The Blernbuckle Public Library began in 1905 in a Carnegie-funded facility in downtown Blernbuckle, Mississippi. Later renamed the Blernbuckle-Poodlebean County Public Library, the system has expanded to eight branch locations with a total annual circulation of over 1.5 million items and holdings containing nearly half a million volumes.
I really want to emphasize something here. It is not easy typing paragraphs of text for practice exercise examples. This article is about a made-up library. This is not a real study.
Dana Silvermoon began working for the district in 1984 on a project to digitize the library catalog. Seven years ago, she was promoted to her current position as district reference manager. This is a profile of reference services at the Downtown Terrific (DT) branch, where Silvermoon's office is located and the branch for which she provides immediate oversight. The information in this profile was obtained during an interview with Dana Silvermoon that took place in her office on November 29, 2007.
The reference desk at the DT branch is staffed every hour that the library is open (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-9pm and Sunday, 1pm-5pm). Although, their goal is to have a professional librarian on duty at all times, due to the small number of professionals employed, sometimes the reference desk is staffed only by paraprofessionals. However, Silvermoon emphasizes that only the most capable paraprofessionals staff the desk on their own.
During off-hours when management is not present, the reference staff is also responsible for the overall supervision of the library facility. The staffing schedule is not always consistent, with professionals on duty at varying times. There are two part-time professionals that work together to make sure the desk is staffed on the weekends. Volunteers are never used to staff the reference desk. In fact, Silvermoon says that they rarely get any volunteers in their department. There are few tasks that the average volunteer can do in the reference department because most functions require extensive training and reference expertise. Volunteers are used more often in circulation for processing materials and reshelving.
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As well as face-to-face reference transactions, the library also answers questions on the phone and by email. The library uses QuestionPoint to handle email reference questions which accounts for about 400 transactions on a monthly basis. QuestionPoint is a collaborative service that networks librarians from around the world. This makes it possible for patrons to have their questions answered even when the library is closed—as long as it is not something specific to the local library. These questions can include research questions, reader advisory or even questions about a patron's account.
There is no chat service available to patrons, although attempts have been made in the past. After researching the possibilities of chat reference, the reference department came to the conclusion that a consortial service on a state-wide basis would function best. However, the program never got off the ground because the state librarian of Mississippi, who was trying to implement the program, felt that there wasn't enough support around the state to follow through.
The most commonly asked questions at the reference desk deal with reader's advisory. These questions are usually about fiction literature, such as recommendations of books by particular authors, about certain subjects, or how to find a specific book in the stacks. Silvermoon says that this has been a major change over the last few years. The reference staff used to receive more ready reference and research questions. It could be assumed that the prevalence of the Internet has led many patrons to turn to online resources for answers to their reference questions rather than consulting the reference librarian. However, the reference staff still provides patrons with research assistance on many topics.
The district instituted a roving reference policy about a year and a half ago after conducting research of policies implemented at other libraries. Roving reference requires staff to be proactive rather than waiting for patrons to approach the reference desk. They roam the facility at least twice per hour and ask patrons if they are in need of assistance. The reference staff is encouraged to make eye contact with patrons, which signals an invitation for service. If the patron is engrossed in what they are doing, the staff member will not approach them.
There are several additional reference services offered at the DT branch that are beyond the parameters of the reference department. There is a large local history department and a genealogy department, which is by far the most widely-used reference service at the library. However, the reference department does offer its own services that extend beyond the typical day-to-day reference transactions. They offer one-on-one sessions with individuals who need assistance conducting in-depth research, as well as special services to businesses and nonprofit organizations in the community. The department also produces web-based subject guides and special web content that provides authoritative resources for research and assists patrons in staying informed about topical issues.