11th National Library Technicians Conference

How may I help you? Promoting and marketing information services beyond the information desk at Curtin University

Bonnie Rae Bruce Curtin University of Technology

Abstract
In 1998 the lending and collection services librarian reviewed the type and standard of service in the Reading Rooms of the main campus library of Curtin University. Among other things she found the print resources were being under-utilised in part because students were not aware that the resources existed or were unsure as to how to best use the resources. Help in finding the appropriate print resources was not readily available at point of need. Several recommendations came out of the review. One of the major recommendations was to change the structure of the Reading Rooms Team to four qualified library technicians who would have increased control and input into management of the Reading Rooms.

This paper details the formation of the Reading Rooms Team and highlights the innovative ways the Reading Rooms technicians approached the challenge to promote and increase the information service within the Reading Rooms.

Introduction
Curtin University of Technology is a multi-campus university. The main campus of the university is located in Bentley Western Australia with courses also offered at metropolitan campuses in Shenton Park, Joondalup and the Central Business District of Perth. In addition there are campuses at Northam and Kalgoorlie

The university offers over 300 courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level to approximately 24 000 students. The Curtin Library and Information Service (LIS) supports the research needs of the students, 1100 academic staff and a growing number of research students and specialist research centres.

The Vision of Curtin Library and Information Service is to 'be recognised internationally as a leading innovative library and information service acclaimed as an integral part of the University's academic processes and the preferred provider of scholarly information to the Curtin Community.'

This paper details one of the many innovative ways that the Library and Information Service has approached information provision and customer service - through the formation of a team of library technicians to maintain and enhance the client service in the Reading Rooms of TL Robertson Library, (the main library for Curtin University).

Background
In accordance with Curtin LIS's vision statement a review was conducted of the Reading Rooms in September 1998 by Alison Sutherland (then lending and collection services librarian). The reason for the review was to evaluate the operation of the Reading Rooms. The review looked at the level of service provided to clients on the floors, the distribution of the collection and the provision of study facilities.

Amongst other things the review found that access to expert guidance in the Reading Rooms was very low - partly due to the staffing structure of the Reading Rooms. At that time the Reading Rooms were staffed by one supervisor and three library assistants (known as floor co-ordinators). This meant that at any one time clients would be able to access help only at the level of a library assistant, who was not qualified to provide answers to complex queries. Therefore clients were often directed to the Information Desk on the third floor only to have to return upstairs to access the resources.

Proactive client service was not seen to be the main focus of the library assistants duties. Emphasis was on shelving the materials, supervision of student shelvers and various other clerical duties.

Very little collaboration took place between the Information and Education Services (IES) staff and the staff of the Reading Rooms. This meant orientation programs for new students were written with little consultation of the Reading Rooms staff, thus missing out on expert advice about the types of problems students were experiencing on the floors.

Because there was only one qualified library technician in the Reading Rooms strategic projects such as stock taking of the collection and organised collection maintenance were difficult to undertake.

Main issues
In summary the main issues identified in the review were:

• low level of expert guidance to clients
• lack of collaboration with Information and Education Services to provide organised information literacy and 'tools' to enhance the use of the collection
• lack of expertise to undertake strategic projects.

In order to address these issues it was recommended that a 'Reading Rooms Team' be formed of four qualified library technicians. Employment of library technicians in positions previously held by library assistants would increase the skills base and knowledge of Reading Rooms staff and enhance the quality of client service in the Reading Rooms. In tandem with restructuring the staffing model for the Reading Rooms Team there developed a new vision for the team's operation.

Vision for the new reading rooms team
The vision for the Reading Rooms Team was that of a team of highly motivated library technicians who would engage in multi-skilling across LIS, developing in depth knowledge of procedures in de-selection, bindery and the use of Scholarly Electronic databases. They would be a 'close team of excellent communicators who will provide a clearly defined service to all clients ... able to answer queries regarding all areas of LIS activity but confident in passing ... queries to more appropriate staff. They will be able to co-ordinate collection management activities ... above all they will be vigilant in ensuring all items are easy to find and will go to some length to ensure the client is given all assistance [necessary].' Sutherland, A (1998). In short the Reading Room Team would strive to increase service at the point of need and complement the reference service provided at the Information Desk.

Movement towards a more proactive approach to client service is not new; various reference service models have been discussed in the literature, and much has been written about the need to increase client service and make best use of staff resources. Brophy (1997) talks about a review undertaken by the University of Western Sydney Library Service. The review found that almost half of the questions asked at the reference desk were directional thus under-utilising the resources of the reference librarian. In addition a large number of clients were unable to find information for themselves even though extensive and continuous instructional programmes were offered. William Whitson predicted a differentiated reference service 6 years ago in his article 'Differentiated service: a new reference model'. One of his suggestions was more use of paraprofessional staff to provide information service at points other than the traditional reference desk. (Whitson, 1995) Mardikan and Kesselman (1995) state that '...it is best for staff to become reference rovers assisting users at the point of need and asking opening questions...' and suggest the use of paraprofessional staff in this role. Thus the new vision for the Reading Rooms Team was in accord with developments across the library sector.

The university librarian ratified the recommendation of the Reading Rooms, and the team was formed in February of 1999. The expected outcomes of this initiative were

• a greater degree of involvement in orientation programmes
• development of better client relations
• greater promotion of the Reading Rooms and its resources to staff and students of Curtin University
• a more informed student population who would be able to use the resources available to them more efficiently
• a more positive image for the Reading Rooms and by extension the Library and Information Service.
• development of the position away from a clerical orientation to client service focus
• increased ability to participate in major projects relating to the collection and the Reading Rooms.
• increased ability to work with senior librarians and academic staff in ensuring collection remain relevant.

Sutherland, A (1998)

Forming the team
In order to form the team three new technician positions were created. Because this was a new initiative no job description was available to the team. Instead the team was given the Reading Rooms review to read and asked to identify core activity areas for the Reading Rooms and strategies for carrying out these activities.

Ideally the whole team would have undertaken a strategic plan at this stage, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the team and formulating some achievable objectives for the short term. Unfortunately due to circumstance this was not possible and what occurred was that two of the team members, Jaya Berk and Sandy Foy basically organised the structure of the team and identified four major areas of core activities. These were:

1. signage (including bay signs)
2. supervision of the student shelvers
3. weeding and collection maintenance
4. equipment and study space maintenance

It was decided that each core activity would be assigned to one team member with another team member acting as understudy.

Jaya and Sandy used their knowledge of their team mates' expertise to assign these activities. Jaya with her background in graphic design took signage, Sandy with her experience as a floor co-ordinator took supervision of the student shelvers, Brenda with her background in bibliographic services took weeding and collection maintenance, and I (at this stage an unknown quantity) was assigned equipment and study space maintenance.

Core values and principles
From the outset certain values and principles were implicit in the teams operations.

• The team was democratic - there was no team leader as such and all members ideas and views were given equal weight
• The team was supportive of each other - the geographic isolation of the team from the rest of the Lending and Collection Services unit (they were on Level 2 and we were on Level 6) as well as the experimental nature of our positions meant that we depended on each other to a greater degree than the other units might.
• The team was accountable - we were aware that this was an experiment - library technicians had not had this degree of autonomy or input into the operation of the Reading Rooms before and therefore our actions and results would set the standard and direction for the Reading Rooms in the future.
• Our highest priority was client service. Our other main priority was the collection - making sure it was relevant easily accessible and correct.

Alison Sutherland (the lending and collection services librarian) agreed with and supported these principles and was a strong supporter of the team during her time in the Lending and Collection Services unit.

Challenges
The creation of a new Reading Rooms Team presented several challenges - the major one being the creation of a functional unit out of what was in effect a series of recommendations rather than concrete directives.

What we had to work with was a broad definition of core activities, a number of activities that the library assistants had previously undertaken and a brief to immediately upgrade our visibility and client focus within the Reading Rooms. In addition the Reading Rooms Team had inherited the tail end of a major collection move, installation of a new compactus, a major weeding project, and the need to employ and train a new team of shelvers. None of these projects could be put on hold until we had 'grown into' each other so we had to roll up sleeves and tackle them as best we could.

As a team we were strongly encouraged to find our own solutions to our tasks and challenges and whilst this created an atmosphere of 'trial by fire' (especially in the first few months) it also helped to cement the team and gave us the confidence to stand by our decisions.

Achievements
So what did we achieve?
I will talk a little bit about our activities under some of the outcomes that were set for the team.

Development of better client relations
In order to achieve a higher level of client service we set up a floor patrol whereby one member of the team was always out in the Reading Rooms and we were proactive in offering help to students. We also instituted a 'walkie: talkie' service by which staff on the Lending Services Desk and the Information Desk were able to contact us and one of the team would meet the student where they were experiencing a problem (eg on Level 4 in the main collection) and give them assistance. What this meant to the students was that in addition to good quality signage, handouts and orientation programs, the students were also able to get 'in situ' assistance. As Reading Room technicians we were proactive in seeking opportunities to assist students. Brophy (1997) refers to this as a 'walk-around' service.

We worked on revamping the signage around the library to promote a 'corporate face' and make it more relevant. Using graphics and a fresh approach to presenting our message we sought to increase the effectiveness of the signage around the floors. It must have been successful as we had to security strip a number of our signs because they kept disappearing!

A more informed student population
We constantly reassessed our programs to inform and assist the students. Over the course of the eighteen months I was involved with the Reading Rooms we undertook several initiatives from revamping signage to the creation of 'Information Kiosks'. These kiosks achieved two objectives. By use of a pin board and a pamphlet stand they became unmanned information stations holding information specific to each floor and tips on how to find different types of resources such as the booklets (B'S) quarto books (Q's) and periodicals (both current and back issues). It was also an extra place to advertise the current information literacy programs undertaken by LIS such as database sign up classes. Secondly by incorporating the old Floor co-ordinators desks into the Info Kiosks we provided a base for the library technicians whilst on floor patrol. Students became used to finding us there and it provided a place to meet students when they rang for assistance.

We kept statistics of the queries we received - they have gradually increased over the two years the Reading Rooms Team has been operating. We use these statistics to evaluate our service and fine-tune the sort of information we place at the kiosks.

Greater promotion of the reading rooms and its resources
The Information Kiosks were one way of promoting the Reading Rooms to students. Another was the surveys we undertook. In keeping with my responsibility for study space etc I surveyed the students as to the type of study space provided and the arrangement of the study carrels (I gave them a choice of 3 or 4 different arrangements) I also surveyed the users of our private study rooms to ascertain the real usage of the private study rooms. Both these issues had needed attention for some time but because there was only one qualified library technician in the unit there had been neither the time nor expertise to conduct surveys, extrapolate the data and make recommendations to management.

Following on from the surveys I re-arranged the study carrels, recommended a reduction in private study rooms and arranged for the spare private study rooms to become bookable study rooms. The value of these surveys was not only in the information it provided us, it was also a great opportunity to promote LIS as a service that listened to, and acted on, students concerns.

The formation of the Reading Rooms Team was a significant change to the way that the Reading Rooms functioned, thus creating some confusion amongst the rest of the LIS staff as to our exact duties and the level of assistance we were able to give. Reactions to the new team ranged from a hesitancy to include us at all in projects and daily duties to a tendency to see us as the 'gophers' of the library service. We had to work hard to establish boundaries early in the year and were proactive about promoting the new Reading Rooms Team. One of our strategies was to write a summary of our position and the types of projects in which we were engaged. In this summary we described the type and level of assistance we could provide to the rest of LIS and the best way of contacting us. We gave this summary as a staff presentation (complete with over heads) to the planning days of L&CS as well as the other units.

A greater degree of involvement in orientation programmes
The Reading Rooms Team worked with IES to finalise the general information sheets about TL Robertson library, working co-operatively to create accurate floor plans and keeping IES informed about collection moves etc. We also assisted in the catalogue demonstrations and library tours that were run at the beginning of each semester.

Increased ability to participate in major projects; increased ability to work with senior librarians and academic staff
During the course of the eighteen months I was involved with the Reading Rooms Team we undertook three collection moves, two to reorganise the existing collection over the five levels of the library and one to accommodate the School of Physiotherapy resources that came across to us from Shenton Park Campus. What this meant in real terms was the movement of some 700 000 items. Although the first stage of these moves was organised by one of the L&CS librarian, the successive stages were planned and undertaken by the Reading Rooms technicians. Although we consulted the L&CS unit head we were totally responsible for the execution of the move including budgeting for the extra student shelver hours required and setting the timetable for the moves. The end result was a much more accessible collection logically set out. Parallel to the moves was a weeding project undertaken in collaboration with the senior librarians to remove multiple copies of books which had low usage or were out of date.

The Reading Rooms Team succeeded in conducting the collection moves in time and under budget and saved LIS significant funds as the alternative would have been contracting to an outside agency to carry out the task.

The Reading Rooms Team undertook several other projects that other wise would have been difficult to complete. A through stock take of our available shelving was conducted including a cleanup of the store and sorting the shelving into like components. Like many other libraries, Curtin has bought several shelving systems over the years with the result that it was nearly impossible to find components that would actually fit together. The rearrangement of the shelving into like components and the creation of a cross reference system ensures that at any given time we can establish how many bays of shelving we can actually build and build it with a minimum of fuss. This may not sound like much of an achievement until one realises that the TL Robertson Library alone has 15 651 linear metres of shelving!

Where to from here?
Whilst the Reading Rooms Team were able to achieve most of the outcomes set for us including the not inconsiderable task of establishing ourselves as a team and a recognisable sub unit within L&CS, we have not yet achieved all of the original vision. Due to staff movement the team has at times been reduced to three or even two members, so we have not been able to undertake stocktaking the collection - a major initiative for 1999/2000.

A great deal of the success of the Reading Rooms Team was due to the motivation and initiative of the original members rather than the existence of well established policies and procedures. For the Reading Rooms to continue to do well it is important that documentation is produced. A strategic plan setting out opportunities and threats to the teams should be produced. Expectations and performance indicators for the team should be documented and used as a training aid to new team members. This is particularly important, as since the team's inception in 1999, it has had six new members and three different unit heads! There remains the problem of geographic isolation from the rest of L&CS, which needs to be addressed to provide the appropriate level of managerial support.

A review of the Reading Rooms took place in April of this year and interestingly, these very concerns came up! The review was conducted using the SWOT method (Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) and all those staff that had been involved in the Reading Rooms Team and were still at Curtin took part. It was very satisfying to see that the new team are still articulating the values and principles that we as the first members initiated and are proactive in finding ways to improve client service and promote the library to staff and students. One of the ways the new team is doing this is to produce a leaflet which details the activities of the Reading Rooms Team and provides a 'who to contact' list. A copy is appended to this paper.

The Reading Rooms Team has become a valuable source of sound feedback and information to senior management and has proven its ability to respond quickly to issues in the Reading Rooms as they arise. New opportunities were identified during the course of the review and the team is set to continue to develop and improve.

Conclusion
In 1998 some bold claims were made for the newly formed Reading Rooms Team. Four library technicians accepted the challenge to provide an enhanced information service to the clients of Curtin University's Library Service. In doing so they embarked on an 'Information Odyssey' of their own, accepting and conquering challenges along the way. Although things have not progressed as far or as smoothly as one could have wished, the formation of the Reading Rooms Team and the support which successive unit heads have given means that a change of culture has taken place within L&CS and LIS as a whole. The philosophy of client service and relevant information provision has ensured that the Reading Rooms Team is a vital partner with Information and Education Services in meeting the needs of LIS's clients, both staff and student. The new team is continuing to adopt innovative and enthusiastic approaches to the maintenance of Reading Rooms environment. An interesting footnote is that most of the staff who have moved on from the Reading Rooms are still involved in project work and using the skills they developed as part of the team, proving that not only was client service enhanced and improved by the formation of the Reading Rooms Team, a valuable staff development opportunity was also established.

One of the major successes of the Reading Rooms Team is that its conception and operation illustrates the positive partnership that can occur between librarian and library technician. As librarian for lending and collection services Alison Sutherland envisaged an innovative information service for the library's clients; four library technicians caught that vision and made such a service a reality.

References
Brophy, J (1997) Services - an educational approach in The Australian Library Journal May 1997 pp 178-180

Curtin University Website: Vision, Mission and Goals http://www.curtin.edu.au/official/mission.htm.

Mardikan, J and Kesselman, M (1995) Beyond the desk: enhanced reference staffing for the electronic library in Reference Services Review, Spring 1995 pp21-28

Sutherland, A. (unpublished paper) Review of the TL Robertson Reading Rooms September 1998

Whitson, W (1995) Differentiated service: a new reference model in The Journal of Academic Librarianship, March 1995 pp103-110

Author
Bonnie Rae Bruce completed her associate degree in Applied Science from Edith Cowan University in 1998. She was one of the founding members of the Reading Rooms Team, and has been involved in training within Lending and Collection Services as well as working in the Information and Education Services section of Curtin's Library service. At present Bonnie Rae is working on a pilot E-Reserve project. Prior to joining Curtin University Bonnie Rae worked in Katherine Public Library (NT) and at various TAFE libraries within Perth. Bonnie Rae is the current President of the WA Library Technicians Section, having served as Vice President for the past eighteen months. She is also active in CPD and Mentoring. Bonnie Rae is currently studying towards the Bachelor of Science (Library Technology) at ECU.

Appendix
Reading Rooms Library Technicians
What it is we do?

The Reading Rooms library technicians aim to ensure the daily smooth running of all floors under their supervision. This requires that the Reading Room technicians:

• Assist clients in their access of scholarly information and resources
• Provide helpful and thorough information pertaining to the collection and the best means of navigating it
• Recognise and actively follow the standards and guidelines we set ourselves, and those that are outlined by the university/LIS Strategic Plan
• Maintain professionalism in all aspects of our work within the university
• Ensure that levels 4, 5, and 6, particularly, provide the type of environment that fosters greater learning (reading, enquiry, research and critical thought)

We aim to educate clients in the layout of the collection, the different areas and specialities within the collection, provide information about serials and other materials available for use in the library and promote other library services and facilities available to clients in the course of their studies.

A "normal" day in the Reading Rooms Office (for a technician) would usually consist of a combination of the following duties:

Open/close of floors - All RRLTs are rostered on to open and close levels 4, 5, and 6 throughout the week-including Saturday and Sunday. Opening duties include the RRLT being here before 7:30am to ensure all rostered shelvers etc arrive at the 7:30am start time or organise replacements in the event of illness. All floors need the lights switched on, Help Desks checked for study room booking sheets, the suggestions box checked, statistics sheet available and the phone and walkie-talkies in the office answered. Closing duties (9:45pm Mon-Thurs/8:00pm Fridays/5:50pm Sat and Sun) requires the rostered technician to check that the library is clear of clients, turn off all lights (Lev 4, 5, and 6), and take lost property and pink slips to Level 2 on the way out.

Floor patrol - Floor patrol involves spending time on Levels 4, 5, and 6 assisting clients, directing clients to resources and offices (CML, CEA) reprimanding clients in breach of library rules or standards of behaviour (eg eating, being noisy, graffiti, inappropriate behaviour) monitoring study rooms, as well as meeting and assisting clients referred to the floors from elsewhere. For semester 2 floor patrol will be completed in 45 minute shifts for each floor, throughout the day from 10:00am-4:45pm. Floor patrol is the core service we offer and absorbs the bulk of our time.

Loans desk - All RRLTs complete one Lending Services Desk shift per week.

EIC - All RRLTs complete one EIC shift per week; assisting clients in the Level 3 Electronic Information Centre, where there is access to databases and online resources

Specialised duties - All RRLTs have a 'portfolio' of special tasks and duties, which we complete in our non-rostered time. There are four areas of responsibility within the Reading Room Team, including: Shelver Management, Signage, Equipment and Facilities, and Collection Maintenance. These are outlined in more detail on the reverse of this sheet.

Shared tasks - Shared tasks include the maintenance of current serial pigeonholes on each floor, weeding and collection move projects, assisting other members of the team with their duties in peak periods. RRLTs must also be responsible for the reporting of failures in facilities (computers, lights, toilets, lifts, compactus etc) Assisting each other in our duties may also require occasional changes in our roster to allow for unusual events (interviewing, hiring and training of shelvers for example) and as such we must all be flexible to ensure our duties are completed professionally.

Other reading room staff - We have a reading rooms assistant; Damian Thom. Recently, another new staff member joined our team-trainee library technician Luana Lisandro. It is the responsibility of all reading room library technicians to support, supervise and assist these staff members as necessary in the everyday course of our duties and to provide feedback to our unit head (Jane Long) on the progress of the trainee position, as this is the first time a trainee technician position has been trialled in LIS.

Reading rooms library technicians-contact information
Within the Reading Rooms there are specific duties and areas of responsibility allocated to the technicians. Please consult the table below to ensure you contact the right person for the job. Our phone number is ext. 4183 - we may not always be in the office, please leave a message for the appropriate person and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Special duties or area of responsibility and person to contact
Student shelver management: duties include rostering, hiring/firing, training and daily management of the approx. 30 student shelvers employed by Curtin. The shelver technician must ensure all timesheets; availability sheets and pay details are complete and up to date. Also responsible for producing the 'Shelver Scuttlebutt' newsletter for student shelvers. Person to contact: Sharon Malcolm

Equipment and facilities: Duties include arrangement of furniture, compactus reporting and maintenance, management of study rooms and cleaning/maintenance etc of all furniture in the Reading Rooms as well as co-ordinating major refurbishments like the Level 6 compactus, collection moves, and liaison with senior staff on the redevelopment and refurbishment of the floors during 2001/2002. Person to contact: Barbara Rosenow

Collection maintenance: the collection maintenance technician is responsible for weeding, general maintenance of the collection and special moves/projects including co-ordination for shuffling of the collection and collection alterations etc. Person to contact: Stephanie Hart

Signage: The signage technician is responsible for the management of day-to-day signs, special posters, flyers and other material as required in the library. Is responsible for the maintenance of information sheets and all signage and materials at the Help Desks on Levels 4, 5, and 6. Liaison with senior staff on new initiatives and developments in signage programmes throughout the library is a vital part of developing the quality and effectiveness of the signs etc in the library. Person to contact: Emma Baird