LIBR 210 – Reference and Information Services – Professor Stenstrom

Report 1: “The Face-to-Face or Traditional Reference Encounter”

Patricia Ayame Thomson

Background

            In order to complete the assignment for “The Face-to-Face or Traditional Reference Encounter” and to make the queries consistent, I asked the same question to two different reference librarians in two neighborhood public libraries. The Santa Monica Public Library System is located in an affluent area, and it is safe to assume they have more resources, funding, and donations from the community compared to most other libraries. I kept in mind that libraries and the quality of service provided by the reference librarian varies with each encounter. In order to make an appropriate assessment of comparison to the highly-respected Santa Monica Main Public Library, other libraries also compared should be reasonably close in terms of type, size, and quality.

Introduction

As an introduction, I will describe the geographical areas where the libraries are located, and their proximity to one another. For example, the City of Santa Monica where I work is adjacent to the City of Los Angeles, so there are several LAPL libraries located along the boundary between two cities. The Los Angeles Public Library System boasts a total of 73 branches, compared to the Santa Monica Public Library System of five total branches; including the main library, three quaint branches, and another one on the way opening at the end of next year, 2013.

When I conducted a comparison study of the two library systems in a previous course, the comparison results indicated the number of library items between the LAPL and SMPL systems proved to be practically equivalent on the most part. However, the most significant difference between SMPL and LAPL are the number of database subscriptions available on their respective library Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).

Due to the fact that the Los Angeles Public Library System has the funding for 72 branches and a central library, it stands to reason they have a large inherent budget to provide over 300 databases, compared to Santa Monica’s library OPAC with a modest 22 databases. The annual cost of subscription to a database is an extremely costly proposition for the library, and as a result takes up a major part of the overall annual budget.

First, I visited the nearby Beverly Hills Public Library approximately nine miles away from Santa Monica. Like the City of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills is also a self-governed city and is under a separate jurisdiction from the City of Los Angeles. Consequently, there is only one library in the City of Beverly Hills. Coincidentally, I ended up playing the role of a “secret shopper” with three librarians in three different cities.

When I first entered into the Beverly Hills Public Library (BHPL), the first thing I noticed as I entered is that the library entrance and lobby area is under construction. Ironically, I recall visiting the Beverly Hills Public Library once before five years ago when I was hired as a page there. The interesting fact is that even though Beverly Hills is a wealthy city and they receive huge donations for their children’s department, for example, the wages the Beverly Hills Public Library pay for a page is approximately half of what they pay for the same position at the Santa Monica Public Library. The above is due to the fact that Beverly Hills and Santa Monica are self-contained and self-governed cities. As a result, the rate of minimum wages also varies with each city. Fortunately, I am very happy and grateful that I made the decision to work at the Santa Monica Main Public Library in many respects.

Coincidentally, as soon as I got past the lobby under construction, I ran into my colleague and friend from the Santa Monica Library. When I started working at the Santa Monica Library, my colleague who was in the same online program through San Jose State University became one of my mentors. Shortly after, she graduated with a Masters degree she has been working as a librarian consistently at both Santa Monica and Beverly Hills Public Libraries.

Apparently, my friend directed me to the primary Reference Librarian in the library. Instead of the usual elevated desk or a podium, the librarian was sitting at a desk with a computer placed directly in front of him. So, as a “secret shopper” I approached him from the side so I could make eye contact. Also, because he was seated behind rows of long tables in a square formation, it definitely created a boundary between the librarian and patrons. Since I was standing, I naturally looked down at the seated librarian. On first impression, I had a good feeling about approaching him and speaking to him. The best way I can explain it is that his demeanor struck the perfect balance between the following mixture: Approachable and pleasant but professional, friendly and kind but does not invade your space, concerned and thoughtful but not nosey or overly inquisitive, and helpful and open but does not encourage outstaying the welcome. In brief, the reference encounter was rather uneventful. The interaction was nothing out-of-the-ordinary, smooth, fast, and accurate.

I approached the librarian to request information on two topics: Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and the Mayan civilization and calendar in my mind. When I mentioned the topic of Parental Alienation Syndrome, he repeated the phrase and typed it in the library’s OPAC. Although Parental Alienation Syndrome is a new diagnosis recently researched by Dr. Amy Baker based on the original research conducted by Dr. Richard Gardner, in reality there are likely countless instances throughout history about forced separations between one parent and their child intentionally designed by the other.

The point is that PAS is not yet widely known in our society. As a result, it is understandable that the librarian was not familiar with the term. He responded after he finished typing and asked: “It keeps saying child custody. Is that related?” I responded “Yes, it is.” The librarian put two sets of Dewey Decimal numbers on a piece of paper. He handed it to me and told me to look in the Table of Contents in the books to see if the topic is mentioned. I thought that was a nice tip.

At that point, another patron approached and waited at a respectable distance a few feet away. Perhaps I put the pressure on myself and I felt rushed, but I continued to ask my second question anyway. I said to the librarian: “I’m personally interested in learning about the Mayan Civilization and the Calendar that everyone is talking about.” Suddenly, the patron who was waiting nearby said: “I donated a book about the Maya civilization and culture. They should have it here. They don’t have much about the subject here, but that’s a really good book.” Then, after the search the librarian repeated the same title. I said to the other patron: “I guess they’re using your book!” The librarian offered, are you interested in “How to read Mayan hieroglyphics?” I mumbled something like, “That may be too specific for me,” but the librarian wrote the call number down anyway and directed me downstairs.” For the final question, I asked him: “It’s my first time here. Are there people downstairs who will show me where they are located?” He replied pleasantly: “Yes.” So I walked away unmonitored and preceded down the stairs. I checked where the recommended books were located, but did not actually check them out.”

My second reference encounter as a “secret shopper” occurred when I visited the West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library. Before I started working at the Santa Monica Main Library, I had gone to the West Los Angeles Public Library on my own accord. At first, I walked around the library to see how it was laid out, which did not take long because it is a rather small and quaint library. When I decided to approach the desk under a large sign that claimed “Information,” I was third in line.

The librarian behind the desk was a lovely, outwardly kind, and warmly expressive woman. She had on an ethnic-looking outfit with lots of sparkles on her headdress, vest, and skirt. You can tell immediately that she is a very approachable, nice, and helpful librarian. While I was in line, I observed the African American librarian graciously and carefully say to the Latino man, “My name is Aisha and here is my card. Please call me and I’ll make a special time for you. Then, we can both sit down and I’ll help you.” I could not believe what I was witnessing. I thought to myself, this librarian is the exact reason why I began pursuing librarianship. She exemplified the best possible scenario of a great librarian. Aisha looked and acted as though she sprang right off of the pages of a children’s picture book about librarians. She exuded warmth and concern instantaneously.

When I asked about resources for Parental Alienation Syndrome, Aisha handed me a piece of paper and told me to write the phrase down. It occurred to me that this strategy is an excellent idea on how to cover a multitude of challenges during a reference interview. As a librarian, you can hand the patron a piece of paper in case of any of the following situations: a.) When you do not know how the topic requested is spelled, b.) when you do not know anything about the topic requested, c.) when you did not hear or clearly understand what the patron requested, and/or d.) when you want immediate clarification from the patron.

Next, as Aisha was telling me that it was almost time for her to get off of work, at the same time she was also hauling over a heavy stool so I can sit across from her desk. “We can find the information together” she said. This was contrary to the reference librarian at the Beverly Hills Library who was caged in on all sides by tables, which makes it almost impossible to monitor patrons and personally direct them to the requested items.

In contrast, Aisha moved fluidly behind one side of the desk to another, as well as going to the printer to print information out for me. Interestingly, Aisha opted to deal with the subject she was familiar with first. Before, I approached the reference desk I kept in mind to inform the reference librarian that I have two questions from the very beginning.

I could tell Aisha knew a lot about the subject of the Mayan civilization and calendar, as well as many other aspects of the phenomenon. She even showed me a documentary DVD that she check-out through Inter-Library Loan (ILL) from one of the Los Angeles County Libraries.

During the reference encounter with Aisha, I found out something extremely important that I did not know before. I was amazed to discover that there are County Libraries, in addition to City Libraries. I asked her where they were and Aisha replied: “Don’t worry. I’ll print it out for you.” I was floored and amazed how accommodating, sweet, and helpful she was. I witnessed her treating the other patrons in line ahead of my in the same caring, thoughtful, and engaging disposition, so I knew she did not behave that way only towards me.

When I expressed approval, excitement, and gratitude about the documentary film she recommended titled “2012: Science or Superstition” (Erez, 2009), she proceeded to go to the back room to get the DVD she borrowed to show me. Coincidentally, Aisha was passionately interested in this very subject herself. Then, Aisha quickly found the documentary in the library catalog again and placed the DVD on hold for me. I asked her to clarify whether the 2012 film is a different movie from the fictional blockbuster starring John Cusak. She assured me that this is a documentary and it is completely different.

To provide me with additional information in another format, Aisha looked up the information on Wikipedia. Interesting, considering the material we are studying in the course. She explained that the astrological influence incorporated in the Mayan Calendar includes the signs in the Horoscope.

Now that I look at the information she printed for me from Google, I am glad that it is for my own personal use. The titles do not sound very authoritative. For example, one title is “The Aquarian Age” and the other is “Age of Aquarius.” I guess what Aisha provided might be a good place to start especially for my own interest, but I don’t know if this type of material is exactly appropriate for scholarly endeavors. I was expecting to learn more about the Mayan civilization and how they lived, beliefs, origins etc.

Aisha turned her attention to the other topic of Parental Alienation Syndrome. Se proceeded to show me on the LAPL website where the databases are located. She said “If you don’t know the name of the database you want, you can also search by topic. In this case, you should look in journals, both general and specialized.” Aisha also showed me that on the left side of the screen, I can look for the same topic in other journals not included in the original query results. She wrote it down step-by-step on a piece of paper starting with the basic logging in online with my library card number.

I have never received this type of hands on demonstration around a database. If I had received this type of face-to-face-to monitor instruction, I would have been way ahead of the game in library school. On the other hand, due to the virtual environment, our only interaction between student and professors especially in long-distance learning is not face-to-face or hands-on.

In conclusion, I am extremely impressed with how kind, special, and worthy Aisha made me feel. If this were a study, I would definitely approach her again when I need help. She helped me to feel excited about learning by supplying interesting information about the topics. Not only that, she showed me around the various databases and how to use them. I believe Aisha at the West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library was indeed worthy of being a role model on how to be a warm and competent reference librarian.

References:

Erez, N. (Director). (2009). 2012: Science or superstition. [Documentary].

Beverly Hills Public Library
444 N. Rexford Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

West Los Angeles Public Library
11360 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401