Skills for Reference staff -- reflections

[Stephen Bero]

Libraries today are an amalgamation of library science and computer science
-- and the two are separate disciplines requiring their own specialists. 
My hat's off to those who are both librarians and computer technicians;
they are dual professionals like doctors who are also lawyers.  But
librarians should not be required to be computer technicians.  If in-depth
computer technical skill becomes a requirement for librarianship, then we
will lose many good librarians who have to offer only their valuable skills
as organizers and retrievers of useful information.

Without a doubt, a basic working knowledge of the applications and hardware
used are indispensable to any librarian who wishes to excel at his job. But
more importantly a reference librarian who seeks to provide excellent
service to his patrons should know EVERY book, journal, and microform in
his library's reference collection: why that item was selected and what it
can do to answer patrons' queries.  In addition, such a librarian should
keep up with the most useful machine-readable resources for reference--
CD-ROMs, online databases, and Websites -- and should be adept in using
search engines.  But who has time to devote to building this knowledge
base, to poring over the index of that new encyclopedia, to learning the
ins and outs of Altavista's new interface, when a significant portion of
his service day is spent troubleshooting the computers?

Removing paper jams and helping our patrons with their word processing are
by no means beneath us and will be a part of our job at the reference desk.
 Our jobs are also easier when we are conversant enough in computer lingo
to make our needs understood by the techies.  My point is that we should
minimize those other parts of our job that are nonessential and maximize
the amount of time available to do what ONLY WE as reference librarians can
do, that is, develop and organize our collections, give instruction in
library resources, provide subject pathfinders, and hone our skills at
answering reference queries.

How do we maximize this time for our essential tasks?  By requesting of our
directors and trustees that when they budget for computers they need also
to budget for technical support staff and not beleaguer librarians with
tasks beyond their purview.

Just as there are custodians to maintain the library's physical plant, i.e.
the building, there need to be custodians to maintain the library's virtual
plant, i.e., the computers.  Librarians are not custodians, whether
physical or virtual.

Stephen P. Bero
Reference and Technology Resources Librarian
Rolling Meadows Library
3110 Martin Lane
Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008-2698
Vox 847-259-6050 ext.137
FAX 847-259-5319
WWW http://www.rolling-meadows.lib.il.us/

"Some see the glass as half-empty, some see the glass as half-full.  I see
the glass as too big."
- George Carlin