I observed Regina Reitzel on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 from 4:30 - 6:30p. When I entered the library and made my way to the reference desk, I was asked if I could be helped - with a smile - and I stated that I was meeting Regina Reitzel for an interview and observation. She smiled even larger and stated, "I am Regina." While I was observing, there were 9 patrons who approached the desk. Regina's approachability was very satisfactory. She greeted each patron and was entirely focused on the inquiry. She maintained eye contact throughout the assistance.
When necessary, Regina attempted to clarify the patron's questions by asking open-ended questions to find out how much the patron knew about the subject and how much more they wanted to know. She in no way made any value judgements related to the information needed.
Regina used print and electronic sources to help the patron find the information requested. In doing so, she explained the search process and provided instruction on how to conduct successful searches.
When the information was found, Regina encouraged the patron to let her know if additional help or information was needed. She did not refer the patron to additional resources outside the library.
General Observations
An elderly lady needed help making copies - the machine "wouldn't take my money"; then she couldn't make the kind of copies she wanted, so we (Regina and I) showed her how to turn the book to copy what she wanted. She was appreciative of our help.
We showed a gentleman how to use the computer catalog to find his books and how to read the codes.
A lady just received her library card and needed a pin number to access her account. Regina assigned her a number and we showed her how to use the computer catalog to search for books as well.
There were teenagers that were horseplaying in the computer lab, so Regina had to correct them.
A lady stopped by and asked how to order a book through the interlibrary loan - so we showed her how.
A teenager needed help finding the books on interpreting dreams. We took her to the stacks and showed her where they were located.
A gentleman approached the desk needing the Labor Law Books and Regina showed him where they were, and told him to let her know if she could help him find anything.
A student from CVCC approached and asked where else to look for statistical data for a paper she was writing on homelessness and unemployment. Regina used the computer to help her find information in the databases. Regina told her that sometimes you have to keep trying different "key words" until you find what you are looking for. After several searches, Regina found the right "key word" that provided the information that the student was looking for. (The student was a former Bandys student - so we recognized each other right off the bat).
A young boy asked for help with the computer catalog to find a book, and we helped him.
After each patron was assisted, I noticed that Regina would reach for a packet, turn a page or two and make a mark. I asked her what she was doing and she said that they keep a tally sheet for assistance and it is used to see what services/help are given each month. There were items already typed in to be marked, such as: assist with PC printing, copies, trouble shooting, instruct using OPAC, pin numbers, Hickory newspaper, telephone reference questions, register for a computer class, etc. Then there were pages to list/write-in information that there wasn't a box for, such as: proctor an exam, order a book, books on world religions, etc. For it to only have been June 3, there were a lot of tally marks and write-ins. I can only imagine what it will look like at the end of the month.
It was really helpful to be able to observe and tag along during the assistance to see what is going on. I am excited about the internship that we will be doing later in our coursework. Hands-on stuff is what I like :)
Monday, June 8, 2009
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