Teacher-Librarians and Customer Service Employees: Sharing Similar Goals for Patrons and Customers
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| Home Renovations Can be Daunting, But so Can Accessing Reference Materials - Customer Service Representatives and Teacher-Librarians Can Help! |
During
this theme, Managing and Evaluating Reference Services, I found a lot of the
materials self-explanatory and based on common sense. Had I not held some
library positions, I may have felt otherwise. The “reference interview”
described by Riedling in Chapter 9 made perfect sense to me and sometimes I
found myself saying, “Yeah of course!” (p. 99) But, during my reflection on Theme Two, I
realized that while I feel comfortable with students and library users, I find
helping patrons filter the sources they need to be somewhat stressful. I
immediately become self-conscious of the library’s collection – What if I
weeded something they were looking for? What if we have something but its
outdated? What if the catalog is not up-to-date and we cannot find the resource
they need? I’m a problem solver and I want what the patron is looking for to be
on the shelf, easily accessible, and ready to go for their use. When someone
comes to me with a question, I make every effort to find an answer. So, in
order to feel comfortable with the process of the reference interview I turned
to YouTube to see what other Teacher-Librarians are suggesting and to examine
the questions I could ask being modeled for me. Some videos I watched
included:
The
more I observed the librarian-created videos on YouTube, the more I was able to
identify that the reference interview is similar to working in customer
service. In fact, many of the videos I watched mirrored the videos that
retailers make employees watch in order to provide customer service training. As
a young adult I worked at Rona Home and Garden in customer service. Not only
did customer service serve as a cash register, similar to someone who comes in
to find something, checks the item out, and leaves, but we were responsible for
pointing customers to places in the store where they could find items they came
in search of. Sometimes people were familiar with home improvement stores and
sometimes they were uncomfortable. In the same way, patrons can feel comfortable
in the library learning commons setting and some feel out of place. Conducting
a reference interview with a patron to find the resources they need for their
project or idea is the same as working in customer service and determining the
needs of the customer. In both scenarios one hopes to leave their patron, or
customer, with a sense of feeling like their query was heard and that they
found the item or information they needed. Although some of the videos I
included verge on cheesy, they model good questioning techniques and
demonstrate how the patron should be made to feel in the interaction.
Of
course, Teacher-Librarians are professionals who’s practice spans beyond a
customer service role. But, a big part of our job is helping the patron and the
text come together to find successful, useful materials. Just like customer
service employees wants customers to feel after leaving the store having had a
good experience and ready to take on that DIY project!
Sources:
Highline Community College. “Five
Steps to an Effective Reference Interview.Mov.” YouTube,
YouTube,
22 Apr. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCGRkVh7N3s.
Librarian of Doom. “Chapter 3: The
Reference Interview.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Aug. 2015,
“New Librarians Reference
Interview.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Mar. 2014,
Riedling, Ann, Reference skills
for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips,
(Third
Edition). Linworth. 2013.
june-5-1.20271229.
A useful analogy to make! The similarities between T-Ls and the reference services we provide does in fact mirror a service model from commercial stores we all explore. A good amount of reflection, connection building and some connections to useful videos about our roles and expertise. Some good discussion of the extra 'roles' and hats we wear, and some good understanding of the complexities in evolving the space and program. Good connections and reflections on your own learning so far.
ReplyDeleteI love your reference to customer service. It even made me giggle as I thought about it in reference to my school library and the below standard evaluation I have given it while making my way through this course. Just like those big box stores T-L smile are friendly and do their very best to get you what you are looking for (just at the end of aisle number seven and after you go there I am going to recommend aisle 22) even when you both know the quality might not always been there due to the budget. This reference was perfect. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI, too, really love your analogy! Too many times I've walked into a store with an idea of what I want and no idea how to find it and the customer service I have received in return has been all over the map, from incredible and knowledgeable to 'do you even work here?'. It's a bit tough being 'the new guy' and not knowing what is in the store or what aisle it's in, just as it is being the new TL and not really yet knowing what you have in the collection or available digitally. But just like great customer service, it's not really all what you know, a lot of it is a willingness to listen, ask the right questions, and know who to go to for help.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated your comparison! I have often found myself thinking that what I do in the library is similar to my early jobs in retail. I also really identified with your hesitance to weed items that someone may want in the future. I often have to remind myself that gaining the confidence to know my customer base and collection (or product) is something that takes time and dedication. Always nice to know I am not alone, thank you for sharing!
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