[Publib] RE:roaming librarians

[Christopher F. Bowen]

When I became the director of the Downers Grove Public Library in 1989
we decided to try "roaming reference". Only then we called it "getting
out of our chairs and going into the stacks to see if patrons needed
help finding stuff on the shelves." Of course the Department Heads were
horrified when I first raised the idea. Patrons won't want us to bother
them while they are browsing, and talking in the stacks will bother
other patrons. (Remember the old days when libraries were quiet places!)
So I asked just the three department heads (Reference, Readers Advisory,
and Children's Services) to try it for a few weeks and promised that we
would drop it if it turned out to be a bad idea. Low and behold, while
patrons were surprised at first, no one got mad when they were
approached and asked for help. The DH's agreed that they were reaching
patrons who would never have come to the desk on their own. With the
DH's enthusiastic support we asked all of the staff to try it. Again,
much horror at the idea, but I promised we would evaluate after three
months. One of the staff who was the most resistant to the idea at first
summarized the reaction perfectly when she said, "The first time I
approached a patron she looked at me like I was crazy and said she
didn't need any help; but when I came down the aisle a little later, the
same patron stopped me and said that she couldn't find what she was
looking for and maybe she did need some help."

At the three month evaluation everyone agreed that this was a good idea
and it has become routine for service desk staff. Every quarter hour or
so one of staff at each service desk makes a circuit of the department
and asks patrons who are browsing if they can help them find something.
If it is really busy and patrons are stacked up at the desk waiting for
help, staff may not have time to make the rounds; but when they are on
the way back to the desks after taking a patron into the stacks to find
materials, they check in with other patrons. The  process has helped to
train our patrons that library staff is actually here to help them, and
it is OK to seek help if one needs it.
 
I know of a neighboring library that is experimenting with roaming
reference using notebook computers so they can check the catalog or
databases on the fly. We haven't tried that, but when we did our
building project nine years ago, staff was adamant about wanting OPACs
in the stacks so they could easily get to the on-line catalog to help
patrons there. A few years ago we added access to our on-line databases
and library-selected websites on the OPACs, so staff can do full service
reference back in the stacks, as well.

A resounding yes to getting-out-of-your-chair-and-going-into-stacks
reference.

Christopher F. Bowen
Library Director
Downers Grove Public Library
1050 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515-4606
630-963-2595

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Subject: [Publib] Roaming librarians
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I work at a fairly large downtown public library, and we are just
beginning to study the use of "roaming" librarians, as opposed to
librarians chained to a desk.