College & Research news

Tips for roving reference

How to best serve users

by Martin Courtois and Maira Liriano

n the late 1980s and early 1990s, refer­ areas: who are unwilling to rove, ence departments began to experiment frustration with the number of basic equip­ I with roving as a means of providing assis­ ment questions (jammed printers, frozen PCs, tance to users at increasing numbers of OPAC etc.), and difficulty in establishing roving as terminals and CD-ROM stations. Several ar­ a consistent and quality service. ticles reported on these experiments and in­ Drawn from these discussions and our ex­ troduced the idea of roving as an effective perience at George Washington University means of serving clientele who were not (GWU), we offer the following suggestions reached through the traditional reference for providing roving reference. In the first desk.1 section, we describe techniques that rovers The basic idea behind roving is that the can employ when working with users, fol­ library employee circulates within the refer­ lowed by ideas that departments can use to ence area to offer assistance to users. A rov­ initiate or expand roving services. ing approaches the user, rather than waiting for the user to come to the reference Roving techniques desk. The growth of Web-based and full-text • Wear a nametag or badge. If you’re not sources has increased the need for patrons behind the , users may not rec­ to use a computer when doing library re­ ognize you as part of the reference staff Some search. This situation creates even more de­ form of identification is a quick and easy way mand for point-of-use assistance to help us­ to establish credibility with users. Particularly ers through a challenging and confusing ar­ in busy reference areas, it’s difficult to distin­ ray of sources. Remote access is welcomed guish reference staff from other users. Badges by many users, but within the library there is with school colors, the library logo, and la­ a need to provide a helpful, human pres­ bels such as “Librarian” or “Reference Staff’ ence in this increasingly electronic environ­ will help users to identify you as the rover ment. and encourage them to ask for assistance. Recent discussions at ALA and on LIBREF- • Be mobile. A key ingredient of roving L indicate that increasing numbers of librar­ is mobility. Don’t stay too long with any one ies are offering roving reference.2 Libraries user. Get the user started on the initial steps report overwhelmingly positive response of their search, then move on to other users. from users, but also describe a few problem Promise to check back with the user or en-

About the authors

Martin Courtois is science librarian and Web development group leader at George Washington University, e-mail: [email protected]; Maira Liriano is reference and information services group leader at George Washington University, e-mail:[email protected]

C&RL News ■ April 2000 / 289 courage them to let you know when they’re will proceed. If the user doesn’t need your ready for the next step. If you’re sitting down help right now, he or she may have a ques at the workstation and the user is looking tion in a few minutes and will know that you over your shoulder, you’ve lost your effec are available to help. tiveness as a rover. • Follow up with users. After you help Implementing roving a user start a search, check on his or her • Prepare staff to rove. Not all staff will feel progress. This is an effective reference desk comfortable with roving right from the start. technique that is easy to do when roving. In Offer encouragement, but be patient. Make large or busy reference areas it may be diffi roving a topic for department meetings and cult to remember everyone you want to re ask experienced/enthusiastic rovers to share visit; carry a small notepad and jot down re their techniques and positive experiences. minders. Rovers need to project confidence and a help • Address the user before addressing ful attitude. Forcing librarians who aren’t pre their screen. Users are unlikely to confide pared to rove will not benefit users. in you and discuss their needs if they per • Schedule times for roving. If your staff ceive you as “policing” the area. You may ing level permits, schedule times when a par indeed need to watch for inappropriate use ticular staff member(s) is the designated rover. of stations, but let that task be secondary to Ideally, this would be during busiest times offering assistance. It’s likely that you will and will give staff scheduled at the reference notice screens that are displaying ineffective desk more time to work with users on in- search statements, immense result sets, or depth questions. Scheduling staff to rove will error messages. These situations present good get them out on the floor and accustomed to lead-ins to approaching the user, but be dis the idea o f roving. Once they’ve tried it and creet. experienced positive feedback, they will be • Think in terms of welcoming behav more likely to make roving part o f their rou iors. How do you like to be approached by tine, even during unscheduled times. sales people in a retail store? When you en • Use your best people as rovers. A ter a restaurant, how do you like to be treated? good rover needs to project confidence, a These establishments focus on generating helpful attitude, and a thorough knowledge repeat customers, and we need to do the o f resources to win the trust o f the user and same. Focus on putting users at ease and elicit questions. Is a student assistant with a making them feel welcome. few hours’ training the best person for this • Address each user. We have seen sev job? Rather, we feel it’s more effective to use eral techniques for roving. In passive roving, librarians or experienced support staff as the rover doesn’t make the first step in ap “front-line” rovers and employ students or proaching users, but merely walks around other assistants to handle referrals from rov the reference area and waits to be summoned ers. for assistance. In the broadcast method, the • Use assistants for back-up or tech rover announces an offer o f assistance to a support. Student assistants can be used ef group o f users, e.g., “Anyone here have any fectively for technical support. It’s more real questions?” We feel the individual approach istic to provide training for students to handle is the most effective. Approach each user and routine printer, computer, and network prob offer assistance with lines such as, “Are you lems than to train them to be reference li finding what you need?” “Can I help you with brarians. Having assistants available to handle anything?” or “How is your search going?” basic technical questions will free rovers to • Be prepared for indifference. After concentrate on helping users with their search you’ve made your offer, don’t expect or force questions and not get bogged down in fixing a response. Some users will respond instantly printer jams and rebooting computers. with a description o f their problem. Others • Create an atmosphere of active learn may decline with a “No, thank you,” and some ing. Some librarians are concerned that rov may ignore you. Don’t press the issue, and ing violates users’ privacy. While it’s impor don’t make the user uncomfortable. Let the tant to respect this, it’s also important to user decide how and when the interaction (continued on page 315)

290 / C&RL News ■ April 2000 “The ARL Japan Journal Access Project has broken down international barriers to create a resource sharing model that can be applied worldwide. OCLC contributed to the success of this initiative with their ILL and ILL Fee Management services!’

M ary E. Jackson Senior Program Officer for Access Services, Association of Research Libraries

The Japan Journal Access Project is a cooperatively created WorldCat® (the collaborative effort involving Waseda OCLC Online Union Catalog), which is University (one of Japan’s leading now the most consulted database in research institutions), 18 research higher education. libraries in Canada and the U.S., the At OCLC we continue to develop Association of Research Libraries and new ways to provide innovative and OCLC. This project gives students and affordable library services for our scholars easy access to Waseda membership. For example, we are University’s extensive collection of working with 200 OCLC member materials via the OCLC global resource- libraries on an international research sharing network. initiative that is using automated Most notably, the ILL Fee Management cataloging tools and library cooperation service eliminates difficulties associated to create a research-quality database of with currency exchange by providing a Web resources. single invoice in local funds. For information about what you can For over 25 years, libraries have been do now with OCLC services, please working together through OCLC to contact us at: further access to information and reduce purl.oclc.org/oclc/crin library costs. OCLC member libraries 1-800-848-5878, ext. 6251

Look what you’re doing now… with OCLC. 292/ C&RL News ■ April 2000 also have good communication and structure opportunities with new partners, and stress so that all participants understand their respon ing the primacy of outcomes while we ex sibilities to themselves and the group. The periment and take risks. structure is dynamic but the processes for learn Learning communities have a lot to teach ing can be articulated within that structure. us as we continue to develop library instruc Comfort with risk-taking on the part of stu tion programs for our diverse student popu dents and instructors is one important goal. lations. The opportunities provide for rethink The discussion ended by sharing indi ing how we approach our patrons and our vidual highlights. Memorable aspects of the teaching. Dynamic learning communities of discussion for participants included remem fer attributes that can be adapted into librar bering to embrace the messier aspects of ies or programs of any size.—Jennifer Evans, learning, seeking to balance cognitive with University o f Washington Libraries, jrevans@ affective learning, searching for collaboration u.washington.edu ■

(Tips … continued from page 290) is an extension of traditional reference; establish the reference area as a place for working at the reference desk and roving re active learning where the focus is on dia quire many of the same skills and behaviors. logue and interaction. Research done by Roving, however, brings to play interper Swope and Katzer more than 25 years ago sonal dynamics that can be quite different revealed that 65% of users who have a ques from those encountered in a reference desk tion in mind said they would not ask a librar setting. Further examination and discussion ian for help.3 Roving offers a way to draw will help to identify standards that will in out those unasked questions. crease the overall quality and consistency of • Refer questions from the reference roving reference. desk to the rover. Even with an active rov ing service, it’s important to maintain a pres Notes ence at the reference desk. Librarians sched 1. Adeane Bregman and Barbara Mento, uled at the desk should try to refer patrons “Reference Roving at Boston College: Point who need to use a public workstation to the of Use Assistance to Electronic Resource Us rover. This will allow desk librarians the flex ers Reduces Stress,” College and Research Li ibility to work with users who may have more braries News 53 (November 1992): 634-35; complex questions and steer the user to the Eileen H. Kramer, “Why Roving Reference: A rover, who will be in a better position to of Case Study in a Small ,” Ref fer follow-up assistance. erence Services Review 24 (Fall 1996): 67-80; • Keep statistics. Many reference depart Jennifer Mendelsohn, “Human Help at OPAC ments report declining numbers of reference Terminals is User Friendly: A Preliminary questions. This decrease may be because Study,” RQ 34 (Winter 1994): 173-90. fewer transactions take place solely at the 2. “Roving Reference: A Human Presence desk, but more users are helped at public for the Information Age,” RUSA/MOUSS Per workstations. This may be difficult to do, but formance Issues for Reference and Informa look for ways for rovers to keep accurate tion Service Librarians Discussion Group, ALA count of the number of questions they an Annual Conference, New Orleans, June 26, swer. Your statistics should jump dramatically! 1999; Martin Courtois and Maira Liriano, “Summary on Reference Roving,” posted to A final recommendation LIBREF-L, May 18, 1999. http:// While it’s helpful to share our experiences listserv.kent.edu/archives/libref-I.html [9/29/ and ideas, it may be more beneficial to move 991. toward a codification of specific behaviors 3. Mary Jane Swope and Jeffrey Katzer, for roving. “Why Don’t They Ask Questions?,” RQ 12 Considerable attention has been devoted (Winter 1972): 161-66. to the behavior and performance of librar 4. “Guidelines for Behavioral Performance ians working at reference desks, as seen in of Reference and Information Services Pro guidelines prepared by ALA’s Reference and fessionals,” January 1996. http://www.ala.org/ User Services Association.4 On one level, roving rusa/behavior.html [9/29/99]. ■

C&RL News ■ April 2000 / 315