Skills for Reference staff -- reflections

[Judy Myers]

I agree that reference librarians should not be asked to have all of the
skills of the Systems Department, and sometimes troubleshooting is the most
challenging part of the technical job -- after all, it is analogous to the
reference interview! 

However, millions of people have computers in their homes, which they have
set up and are able to use with no formal support. If they have a problem
they can't solve, they figure out how to deal with it. Many reference
staffers who will not troubleshoot computers at work will happily go online
at home as soon as they become interested in something that requries it,
such as keeping in touch with the grandkids or doing genealology research.
Many times I have been accosted in airport lounges on the way to library
conferences by retirees who have identified me as a librarian (yes, even the
public can spot us in airports, and they know libraries use computers) and
who want to talk about the Internet -- what communications software do I
use, have I found any great Web sites on bird watching.

What is going on that makes library staff reluctant to deal with library
computers, when members of the public at large jump right in? Several thing,
I believe. First, the computers at work *are* more complicated, being on a
network and all, and the Systems staff have definite ideas about what should
be done when things go wrong. Second, there *is* a Systems staff, and if
reference librarians do systems work, less time and mind-space are available
for doing their own. Third (and several respondents have alluded to this)
people have different ideas about how much they should take responsibility
for learning in order to continue to do their jobs well. 

A couple of these problems can be solved if honest communication can take
place in the organization. If, for example, Systems can develop a
troubleshooting check list and keep it current, or have update sessions for
a few interested key people in various areas of the Library.

The third item above seems deeper to me. -- Bear with me, these reflections
are in a much less-formed state that the ones above. -- We think of
librarianship as a profession, but it is different from most in that we are
lower paid and we tend to work in groups. We don't make enough to
participate in the training opportunities we would like to, even if we have
the time, and it may not be clear who in our group should go anyway. The
person who learns a hot new skill will be in demand, and that is good and
bad. At our university I have seen several new faculty members come here
with statistical skills, or computer skills, spend too much time helping
their colleagues, and fail to get tenure. Something similar can happen in a
library. Credit, in the form of enabling people to continue to do a useful
job, needs to be given to the people who learn new skills, such as Web
development or troubleshooting the reference computers or teaching other
reference staffers to do so.

Again, I think a good first step is to discuss the matter in your library.
If the reference staff won't deal with the technical aspects of the
computer, that may or may not be the problem that needs to be solved.
Something else may be in the way.

Judy E. Myers                              jm at uh.edu
Assistant to the Dean of Libraries         713/743-9805 (voice)
University of Houston Libraries            713/743-9811 (fax)
Houston, TX 77204-2091