can i help you now? how about now?

Can I Help You Now? How About Now?

Providing Roaming Reference Without Becoming a Stalker Librarian

PresentersAllison Ringness, Glendale Community CollegeNicole Sandberg, Glendale Community College

Project Background• LSTA Collections Category Grant

o “Develop library services and provide all users access to information”

o Roaming reference a useful expansion of library services

• Grant Guidelineso Pre-testo Tie outcomes to needso Measurable outcomeso Grant guidelines contributed to project success

Literature Review• Lotts, Megan, and Stephanie Graves. "Using the Ipad for Reference Services." College &

Research Libraries News 72.4 (2011): 217-220. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Oct. 2013

• McCabe, Kealin M., and James R.W. MacDonald. "Roaming Reference: Reinvigorating Reference Through Point of Need Service." Partnership: The Canadian Journal Of Library & Information Practice & Research 6.2 (2011): 1-15. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

• International M-Libraries Conference, Ally, M., & Needham, G. (2010). M-libraries 2: A virtual library in everyone's pocket. London: Facet. Ask us upstairs' : bringing roaming reference to the Paley stacks. Fred Rowland, Adam Schambaugh

• MacDonald, James, and Kealin McCabe. "Iroam: Leveraging Mobile Technology To Provide Innovative Point Of Need Reference Services." Code4lib Journal 13 (2011): 1-7. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Definitions• Alternative names

o Roving referenceo Mobile referenceo Point-of-need reference

• Roaming reference at GCCo Additional to reference desk

Stalker Librarian

Getty Images

Can I help you now?

How about now?

Survey Design• Establish the need

o Measure whether service removes barriers to access

• Short and sweeto Fast for students to

completeo Fast for librarians to code

• Codingo Service receivedo Location returned

Survey Delivery• Advertise in high-traffic

areas

• Low-tech toolso Colored papero Paper boxeso Coffee!

Allison Ringness

Roaming: When

• November 12-23, 2012• Day and early evening

• 34 shifts total

• Shifts covered class change• Observed at desk that this is a busy time

Roaming: Where• GCC Library

layouto Service deskso Computer

commonso Stacks

• Route• Through stacks

• Reference backup

http://lib.gccaz.edu/lmc/building/map/lmcmap.html

Roaming: Who• Full-time librarians

• Available to attend planning meetings

• Small group easily trained

• Able to gather feedback immediately after pilot

• Involvement in planning resulted in high buy-in www.beautiful-libraries.com

Roaming: What• 34 Roaming “shifts”

• One librarian per shift

• Continue regular reference desk service

• Look for lost, confused students

• Greet• If student refuses help, move on!

• Technology

• Statistics• Modified version of desk statistics

• Measure student reactionIntelFreePress via Wikimedia

Did Our Service Meet a Need?• 101 Interactions

• Plus normal Reference Desk traffic

• Although students had been to desk, not en route to desk when met in stacks

Did Students Really Want Roaming Reference?

Did Students Really Want Roaming Reference?

• Yes!

When do students need help?• Confidence not equal to competence

• Students thought they needed help finding books• But librarians answered more reference than directional

questions

Where do students need help?

Were we stalkers?

Were we stalkers?

No!

Project Conclusion

• Implementation • Need was established• Stakeholder buy-in• Unexpected learning opportunities

Questions