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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>This is
wonderful. It's like that very funny U of O librarian way back when
who explained that the a librarian "taxonomist" was a male cataloger -
LOL! (By the way, Hope, what's a "Research Information
Technologist?")</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>I've
often thought we should keep moving along the proverbial library-service
spectrum and take "reference" even further, i.e. out of the library,
literally, not just via e-gadget. That is, my next "job" would be to fit
out (aka pimp) a book cart to be a real mobile law library and set up shop
outside a courthouse with a couple sets of necessary books and a computer - and
a law librarian or two (and a coffee pot!). Of course I would skip the
What to call the "Reference Desk" dilemma and just have a sign that
reads:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>A Buck a
Cup and a Legal Research Question (a food for thought cart)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>I worked
on a bookmobile decades ago, and come from a city of food carts
(Philadelphia) so maybe that's why the outdoor book cart idea works for
me. We didn't have a reference desk on the bookmobile - just a
counter near the driver's seat. We had such fun and the patrons loved
it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>By the
way, most of the library usability surveys I see seem to query library patrons
or students about library terminology. There must be some studies out
there that query the non-patron or the non-student on what would make a
library not so intimidating when walking into one (or happening upon the
library's webpage), the way I feel when I walk into Home Depot. Did I
miss a study like that in Kupersmith's list? A lot of
people understand "Customer Service" counters. It's not pretty, or
dreamy (a perfect descriptor for Answerland!), but don't most people know
what "Customer Service" means whether they are at the DMV or Nordstrom's or Home
Depot or a library, of any kind?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial>I
do still call library patrons "patrons" but would be quite happy to call
them/us "customers" if it makes the library more familiar and welcoming to more
people, especially the law library, where you have to be really, really brave to
visit and I don't want to set up any more barriers than already
exist.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial>Laura</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=052495320-24082011><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Laura J. Orr<BR>Law Librarian<BR>Washington County Law Library<BR>111 NE
Lincoln St<BR>Hillsboro, OR 97124</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Phone: 503-846-8880<BR>Email: <A
href="mailto:lawlibrary@co.washington.or.us">lawlibrary@co.washington.or.us</A><BR>URL:
<A
href="http://www.co.washington.or.us/lawlibrary">http://www.co.washington.or.us/lawlibrary</A><BR>Oregon
Legal Research Blog: <A
href="http://oregonlegalresearch.blogspot.com/">http://oregonlegalresearch.blogspot.com/</A></FONT></DIV></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Caleb Tucker-Raymond
[mailto:calebt@multcolib.org] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, August 24, 2011
10:02 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Libs-Or@listsmart.osl.state.or.us<BR><B>Subject:</B>
Re: [Libs-Or] What are reference desks called these days?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>Hello,<BR><BR>I think it depends on what you think the
reference desk is for.<BR><BR>Certainly, there are library patrons who think
of reference service the way libraries often do: as the best place to go to
get either an authoritative answer to a quick question or a comprehensive tour
of a subject through library resources and beyond. But I don't think most
patrons fall into this category. <BR><BR>
<DIV>We're working on coming up with a new name for L-net, our statewide
reference service, and run into this same problem. Ideally we want a name
somewhere between the literal "ask a librarian" and the dreamy "answerland",
but the name should describe the service, and for many people, "reference"
doesn't convey a thing. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>(You may enjoy John Kupersmith's "Library terms that users understand", a
summary of 51 usability studies: <A href="http://www.jkup.net/terms.html"
target=_blank>http://www.jkup.net/terms.html</A>.)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>We ask patrons for feedback at the end of our L-net sessions, and in
order to get a sense of how patrons describe their experience wit the service,
I made a word-cloud out of their comments (<SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><A
href="http://www.oregonlibraries.net/system/files/comments.png"
target=_blank>http://www.oregonlibraries.net/system/files/comments.png</A>). </SPAN>The
words that jump out that librarians don't often use to describe reference
service "help" and "helpful". </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>So patrons come to us for help instead of for reference service. Good
enough for me!</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I don't know what we should call reference desks, but "information
commons" seems as good a place to start as any. For me, the important thing is
to *position* ourselves to give friendly and helpful service, to act as
patrons' partners in discovery rather than as authorities and
gatekeepers. If we have more opportunities to give them reference service
and knock their socks off, all the better.</DIV>
<DIV><BR clear=all>Caleb Tucker-Raymond<BR><BR>Statewide Reference Service
Coordinator<BR>Multnomah County Library<BR>(503) 988-5438<BR><A
href="mailto:calebt@multco.us" target=_blank>calebt@multco.us</A><BR><A
href="http://www.oregonlibraries.net/"
target=_blank>www.oregonlibraries.net</A>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=h5><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 6:05 PM, Hope Leman <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:hleman@samhealth.org"
target=_blank>hleman@samhealth.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">Hi,
all. I am just curious as to whether it is a librarian-led movement or
pressure from non-librarians to rename what used to be reference desks. I
just called the called the Oregon State University Valley Library to find
out its summer hours after being confused by the wording on the Web
site:<BR><BR><A href="http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/hours"
target=_blank>http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/hours</A><BR><BR>which said
"Learning Commons Information Desk." As a patron, I got very befuddled and
asked, "Is this what used to be the reference desk?" I wonder if other
patrons are equally confused by these terms.<BR><BR>Hope Leman,
MLIS<BR>Research Information Technologist<BR>Center for Health Research and
Quality<BR>Samaritan Health Services<BR>815 NW 9th Street<BR>Corvallis, OR
97330<BR>(541) 768-5712<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Confidentiality
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