ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 3 5 4 /C&RL News Reference ro ver: The hesitant patron’s best friend By Je n n ii L. Ram irez Roving gives interns great experience L ike an untrained pup, eager yet lacking ipractical experience, I present myself Diablo Valley College (DVC) Library to begi an internship in the Reference Department. Betty Bortz, head of reference at the co munity college, proposes that I initially circ late in the area o f the libraiy’s OPAC termina and CD-ROM periodical stations, assisting p trons with the library’s electronic databases. Sh had recently read an article by Adeane Bregma and Barbara Mento in C&RL News (“Referenc roving at Boston College,” November 1992) pr moting “reference roving” and feels that th approach may provide a good introduction t assisting patrons. The authors of the article su gest that the proliferation of electronic dat bases contributes to a growing need to pr vide assistance at the point of use. It is Brotz’s opinion that many patrons the DVC Library need instruction in the fun tion and usefulness o f OPACs and CD-RO database resources. While those library r sources are becoming more varied and co plex, students are matriculating to the colleg ill-prepared in their use. Bibliographic instru tion in California high schools is becoming mor scarce due to budget cutbacks necessitated b the state’s money woes. Regardless of their lac of preparedness, many patrons seem relucta to approach a reference librarian for assistanc with the equipment. The librarians suspect th this hesitancy may be in part due to the di tance between the reference desk and the var n at n m­ u­ ls a­ e n e o­ is o g­ a­ o­ at c­ M e­ m­ e c­ e y k nt e at s­ i­ ous electronic workstations, a range from 10 to 30 feet. Evaluating roving I am supposed to test whether the rover ap­ proach will be accepted by the patrons, will prove to be worthwhile to users of the library’s electronic resources, and should be considered for implementation by regular staff. The pro­ posed duties sound to me like a good way to ease into reference work. After all, Infotrac and other CD-ROiM periodical databases— ALICE (the library’s OPAC), Melvyl, and a few other local public library online and CD-ROM cata­ logs— are a much smaller universe to deal with than the library’s entire reference collection. My confrontation with “Reference Desk Pho­ bia” and exposure of my lack of reference savvy are postponed, or so I think. Wearing a nametag proclaiming my status as a librarian assistant, I venture forth to assist electronic database users. No one approaches me. After several minutes of circulating among the patrons at the database workstations, I con­ clude that proactive measures are called for or I may wander about aimlessly for the rest of the day. Wearing a smile and with an upbeat tone, I ask users, “Excuse me, are you finding what you need?” and I have numerous takers in my first few hours o f roving. When patrons accept my offer, I find tradi­ tional reference work is often called for after all. The students don’t just need to know how to locate a citation on a specific topic or the record for a particular library title. Instead, their inquiries indicate that they require direction on how to approach a question (e.g., “Where can I find information on the Alliance for Progress?” Jen n ii L. Ram irez is a recent g ra d u a te o f the School o f Library a n d Inform ation Science a t San Jo se State University, California Ju n e 1 9 9 4 /3 5 5 •356/C&RL News or “I need to do a speech on one side of a controversial topic. Where can I find topic ideas?”). I am on my feet rather than sitting behind the reference desk, but I am conduct­ ing reference interviews and answering refer­ ence questions nonetheless. A dvan tages for the intern Many of these academic library neophytes and I have something in common: we are facing the fear of being discovered as lacking in li­ brary expertise. Together we overcome some of our shortcomings. As I help a patron locate the information he or she lacks, using elec­ tronic or print resources, we both become more adept in the use of library materials. Although there are many times when I must refer the user to a veteran librarian, my confidence grows as my experience and the number of successful interactions increase. The advantages of roving for the library school student are the same as those of a tra­ ditional reference internship. The experience affords an opportunity to become acquainted with library resources, to gain experience as­ sisting users, and to overcome the anxiety present when first attempting to integrate class­ room-acquired know ledge and library re­ sources with a user’s information need. Reference roving, in fact, is better than working from a reference desk in some re­ spects. The amount of contact with patrons is greater when roving. Not only does the rover’s offer of assistance in itself provide an oppor­ tunity to become more comfortable in inter­ personal communication with patrons, but the offer is often appreciated and accepted. It is my experience that I get more practice at ref­ erence interviewing and assisting patrons with inquires when I rove than when I wait for them to approach me at the desk. Although many of the questions I elicit prove to be merely directional (e.g., “Which computer has journal articles on health top­ ics?”), often these interactions provide an op­ portunity to instruct the patron in the use of an electronic database. And, with rapport grow­ ing, the patron frequently reveals the informa­ tion need, and a reference interview is under­ way after all. While roving, I feel no pressure to rush when assisting a patron. Because there is no designated place for them to line up to await my help and there is no telephone to beckon me, I remain unaware of any need other than that of the patron at hand. I feel that I can take as much time as required to assist each patron fully. But the rover is not alone in reaping ben­ efits from this arrangement. The pluses to the patron are manifold. Patron benefits 1) Since the intern’s only reason for circulating is to offer assistance, this indicates to patrons that they are not expected to know how to use the resources. That signal—that it is okay not to know and therefore it is okay to get help— is reassuring to patrons. 2) Because assistance is offered to the pa­ tron at the point of use, patrons do not have to abandon their workstations to get help. They need not risk losing their turn when that area is busy. 3) There is no desk separating the patrons from the rover. This close physical proximity helps break down the barrier to open commu­ nication. 4) The patron has the opportunity to learn through a hands-on approach. The rover can instruct the patron in the use of the equipment with the patron doing the actual keying-in of data. This combination of visual, verbal, and tactile instruction can be effective in training users in the function of electronic resources. 5) A one-on-one approach provides more individualized attention than group biblio­ graphic training. Feedback from the patron can direct the instruction, focusing it on the areas in which skills are weak. And, examples used in that instruction can be selected to be rel­ evant to the particular patron’s need. 6) Although reference roving interactions are of a more public nature than those at the refer­ ence desk, I believe this, too, is an advantage more often than not. Even those patrons who never ask for help can benefit from this ap­ proach. While helping one patron, others may overhear the discussion and learn along with the “official” trainee. Those who initially turn down offers of assistance, but are in close prox­ imity to rover interactions with other users, fre­ quently request help after all. Observing that the rover provides nonjudgmental, friendly as­ sistance may embolden them to ask for help. Points to ponder I see reference roving in a positive light over­ all, but I do have a few concerns about it. Some electronic resource users may feel intimidated by the presence of the rover. I find that I am Ju n e 1 9 9 4 /3 5 7 “barking up the wrong tree” at times, inter­ rupting the research of patrons who are doing well on their own. Some patrons may feel that their privacy is being invaded by an offer of assistance or just by the rover’s presence. Or they may feel self-conscious about their lack of retrieval expertise and would prefer not to be observed while they work. Perhaps, over time, an experienced rover can learn to detect indi­ cations that the patron does not welcome help. Another concern is the possibility that of­ fering assistance may rush the patron toward an answer when he or she is still probing a topic and developing a question. The rover should try to discern which stage o f research patrons are in, allowing them time to browse and sample databases. Rovers might benefit from training in special listening techniques. My final concern is the lack of a standard place for the patron to look for follow-up as­ sistance. Depending on the size of the area being circulated, locating the rover can add a complication to the inquiry process. Conclusion The reluctance of some patrons to approach a reference librarian when help is needed has long been acknowledged. I believe that in- house outreach through roving can help librar­ ians serve hesitant patrons. Because the rover is not involved in other duties, patrons have no reason to fear that the rover will be both­ ered if they ask for help. Those who suspect that their questions are too unimportant to take to a librarian may benefit, too. The rover’s presence and offer of assistance signal inter­ est in the question to those hesitant patrons— this may be all that is necessary to tip the balance toward asking the question. Even patrons who have been disappointed by past interaction with librarians may be less reluc­ tant to “give them another chance” if assis­ tance is directly offered. Through friendly yet dogged reference rov­ ing at DVC’s Library, I believe I have reached many otherwise underserved patrons with needed bibliographic instruction and reference assistance. At the same time, through this in­ ternship, I have become more skilled and con­ fident at reference work. It is a win-win ar­ rangement which I recommend to interns and their supervisors alike to advance the training of future librarians while serving the needs of patrons. ■ (Internet cont.from p a g e 353) Institute o f E lectrical and E lectro n ics Engineers (IEE E ): includes membership and chapter information (gopher.ieee.org, port 70). IEEE C om puter Society: includes calls for papers, membership information, and tables of co n te n ts fo r s o cie ty p u b licatio n s (in fo . computer.org, port 70). Society o f Industrial and Applied Math­ em atics: includes advance conference pro­ grams and calls for papers, and book reviews (gopher.siam.org, port 70). G uides an d updates A number of electronic sources are tracking engineering information on the networks. As the rate at which information sources become available online increases, the online sources for tracking them will be able to keep pace more reliably than print guides. Engineering Virtual Library. This is a sub­ ject guide to WWW sources. The recent explo­ sive growth in Mosaic applications makes this guide increasingly important; it is available at http:/ /epim sl.gsfc.nasa.gov/ engineering/ engineering, html. L ib rary W ithout W alls. North Carolina State University’s gopher server, the Library ithout Walls includes subject guides to many disciplines including engineering. It is located at dewey.lib.ncsu.edu, port 70, in the “Library ithout Walls/Study Carrels” menu. InfoSlug. The University of California-Santa Cruz maintains a gopher server named InfoSlug which includes a subject guide to research materials. It is at scilibx.ucsc.edu, port 70, in the “The Researcher” menu. University o f Michigan SILS. The Univer­ sity of Michigan School of Information and Li­ brary Studies (SILS) has created several thor­ ough subject guides to Internet resources, including aerospace engineering and environ­ ment issues. These are available at una.hh.lib. umich.edu, port 70, in the “inetdirs” directory. EINet G alaxy. EINet Galaxy provides a guide to many engineering sources via the WWW. The guide is available at http:// galaxy.einet.net/galaxy/E ngineering-and - Technology.html. ■ W W http://epimsl.gsfc.nasa.gov/engineering/