RA Conversation 101 - My thoughts

I don't have much to what I wrote on the discussion forum. I will take heed of Chelton's words and think more about what she pointed out when I'm working the desk and doing RA (spot check - how am I doing?) and in training and standards for my dept. staff. I will also take a look at a book that she wrote in 2007 on RA and adult services. I emailed the WorldCat record to order for our library so I do appreciate her comments and scholarship - just don't see much of myself in her article - did she jump too quickly and create a stereotype of the lousy RA librarian or is this a warning call for us all and how the readers see us - I can say I don't describe as much the steps I'm taking or why with an RA interview as with a Reference interview or while I'm doing a Web search for someone - so that thought is useful for me to think about and revise my method to include more explanation.

Discussion forum comments from me:
Well, if this were the first reading for the class, I would have been so discouraged by Chelton's indictment or angry that these are not true.

Yes, some cases may occur and some times we are all discouraged that we don't give the best service. Here's what I'd say about my own experience and own library. Hope I don't sound too defensive but:

In our library fiction is currently located on a "popular collections" floor and the help desk is staffed primarily by library assistants. Some are 20-hr. staff and have little or no hours off-desk and are required by administration to shelve carts of books when it is quiet. So, even though these are good, caring people they are not sufficiently trained for RA work and don't read reviews or select books. I can say these things because this is part of my dept. I advocated for change and we will have a mix of librarians and LAs at our new service desk for Adult Services (RA) and Reference and move the fiction collections near us. So, perhaps the students didn't all talk to librarians or to staff who were trained in RA.

When I've worked the popular collections floor, the RA interview usually starts while I'm walking the floor to talk with readers or arranging a display. I do have a conversation with them and then head back to the computer. Usually what I'm using is NoveList or our own list of staff picks, etc. and not the OPAC. I may not explain that well enough so that people understand why I went to the computer. I have tried for years to have a separate PC for just our RA tools but our tech support person has had difficulty in preventing users from breaking through and sitting there using the PC as an Internet station. She's going to try again in 2009. Other libraries may not have these tools because of expense. My online budget has been cut substantially but I'm willing to hang onto NoveList and Next Reads.

I do agree that we need to work on interview techniques -- it can be awkward to ask and often people can't articulate very well why they liked a certain book or describe it in terms of appeal factors we try to describe. I also think for myself I could talk about why I like mysteries but if someone were helping me select, I'd be clearer about what types of mysteries I dislike or wouldn't want to try. There's also the issue of people wanting only a best-seller and they're all out and/or on reserve lists. How can you encourage the reader to try something else?

We find displays are a really good RA prop. We have quite a few - some a mix of fiction and nonfiction; some by genre; some topical, etc. It often works to take someone over there and kind of quickly "book talk" some of the titles.

The other thing I've done and encouraged staff to do is to treat the request like a reference question - meaning if I couldn't come up with a satisfactory title at that moment, I ask if the person wants to leave his/her name and phone or email and we'd send a list - with the list we might include brief reviews etc. and would let the person know what is in.

This is the kind of sharing we should do with our colleagues - what techniques work, what techniques really don't work.

We also do ask people if they've found what they needed, if they found the book - we check in returns if they haven't found it on the shelf -- we juggle multiple people -- but don't miss too many I think. If it's really busy we ask people to stop back and tell us they didn't find. Another easy way - our desk are near floor or main exit and you can see the person walk by and check their hands - sometimes I just say "great, you found the book, hope you'll enjoy it."

I've also spotted them at the Circulation desk checking out and will ask --did you find the book ok? (If I hadn't connected with them at my desk or on their way out)

So, I think we do better than the article suggested but, yes, there's a way to go and some days the RA match of customer and book is hard to do or you're unsuccessful.