices For 24/7 Reference Cooperative Sessions

Picking up Patron

 Patrons should be picked up as quickly as possible.  If more than 1 patron is waiting, pick up the patron that has been waiting the longest.

Greet the Patron

Send a personal greeting, identifying yourself and indicating your willingness to help.  The greeting is your first interaction with the patron, so be sure your greeting establishes a welcoming atmosphere.  Identifying yourself with a personal name and using the patron’s own name in your greeting are good ways to engage with the patron.  Be sure to indicate in the initial greeting that you are ready to help, as the patron may be confused when greeted by a non-local librarian.   While a script can be used for your greeting, be sure it is short and friendly!

Reference Interview/Resource Selection

• Conduct an adequate reference interview to understand the question and the patron's information need. Be sure to clarify the patron’s question before beginning the search.

• Choose resources at the appropriate level for the patron's research. In general, databases are preferable to Google or other general web sources when assisting students with research projects.

• Use the library policy page to find information using home library’s resources (including OPAC, databases, and guides).

• Evaluate resources for authority, objectivity, and currency; share with patron.

• Answer questions accurately.

Top

Provide professional level search assistance

• Provide context and instruction to the patron, rather than just sharing resources or merely sending web pages. Provide enough guidance so that patron can recreate the search if needed (include the name of links, which one patron should click on, as well as the “click path”). Merely providing links to resources often will not suffice – some URLs are dynamic, such as library catalog search results, and the links that appear in session transcripts may become dead links.

• Recommend appropriate search terms and subject headings, in the context of a recommended search statement using Boolean operators. Provide examples of query constructions using basic and advanced Boolean operators.

• Help patron evaluate the sources for relevancy to topic

• Ask for feedback on resources sent

Top 

Interpersonal skills

• Create a welcoming atmosphere

• Chat frequently, so the patron doesn't have long lags without chat from the librarian (no more than 3 minutes should elapse without the librarian sending a message to each patron who is in session, even if it is a simple “I’m still working on your question”, or even “Still searching…” )

• Show interest in the patron's question through chat tone and choice of words

• Use positive phrasing ("We can…" instead of "We don't/can't/won't…")

• Use scripts appropriately, as needed

• Paste small excerpts of information; avoid pasting long blocks of text in the chat.

• Send chats to correct patrons when serving multiple patrons.

Concluding the session

• Before closing, ask the patron if the question has been answered (“Does this completely answer your question?”) or if additional information is needed.

• If the request cannot be adequately answered during the session, code the session for Follow Up (see Resolution Codes, below)

• Before coding for follow up, verify the patron’s email address and deadline. It may take several days for the patron to get an answer back from the library.

• If the patron indicates that no additional information is needed, send the appropriate Goodbye script provided by the patron’s library. If no Goodbye script is available, thank the patron for using the service and encourage the patron to return.

Top 

Top

 For further detail, please consult 247-Policies

You might also be interested in the Best Practices advocated by the Australian 24/7 medical libraries cooperative Chasing the Sun.