Reference Department

Mission statement of the reference department:

The mission of the reference department supports the mission of the library by providing access to relevant and updated electronic and print resources to USCA affiliates primarily and to non-university patrons, by professional librarians who are dedicated to offering reference services in a courteous and non-discriminatory manner. In addition, the reference staff will provide its patrons the following:

• Formal and informal instruction on how to research the library collection
• Information Literacy workshops and Instructional Services for Teaching Faculty.
• A “askalibrarian” link accessible from the homepage, as well as answers to inquiries received by telephone, fax or regular mail.
• Access to materials not owned by the library via ILL-Express! and/or PASCAL-delivers.
• A collection of important hand outs, in print and on-line about citations styles, evaluating websites, plagiarism and other pertinent information located at the following URL: http://library.usca.edu/index.php/Instruction.ResearchGuides

User community:

The Gregg-Graniteville library welcomes all library patrons regardless of geographical location. However priority of service will be given to USCA affiliates (Students, Faculty, and Staff). Other favored library users will be Distance Education students of the University, school teachers of Aiken county, Young Scholars of Aiken county and vicinity, Alumni in good standing (members of the USCA Alumni Association), members of the life-long learners association in good standing, VIP and retired Faculty and Staff of the University.

Philosophy and Ethics of reference services:

• To provide and promote intellectual freedom according to ALA guidelines
• The library’s reference staff (a group of trained, professional librarians) will provide the best service available to its users at all times, in a fair and courteous manner.
• All inquiries will be kept confidential.
• The librarian will not give out personal views, opinions or advice on any questions, especially those concerning medical or legal issues. But rather, the librarian will provide the library user with materials that present “all points of view.”

General guidelines for reference desk services:

Statement of Objectives:

• To insure that all patrons are provided assistance without discrimination
• To support the library’s mission
• To establish standards of service to users
• To establish levels and limitations of service to users
• To establish priorities of service
• To assist in training new staff members
• To provide a safe and pleasant environment to all users

1. Service to Library users will receive priority over other duties.
2. Reference staff members will be alert, interested, and willing to help. They will be courteous, patient, sensitive, and tactful.
3. Reference service is provided by professional librarians and is available Monday through Thursday from 9am to 9pm and on Sunday from 2pm to 6pm during a regular semester.
4. A regular schedule of reference service hours is maintained
   1. All the reference staff will be “on-call” even during off desk time.
5. Librarians working shifts at the reference desk will successfully fulfill the need of all patrons who seek help. Priority will be given to USCA affiliates but all patrons will be served without discrimination.
6. If a librarian has difficulty answering a question, he/she will confer with peers in the office for an answer.
   1. Answers to recurrent questions or answers to difficult questions will be shared with other reference service staff.
7. A regular schedule to answer the “Askalibrarian” link is maintained by the members of reference. A short explanation of how the service is to be used is posted on the link,giving other options for reference help such as e-mail reference or telephone reference. Hours of operations for the “Askalibrarian link are also posted.
8. Patron inquiries received via telephone, fax, or mail are accepted and answered on a first come first served manner. E-mail and telephone reference services are for questions requiring quick answers, such as:
   1. “How do I access DISCUS resources from home?”
   2. “How can I print from JSTOR?”
   3. “What is the capital of Venezuela?”
   If a question requires more in-depth assistance, the patron may be asked to come to the library for an in-person reference interview.
9. Reference staff as well as staff from other departments in the library will be trained on how to handle problem situations that involve user behavior and conduct in the library. If a staff member has any question about a patron’s behavior or if threatened, University Police should be called.
10. Phone policy: A Reference staff member on duty at the reference desk will not answer a ringing telephone in the office while at the reference desk if possible. A Reference staff member in the office will answer the telephone and answer the question and/or take a message. The reference office telephone number is: 643–6808.
11. The Reference staff members will serve as back up at the Circulation desk as needed during the course of a regular day and during evening hours Monday-Thursday until 9pm.
12. Persons with disabilities will be served without discrimination and will be helped with access to the collection, resources, and services. Those services will include:
    1. Instruction on how to conduct a search using the library’s resources.
    2. The retrieval of needed materials from shelves
    3. Other assistance as needed while in the library

The policy should be revisited every 3 years.

Reference Team

Last modified on: October 06, 2009, at 08:57 AM