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Reference

- Collapse EIC and Reference so that students can get all sorts of help at the same desk.
- In order to ensure students in the reference room have access to staff, put in a call system so they can page the desk from a workstation. Post the IM info and desk number all over the room so they can IM or call us at the desk.
- Look at the type of questions being asked and put our staff on when our users most need us. For example, if most of the 8-10 am questions are directional/technical or just looking up a book, staff with student workers with a library staff member “on call” in the back if necessary. When students do need us according to the statistics, for example from 7-9 at night, staff those times with library staff. This might mean people who don’t traditionally work nights have to do that, but if everyone pitches in it wouldn’t be that many nights/months.
- Improve chat – meebo is ok but doesn’t have a lot of the functionality we need (co-browsing, referring, multiple staff) to grow the service. We should put Chat everywhere students might fail, even if it means it isn’t behind an EID, and empower staff to tell users that we can’t help them if they aren’t UT-affiliated.

(Idea submitted via Strategic Planning Comment Card)

Hopper_Moderator, 09.12.2010, 02:18
Response from the site administrator
Hopper_Moderator, 14.12.2010
Forwarded to Catherine Hamer & the Strategic Planning Task Force for review.
Idea status: under consideration

Comments

whodat, 15.12.2010, 00:39
yes.
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philo, 10.01.2011, 19:32
Combining the two desks would be ideal in ways but the architectural layout of level 2 makes that difficult. During busy times there is not enough room at the I&RH Desk in the lobby for the Reference and EIC staff, and the I School volunteers. Having the two desks back to back (the current set up) provides coverage for both areas. Most of the workstations and printers are located in 2.200, but there are also workstations and printers in the lobby, plus the flow of people entering and exiting the building. The FAC is also a busy campus destination with multiple help desks. It is common sense and good practice to provide support where people are congregating and working.

Questions that fall into the directional/technical category can often be more complicated and time consuming than conventional reference questions, and can require being away from the desk for long periods. For example, trying to figure out the correct library and computer access to be given to someone from outside of the UT community, and then helping them navigate the process. It can be more difficult than one might think and lead to problems if not done properly. Routine technical questions often require staff to spend time at the user's workstation for ten minutes or longer. Very different skill sets are needed to answer reference/informational questions than technical questions. There are many other examples that could be given. PCL is not a small library, where a one stop help desk would necessarily be appropriate.
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