Week 2: Learning the Ropes (of Printing)

I began this week shadowing at the reference desk and getting accustomed to helping with common issues. So far, printing from the library computers seems to compete with quick reference queries for the most asked question award. To print a page, a patron must submit the print job, then go over to the printing computers and release the print job. If the patron has a library card, they receive 3 free prints per day, otherwise each page costs $0.10. A lot of people don't realize they pay at the printer, not at their original computer. These problems usually have an easy fix, and can be prevented by walking the patron through each step, so that they can print without help next time.

The quick reference questions that I've been getting asked depend on whether it is a phone call or an in-person questions. Patrons calling in have tended to ask for phone numbers and addresses for businesses. I use a mixture of Reference USA and Google searches to answer these questions. My favorite call was a patron looking for the phone number for Peapod Groceries because he wanted to notify them that one of their drivers was tailgating him. Creative problem solving to call the library.

Patrons in the library generally want to know where to find a certain book or subject. Doing a bibliographic record keyword search in the Polaris catalog is the best way to answer these questions. I'm still learning to look at the entire record before trying to show a patron where the book they are looking for is. Our new arrivals are shelved separately from the rest of our collection. When I went to find a 2012 GRE book for a patron, I didn't see that it was a new arrival, so I couldn't find it to begin with. But luckily one of the librarians was able to help me locate it.

Tip of the Week: To avoid looking like a fool check the status and location of a book before going to look for it. In, out, recently returned, lost, fiction, science-fiction/fantasy, mystery, non-fiction, new arrivals, the list goes on.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Pace, Andrew K. "Printing In The Library." American Libraries 38.9 (2007): 47-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 May 2012.

This article discusses some of the problems libraries and their patrons face with printing. In order to serve patron needs, libraries must choose one of the printing systems and equipment to coordinate with the library system. These systems can be complicated, both in integration with the library, as well as in common use by patrons. The author posits that printing will continue to be a common library service, as print-on-demand ebooks are gaining popularity.