Customized Workshops & Services for Libraries
Library Roving Service
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I’d just like to share with you today an excellent slide presentation available on “Slideshare”. This presentation by Martha Fuerst, Information and Society (LIBR 200) San Jose State University, Fall 2010, provides some great context and facts about ” non-traditional” services, including roving, self-help, use of technology and more. I particularly like her use of old and new quotations, and appreciate the extensive list of reference sources for the presentation. Here’s the link: http://www.slideshare.net/MartiFuerst/traditional-vs-nontraditional-service-points-in-libraries?from=share_email_logout2 Enjoy!
Is this an indication of future roving service to come? In a great article in her blog Library Webhead *, Sharon Clapp describes her positive reactions to the pro-active, roving customer service provided at Apple stores – including instant check-out on the spot with the roving Apple staff member. Sharon speculates on the use of a similar service in Libraries and concludes, “So imagine what this means for libraries. The next big thing won’t just be roving reference, but roving circulation! We’d better limber up & get used to being proactive in our customer service skills, introducing ourselves and offering to help.”
We couldn’t agree more. For those Libraries who have already embraced and implemented Roving and Roving reference successfully we’d like to say, “Congratulations! Well done! Roving Circulation/check out may be a wonderful future enhancement to what you are already doing!” To those Libraries who are considering roving, or have not quite yet made it a fundamental part of their service – “You’re on the right track…but the bar for pro-active service and roving is continually being raised. You may want to consider picking up the pace a little.”
See the whole article at http://librarywebhead.blogspot.com/2010/08/not-just-roving-reference-roving.html
*Library Webhead is the blog of “a Librarian who focuses on web technologies…She also highlights some of the latest trends in Web development and Libraries.”
Over the past 6 and 1/2 years, in Roving workshops with over 1200 Library managers and staff, I have found that people commonly need clear answers about some important questions before they can successfully implement Roving. Our Pro-active Service and roving Workshops address all these questions, and much more.
I have summarized the most common of these “frequently asked questions” for you in the following list.
“10 FAQ’s To Answer For Smoother Roving implementation”
1. Why is this important? (What is the objective? How does it link to our Vision, Mission, Goals?)
2. Who will be Roving? (which roles, positions, departments, branches, F/T/ P/T)
3. When should I rove? • Will there be a schedule, or will it be just a percentage of my shift, or will it be just at my discretion? • If there are to be shifts…how long will a roving shift be?
4. Where do I rove?
• Just in my department?
• On this floor only? Other floors?
• Beyond the Library walls?
5. How do I rove?
• What if there is no one else staffing the desk? Can I leave the desk empty?
• Do I have to do my roving time in one “chunk”?
• What if there are no patrons in the department?
• How do I deal with multiple customers or answering phone calls?
• How do I deal with questions outside of my departmental or role related expertise?
6. What tools or support will be provided to help me rove?
a. INFORMATION
i. Trends affecting libraries
ii. Other libraries’ approaches
b. TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER TOOLS
i. Computer Technology (i.e. Notebook computers, PDA’s etc.)
ii. Communication devices (i.e. Vocera, Walkie-Talkies, or portable phone headsets etc.)
iii. Clipboards, “Tick sheets”
iv. Identification (i.e. badges) c. TRAINING i. Roving Training ii. Pro-active Service (at a desk; in stacks(pages/shelvers), at Ciric. desk) iii. Cross training d. COACHING i. Managers participating and/ or demonstrating roving ii. Dialogue, Feedback (i.e. from Co-workers, Managers and/or from Patrons?)
e. REINFORCMENT / SUPPORT
i. What follow-up will there be?
ii. Practice sessions
iii. Other support (i.e. Reminders, posters, newsletters, staff meetings)
f. TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
i. Committees of representatives of supervisors and staff
ii. Dialogue, what’s working, what’s not, solutions. Make it part of every staff meeting agenda
7. How can I get my other work done? Will Managers help by scheduling off-desk work or automating, eliminating or re-assigning other tasks/priorities
8. What if there is no one else staffing the desk?
9. What if there are no patrons in the department?
10. Do I have to do my roving time in one chunk??
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