I just wanted to send out a message regarding desk duties and departments. We have been successful in moving toward our goal of integrating staff from different departments at all of the service desks. This will continue to happen as a part of our All Desk Service Model. The All Desk Trainings are intended to be the core duties at each desk regardless of the name of the desk or the department. The tasks you do off the desk or during slow periods at the desk will still be specific to your department.
We are working to create more uniform workstations at each desk to facilitate moving between the desks with ease. For instance, each desk has a blue folder with printed instructions on how to open and close each desk area, but please ask your coworkers when you have questions. I will work with you to facilitate shadowing at opening and closing so everyone gets a chance to see how other desks close.
Here are some examples of when it would be smart to try to use a new muscle at a desk and when it might be wise to just go ahead and ask for help:
A few weeks ago I was at the Youth Services Desk. I was chatting with a family that I have talked with before. They were browsing for books in a very leisurely manner. One of the girls was looking for a book series but she didn’t remember the title or much about the series. I knew that I probably wasn’t going to be the best person to find the series, but they seemed very willing to work with me as I looked. So I did some Google searching, I did some catalog searching, and I asked them the questions I knew to ask. We worked together for about 5 or 10 minutes, and then I said, “Let’s pull in the big wigs” and I grabbed Megan and Jessica. Of course, Megan and Jessica found the series in a few minutes. I didn’t feel bad at all because I learned a lot about children’s book series during the search and I got to practice a skill that I don’t use that often. The family didn’t seem upset at all. They even discovered a book series while we were searching. It was a win-win. If the family had been with a crying baby or seemed like they needed to leave ASAP, I probably would have only looked with them for a minute before grabbing help.
That same day, we had a woman come in to use the computers. She began her interactions at the PS Desk in a surly manner. The PS Desk was already fairly busy, and Cathy went ahead a grabbed me right away. In that situation, Cathy did the right thing. Cathy had other patrons that needed her attention and the woman made it clear that she was in a hurry and didn’t have the time or inclination to wait and I was available.
We can’t always give the rushed patron an extra hand, but if there is a backup and you get the sense that this will be escalated, don’t be afraid to ask for help. That being said, don’t be afraid to try new things like readers advisory or helping with a library resource you rarely use. You can always ask for help after you give it a shot. If we never practice our All Desk Skills, they won’t stick. Most of the time patrons are very understanding if you are unsure and when you frame it correctly, it can be a learning experience for everyone.
Please note that Meeting Room Technology/Approval is not an All Desk Skill. So while you are going to approve study rooms and let people into study rooms as a desk task, letting groups into the Meeting Rooms and/or setting up Meeting Room Technology is a task that associates/guides and assistant librarians are trained to do. Clerks do not need to worry about learning that.
Also, know that All Desk Skills include only the basics of technology. You should be able to help a patron print a document, PDF, or email. You do not need to know how to reformat a resume, troubleshoot advanced technology issues, or assist patrons with in-depth Help Desk or Tech Lab tasks that are going to take more than 5 to 10 minutes. If they need a lot of assistance, you can schedule pending a help desk appointment.
Please continue to ask Molly and Peg if you have questions about the desk training, and we will do our best to schedule you with a staff member to review the skill you feel unsure about.
I have printed off a list of general All Desk Tasks and a list of things that are not All Desk Tasks.
Assistant Librarians and Library Associates/Guides will do some non-all desk tasks while on a desk – especially during the evenings and weekends.
This list is at each desk to look over. This is not going to cover every scenario, but I hope it helps clarify.