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Volume 4, No. 2

Coordinator's Corner: Training is Everything

Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
~ Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, Chapter V (1894)

Mark Twain, in his inimitable style, has a good point. Along those lines, training (i.e., on-going professional development) is absolutely crucial to staying current in a world that's changing as rapidly as librarianship; however, that's not to say that traditional skills are not important. Things like conducting a reference interview, having a good grasp of authoritative sources, and exhibiting good customer service skills are all as relevant today as they were in the past, both online and in-person. Understanding new technology, finding new sources, and learning new ways of doing things are all positive outcomes of training. Having a proper balance of old and new skills makes for highly effective librarians.

Training comes in two types: formal and informal. Formal training refers to the classroom setting, either passive or hands-on, now often done through online webinars. Informal training is self-directed learning. As part of our commitment to professionalism, librarians seek out new reference strategies, new sources of information, and new ways of doing things on their own. We're in good company. Ben Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, and Abraham Lincoln, at least in part, were all autodidacts. Taking responsibility for one's professional development can be rewarding, empowering and fulfilling.

Both formal and informal training is encouraged for librarians working with KnowItNow24x7. Formal training can be internal to your library, through another organization (e.g., OLC, NEO-RLS, OHIONET, WebJunction Ohio, etc.) or sponsored by KIN24x7. In the past, formal KIN24x7-sponsored training primarily focused (with some notable exceptions) on learning to use the virtual reference software itself. While this is necessary, it possibly sets up a false impression that virtual reference is all about the technology. The software is simply a means to an end, with the end being providing reference service to patrons. We have a number of training materials online pertaining specifically to the software, and KIN24x7 librarians are encouraged to make use of them. The QuACK blog, transcripts, newsletters, and Pathfinders also lend themselves to professional development. Some of these require logging into the site which is why it's so important for KIN24x7 librarians to have accounts for the Provider site and to use them.

In the coming year, the plan is to offer more KIN24x7-generated training options with many of these taking the form of online tutorials and demonstrations. Some of these will cover software, but others will look at particular databases and websites and other reference sources and services. If there are particular topics you would like to see covered by KIN24x7-sponsored training, feel free to post your ideas to the Training Topics? forum or email support@knowitnow.org.

With on-going training, we can all be even better peaches and cauliflower.

(Note: Additionally in this newsletter, the Tips & Tactics section provides a strategy for conducting most reference transactions and Online Resources of the Month provides links to a number of sources for self-directed learning on the web.)

Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator

Service Coverage: Wednesdays & Mornings

Three libraries have offered to change their KIN24x7 coverage to help out Elyria Public Library and Lorain Public Library System in their answering questions on Wednesday evenings: Ashtabula County District Library will be switching their coverage from Tuesday to Wednesday evening; Twinsburg Public Library will be adding every other Wednesday evening to their regular Monday shift; and Willoughby Public Library will be adding Tuesday to their regular Monday shift (to facilitate Ashtabula's move). AfterDark will also be placing a staff member on Wednesday evenings for the duration of the summer. The willingness of these institutions to contribute in this way is greatly appreciated (by KIN24x7 as well as Lorain and Elyria)!

KIN24x7 is now looking for public libraries who would like to change their afternoon coverage shift to the mornings. We are especially looking for extra libraries on Thursday and Friday mornings although all days are open. If your library's KIN24x7 shift currently ends at 5:30 pm and you would be interested in adding or changing to a 9:00 am start time, please contact support@knowitnow.org for more details.

A Sampling of KIN24x7 Patron Survey Comments from July 2010

The following are samples of constructive criticism and kudos from the Patron Surveys from July. KIN24x7 librarians: Remember that you really do make a difference. OhioLINK librarians are well-represented in this month's kudos, and several librarians had multiple positive comments. Well done! Keep up the great work everyone! People take the time to sincerely thank you for your efforts, but they are also frank about their experiences. Comments are posted below exactly as they were entered by the patrons:

Constructive Criticism (with editorial comments)

• asking for employer codes NAICS and was sent to a site for National Insurance, not the same
  • Commentary: The patron's original question was "What does the employer NAICs code mean, sometime see it as 6 digit other 8 digits". The librarian sent them a link for http://www.naic.org. The patron took a look and then replied "not good it is the National Insurance something ot other", but unfortunately the conversation ends there. It would seem the librarian did a Google search for just the term NAIC (since www.naic.org is the first hit). The librarian should have sent www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/. To quote the official site: "The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy." A clue to the librarian should have been the words "code" and "6 digit other 8 digits" in the patron's question. A Google search like naic code or naic digit would have turned up the NAICS information which would have led to the official site (although the NAICS site is listed in the top results of the NAIC search). A good rule of thumb is to remember to not limit your search to one term only, especially if you're unfamiliar with the patron's question. See Tips & Tactics below for more suggestions.
• You guys here at know it now are very helpful. I just have one suggestion. I think the librarians leave the conversation a little bit too quickly. i was not quite done with my question. Other than that, you guys are great. I hope you do something with my suggestion and think about it. Thank you. Bye bye now. :)
  Commentary: Just a reminder. Make sure your patron is finished with their questions before you log out.

Kudos (Agent who helped the patron is in italics)

• Kiffany was outstanding. I've never done this before and it was a great experience. This is a wonderful resource! (Kiffany - Cleveland State University)
• Keep up the good work! This service is worth voting YES for the library levies. (Katie - Owens Community College)
• this is a great service. i'm very impressed. (Linda - Bowling Green State University)
• dee was great she helped me find just what i was looking for (Dee - Ohio Wesleyan University)
  • (Another for Dee: dee was very nice and helped me very quickly with all of my questions i was pleasently supprised!!!!)
• I truly enjoyed the opportunity to chat with someone immediately. Thank you. (ad.tess - AfterDark)
• The librarian was very polite and seemed interested in what i was looking for. She provided some great information and i will definitely be back if i have any other questions. (Librarian101 - Akron-Summit County Public Library)
  • (Another for Librarian101: I love using this site! There isn't any question that a librarian can't answer! Thanks again Librarian101! You really helped solve my problem!)
  • (And one more!: Librarian 101 really nailed my question and she really helped me get through a rough patch in my summer reading.She gave me a website and then she had me read it through and recite some of the info back to her so she could learn and make sure I understood the info.This will be my #2 spot(behind my books/teachers)for homework help.I cant wait to come back to this site!)
• The librarian was very polite! Keep up the good work! (Librarian04 - Cleveland Public Library)
• This is a great service for people like me who don't like searching all over the place for something. I appreciate it. Thank you. (ad.bertram - AfterDark)
• The person assisting me was quite helpful, very thorough, and responded more rapidly and with more info. than I could have hoped for. (ad.kay - AfterDark)
• I appreciate the thoroughness of the information given. (Librarian82 - Cleveland Public Library)
• Wonderful! Thank you very much for the assistance and providing this service. My local library branch (Brooklyn, Cuyahoga County) is not open on Sundays but using this service helps. Thanks again. (ad.mckenzie - AfterDark)
• Have more librarians like Terese Thanks for the excellent service (Terese - Wright State University)
• Thanks for being there when we need you.(Librarian115 - Kirtland Public Library)
• I love this!!! They were great and to be here for ME anytime is wonderful!! It takes some of the stress away to know that I will be able to get help when I need it. Verity and Ian were great!!! (ad.ian - AfterDark (on this specific session))
• Katherine did an excellent job. You should probably give her a raise or at least a cake that says "Katherine is awesome." Also, since I'm sure you are an omnipotent entity, you should make Ohiolink carry more online resources for poor souls like myself who have to take the Praxis 2 exam but spent the past 7 weeks working on a summer class and did not have time to study. That is all. (kate - Bowling Green State University)
• The service was so quick and I got the information I needed within 3 minutes! Also, the link gave me the answer that I needed detailed and complete! Wonderful! (ad.alex - AfterDark)
• i would just like to thank you so much! you helped me a ton! my homework for the summer is almost done now! thank you, thank you, thank you! (Librarian80 - Cleveland Public Library)
• This is the 3rd time I have asked a librarian for help through the chat, and all 3 times is was excellent. I will recommend this service to all my fellow students. Thank you so much for providing this type of access of help for me. (Pam - University of Cincinnati)
• Very cool service. Found exactly what I needed and I had no idea how to track it down. Thanks! (librarian294 - Columbus State Community College)
• This was my first experience using this service and I really appreciate it! Ryan found the article I had spent almost an hour trying to locate, in just a few minutes. Major time-saver. Thank you! (Ryan - Columbus State Community College)
• The person I spoke with (MSB) was very helpful and even put books on hold for me as well as making sure that I had everything I could need! (mcdl6 - Medina County District Library)
• very fast service!!!!! 2 thumbs up! (cfpl1 - Canal Fulton Public Library)
• This was my first experience using Know It Now and it was very pleasant! (Joelle - Bowling Green State University)

(Remember, if you are a KnowItNow24x7 librarian, you can sign up for an account on the Provider site to access all transcripts and survey comments.)

Tips & Tactics

Jumping off from where the Questions section in last month's newsletter ended, this new regular section "Tips & Tactics" will address training issues, suggest strategies, and point to other sections of the Provider site (e.g., QuACK blog posts, Pathfinder updates, etc.) among other topics. Guest authors are welcomed! If you have an idea for an article you'd like to write on these kinds of areas, feel free to send a query email to support@knowitnow.org.

This month's tip provides a set of tactics that can be generalized to many different reference transactions. Much of this will be second-nature to many librarians, but it never hurts to have a refresher:

1. Greet patron.
   • This may seem simple but having even a short "Hello" or "Hi" sets the stage for a positive interaction.
   • Librarians can use the canned greeting message or simply type "Hello" or a similar, personable greeting.
   • Use your reference desk as an analogy. How do you greet people when they walk up to the desk?
   • Do not use words like "Hold" as a greeting.
2. Conduct the reference interview.
   • The Ohio Library Council's Ohio Reference Excellence, Module 2, has a nice refresher on the reference interview.
   • If you don't even know what questions to ask, Wikipedia is a great place to get a very quick introduction to a subject (especially the External Links on many articles). Don't send the page to the patron; simply look at it yourself behind-the-scenes to get familiar enough to ask questions and search. This may also help to clear up some terminology and jargon that the patron might use as well.
   • The librarian can also check to see if there is a KIN24x7 Pathfinder. If not, post the topic to the Pathfinder Topics? Forum as a suggested Pathfinder.
   • Don't assume. Ask clarifying questions.
3. Do the search.
   • Statewide databases are available through kin.oplin.org (for public), INFOhio for K-12, and OhioLINK for students at OhioLINK-institutions. Refer patrons to Ohio Web Library for their own searching after the session. (For additional access information to databases, refer to Database Access Information.)
   • Databases available at patron's own library: Librarians may not be able to search these, but they can certainly recommend specific databases. If the librarian has the same database in their own library, they can search and recommend.
   • Print materials can be used for finding information. This can sometimes be as easy as typing a fact from a book into a session or as involved as copying and scanning. Keep in mind that the relevant portion may be available as a page on Google Books and could simply be sent as a link.
   • Use authoritative free sites. These are not necessarily the first or second hits on a Google search. Also don't forget things like Google Scholar, Google Books, Wikipedia's External Links, etc. For example, information about individual countries: Use something like CIA's World Factbook or LoC's Country Studies, not tourist or travel sites (unless the patron is looking for tourist information!).
   • Don't be afraid to ask for help. In addition to asking colleagues at work, KIN24x7 librarians are encouraged to make use of the IM and broadcast features of the SparkRef client. Librarians on the receiving end of IM's and broadcasts are highly encouraged to respond if they have useful information.
   • Make sure to ask the patron if the resources you provide help answer their question. Again, don't assume. If the resources don't answer the question, go back to the reference interview tactics and try again.
4. Follow-up, if necessary.
   • Ideally, each session should end when the patron disconnects, but some questions require further digging to resolve.
   • It's always acceptable to ask if you can search outside the session and follow-up with the patron by email. This can provide some "cover".
   • Always try to verify the patron's email in this case before ending the conversation, even if they entered it at the beginning of their session.
   • Strive to move the question, not the patron (Some points in the linked blog post are specific to QuestionPoint but, in general, provide a good introduction to this concept).
5. End the conversation.
   • Let the patron end the session. Their saying "Thanks" does not necessarily equal "Goodbye".
   • Librarians disconnecting prematurely from sessions is one of the most common complaints in patron comments.
   • Be sure to ask the patron if there is anything else they need. Again, don't assume you're finished simply because you sent a website to the patron.
   • Be sure to thank the patron for using the service. The canned message Thanks is available if don't want to type your own closing.

Statistics: July 2010

Below are the top 15 answering institutions/organizations for July 2010:

Institution/Organization	Number of Sessions Handled
NEO-RLS (AfterDark)	1068
Cleveland Public Library	522
Cuyahoga County Public Library	125
Columbus State Community College	56
Akron-Summit County Public Library	53
University of Cincinnati	50
Bowling Green State University	44
Sinclair Community College	38
Medina County District Library	38
Columbus Metropolitan Library	34
Martins Ferry Public Library	32
Worthington Libraries	31
Oberlin College	29
Owens Community College	25
Lorain Public Library System	22

In July, KnowItNow24x7 had 2595 total sessions (including 83 emails and 19 instant messages). For more statistics, go to the KIN24x7 Statistics page. As always, the contribution of everyone who participates in serving Ohioans through KIN24x7 is greatly appreciated.

The following are the 15 most active "asking" ZIP Codes around Ohio for July. Locations are taken from the USPS ZIP Code Lookup. The total number of sessions initiated from that location are specified in the third column:

ZIP Code	Location	Total
44130	Cleveland (Middlebrg Hts, Parma, Parma Hts.)	145
44646	Massillon	66
45207	Cincinnati	49
45248	Cincinnati (Westwood)	44
43224	Columbus	37
44004	Ashtabula	34
44017	Berea	32
43085	Columbus (Worthington)	29
44122	Beachwood (Highland Hills, Shaker Hts, University Hts, Warrensville Hts, Woodmere)	29
43065	Powell, Shawnee Hills	26
45324	Fairborn	26
44138	Olmsted Falls	25
43211	Columbus	23
44109	Cleveland	23
44124	Cleveland (Lyndhurst, Mayfield Hts, Pepper Pike)	23

ONLINE RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: Free Professional Development

The ability to do quality, self-directed professional development has never been easier. The resources below -- many specific to Ohio -- provide online classes, tutorials, videos, screencasts, exercises, and more:

• WebJunction Ohio at oh.webjunction.org - Don't forget to register (for free) at this site sponsored by the State Library of Ohio. A wide range of courses are available free-of-charge to registered Ohio librarians.
• ORE: Ohio Reference Excellence at olc.org/ore/index.html - The Ohio Library Council hosts this introduction to (and refresher on) reference work.
• OhioLINK Instruction Clearinghouse at www.alaoweb.org/igs/iig/clearinghouse.html - A large collection of tutorials and other training materials on OhioLINK in general as well as specific databases.
• Learning Express Library at the Ohio Web Library Resources - These can be recommended to patrons; but Learning Express has a number of courses that would be useful to librarians, especially the Computer Skills and Workplace Skills Improvement modules.
• 21st Century Learning Commons at learningcommons.infohio.org - INFOhio provides a great resource, especially their 21 Essential Things for 21st Century Success. Librarians can learn new things for their own work but also be able to point teachers and students to resources they discover here.
• 2010 Oregon Virtual Reference Summit at www.oregonlibraries.net/videos - Talks (both inspirational and instructive) given at this year's meeting of Oregon's virtual reference librarians.
• 23 Things at http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com - The original 23 Things compiled by Helene Blowers (now at CML) are still relevant, but she also compiled more "things" to learn about Web 2.0 at Learning 2.1.
• ALA Learning Roundtable at alalearning.org - Part of the American Library Association, this active roundtable provides a wealth of information and training opportunities.
• Videocasting Boot Camp - Materials from a pre-conference session given by David Lee King and Michael Porter at Computers in Libraries
• Introduction to Social Media at c4lpt.co.uk/academy/ism/index.html - A great introduction to all of the various social media applications
• Library-related blogs from the November 2009 KIN24x7 Newsletter Online Resources section - These well-known blogs from leaders in the library field often contain helpful and interesting information.

(If you are a KIN24x7 librarian, feel free to post suggested online resources here.)

KnowItNow24x7 Staff

Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Statewide Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, AfterDark Virtual Reference Service Coordinator
Morgan Paul, AfterDark Virtual Reference Service Specialist
Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison and Reference Librarian, Oberlin College
...and supervisors and agents across Ohio at KnowItNow24x7-participating libraries like Fred Baerkircher at Twinsburg Public Library!

The KnowItNow24x7 Newsletter is published monthly and highlights news, resources, and statistics for providers and fans of Ohio's 24x7 virtual reference service. Email your comments, questions, advice, helpful resources, and other contributions to support@knowitnow.org.