ALA Conference 2009: Librarians Argue That Tech Support Is Reference

ALA 2009: At a session titled "Thingamabobs and Doodads," Salem-South Lyon District Library's (MI) Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly posit that, these days, tech support is reference....

Katharine Johnson -- Library Journal, 7/16/2009

• Staff response involves librarians and parapros
• Patrons don't differentiate between question types
• Keep in communication with IT

While librarians of another generation may not have thought so, these days tech support is reference, or so Salem-South Lyon District Library, MI, librarians Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly argue. They spoke at a session Monday at the American Library Association Annual Conference titled “Thingamabobs and Doodads: Why Tech Support IS Reference.”

They said that concerns regarding printers, copy machines, use of the computer, Internet, or mp3 players are within the realm of questions reference staff can and should answer. They used the term "staff" to acknowledge that anyone delivering reference service, including degreed librarians and paraprofessionals, should be trained in the core competencies.

The issue obviously is a hot one; more than 350 people were in attendance. Patrons know they need help and do not recognize the difference between reference and technology-type questions, Kelly explained. 

All questions should be warmly received because “it is not that patron’s responsibility to recognize the difference,” she said. By handing-off simple questions to another department, library staff only create another barrier to access.

Tech support competencies
Hibner cited WebJunction’s Competencies Index for the Library Field when describing the skills needed by reference staff at the desk. Among those addressed were PC basics, data management, ILS functionality, web fundamentals, and web 2.0.

It’s key, she stressed, to maintain a positive attitude with each interaction. For example, if a patron overlooks the glaringly obvious print button, reference staff should never lose patience. She advised tact, instead: offer an indirect observation to defuse the situation, saying, for example, “I can see why people seem to struggle with this application” rather than blaming the patron or the library.

Also, she said, reference staff must to be able to recognize if program a patron is using requires an update. Rather than waiting for IT to diagnose the problem, those on the reference desk can simply alert IT that all terminals also should be updated. 

Keeping in touch
Kelly acknowledged that her own communication with IT went beyond help-desk tickets; she often has lunch with individual staffers simply because she enjoys hearing their ideas. "Although one time I got to hear about a Linux-driven coffeepot," she told the crowd with a laugh, even if the information is a bit above her the overall experience has been stimulating.

This also helps IT staffers feel as though they are contributing creatively to the broader library mission rather than simply fixing printer jams.

Although aiding in computer troubleshooting might seem like a headache for reference staff, Hibner reminded attendees of the value of such help to the library and the community. Patrons could have gone to other sources for help with their basic technology, she noted: “They picked you. They thought, ‘Hey, I’ll bet the library knows that,’” and made the effort to come to the library. 

Katharine Johnson, an LJ guest contributor, is a recent MLIS graduate of Dominican University, River Forest, IL and works as a Temporary Reference and Instruction Librarian at Dominican's Crown Library.