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General Expectations for Managing Reference Interactions
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/digref/general-expectations-for-managing-reference-interactions.html
General Expectations for Managing Reference Interactions -University Libraries' Digital Reference Site
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/digref/general-expectations-for-managing-reference-interactions.html[11/10/11 11:53:23 AM]
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Home Blog Reference Staff Contact Information Training Coordinator Checklists
General Expectations for Managing Reference
Interactions
Digital reference services provide assistance by email or chat to University of
Minnesota students, faculty, and staff researchers from other institutions
University of Minnesota alumni and external patrons trying to locate information
specific to our collections.
In general, we do not do people's research for them, rather, we help users get
started with their research and teach them to find and utilize library resources
and collections. Exceptions may be made on a limited basis as staffing allows
and in exceptional circumstances. Some exceptional circumstances might
include helping a patron determine whether it is worth their time to travel to the
University to do their research (especially when traveling great distances), to
help a patron utilize special collections, and to help a patron with unique and
local materials within our collections. Other exceptional circumstances may be
determined and noted at each service point.
In general chat sessions are meant to answer short, straight forward questions.
For tricky or overly long chat questions (more than 15 minutes), determine if it
might be best to follow up more quickly via phone or referring patrons to a
reference desk. E-mail follow-ups for more in-depth questions may be
appropriate as well.
Help the person you are with first -online or in-person. If you are busy with an
online chat session, make eye contact with those approaching the desk and
explain that you are helping someone else right now and will be with them
ASAP. Get the first person started, explain that you need to get another person
started and help the 2nd person, etc. If other desks are open, a chat question
could be handed off (if it is a baseline question that anyone might be able to
answer) or if the chat session has already gone on beyond the recommended
time frame (~15 minutes), you can make a referral to a visit in-person to a
reference desk or follow-up later via e-mail.
If not working with another patron, answer chat and e-mail questions as they
arrive. If busy with a patron, allow another desk or the national queue to
address chat interactions.
Answer/process/refer email questions while at the desk and not working on in-
person or chat reference questions. This takes priority over other work you may
bring to the desk. Make sure that all e-mail questions receive a response, even
if it is just a note indicating that we are working on their question, within 24
hours.
Follow documented e-mail reference procedures to claim e-mail questions in
order to avoid duplication of effort.
Enter all interactions (chat and e-mail too) into DeskTracker. Each interaction
with a patron in QuestionPoint is a separate interaction and requires a separate
DeskTracker entry.
NO TRACKBACKS
LINKS
QuestionPoint login
IT Helpdesk Website
Staff/Faculty Eligibility Matrix
Student Eligibility Matrix
Technical Troubleshooting Tips
Technical Troubleshooting Matrix
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Reminder: Enter all Email &Chat
Questions in DeskTracker
This is a reminder to use DeskTracker as the
place to record all of the time you spend working
onโฆ
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problems, ranging from "locked out" messages
to inability to download content, and more
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Law Reference questions handle
via email
We've had a request from Suzanne Thorpe,
Assoc. Director of Faculty, Research and
Instructional Services at the Law Library, toโฆ
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University of Minnesota
General Expectations for Managing Reference Interactions
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/digref/general-expectations-for-managing-reference-interactions.html
General Expectations for Managing Reference Interactions -University Libraries' Digital Reference Site
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/digref/general-expectations-for-managing-reference-interactions.html[11/10/11 11:53:23 AM]
University Libraries' Digital Reference Site
Sign In
Home Blog Reference Staff Contact Information Training Coordinator Checklists
General Expectations for Managing Reference
Interactions
Digital reference services provide assistance by email or chat to University of
Minnesota students, faculty, and staff researchers from other institutions
University of Minnesota alumni and external patrons trying to locate information
specific to our collections.
In general, we do not do people's research for them, rather, we help users get
started with their research and teach them to find and utilize library resources
and collections. Exceptions may be made on a limited basis as staffing allows
and in exceptional circumstances. Some exceptional circumstances might
include helping a patron determine whether it is worth their time to travel to the
University to do their research (especially when traveling great distances), to
help a patron utilize special collections, and to help a patron with unique and
local materials within our collections. Other exceptional circumstances may be
determined and noted at each service point.
In general chat sessions are meant to answer short, straight forward questions.
For tricky or overly long chat questions (more than 15 minutes), determine if it
might be best to follow up more quickly via phone or referring patrons to a
reference desk. E-mail follow-ups for more in-depth questions may be
appropriate as well.
Help the person you are with first -online or in-person. If you are busy with an
online chat session, make eye contact with those approaching the desk and
explain that you are helping someone else right now and will be with them
ASAP. Get the first person started, explain that you need to get another person
started and help the 2nd person, etc. If other desks are open, a chat question
could be handed off (if it is a baseline question that anyone might be able to
answer) or if the chat session has already gone on beyond the recommended
time frame (~15 minutes), you can make a referral to a visit in-person to a
reference desk or follow-up later via e-mail.
If not working with another patron, answer chat and e-mail questions as they
arrive. If busy with a patron, allow another desk or the national queue to
address chat interactions.
Answer/process/refer email questions while at the desk and not working on in-
person or chat reference questions. This takes priority over other work you may
bring to the desk. Make sure that all e-mail questions receive a response, even
if it is just a note indicating that we are working on their question, within 24
hours.
Follow documented e-mail reference procedures to claim e-mail questions in
order to avoid duplication of effort.
Enter all interactions (chat and e-mail too) into DeskTracker. Each interaction
with a patron in QuestionPoint is a separate interaction and requires a separate
DeskTracker entry.
NO TRACKBACKS
LINKS
QuestionPoint login
IT Helpdesk Website
Staff/Faculty Eligibility Matrix
Student Eligibility Matrix
Technical Troubleshooting Tips
Technical Troubleshooting Matrix
X.500 DirTools Sign In
Citation Manager Experts
Keeping Up and Social Networking Tools Experts
Productivity and Efficiency Experts
CybraryN -Public Workstation Access
CREATE YOUR OWN POST...
Feed the Blog!
RECENT ENTRIES
Reminder: Enter all Email &Chat
Questions in DeskTracker
This is a reminder to use DeskTracker as the
place to record all of the time you spend working
onโฆ
By Mary Schoenborn |Comments (0)
EBSCO E-Book Problems
Recently users have contacted us regarding
problems, ranging from "locked out" messages
to inability to download content, and more
fromโฆ
By Mary Schoenborn |Comments (0)
Law Reference questions handle
via email
We've had a request from Suzanne Thorpe,
Assoc. Director of Faculty, Research and
Instructional Services at the Law Library, toโฆ
By Virginia Bach |Comments (0)
ENTER YOUR EMAIL FOR UPDATES
Powered by MT-Notifier
Search
Go
