ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


176

next issue.
An effort is now underway to shorten the turn

around time by a week or more and reduce costs
in the long run. With the proper software and
modem interface, I can type all the C &RL News
copy on the ACRL word processor, insert specia
marks for typeface and spacing, then teletransmi
the full text to the typesetter by phone line. This
is the next best thing to having our own in-house
composition equipment, because keyboarding is
the most time-consuming and costliest stage in
typesetting. At least some of the June issue wil
be produced this way, and all of the issues follow

To keep myself up-to-date I occasionally attend
workshops on different aspects of magazine pub
lishing. Most helpful have been those sponsored
by Folio magazine in New York. Last year I par
ticipated in workshops on direct mail subscription
p rom otion , sellin g  ad v ertisin g  in association
magazines, production cost cutting, editing skills
and cover design— all of which have proven very
useful to the C & RL News design and budget.

My oth er resp o n sib ilities in A C R L  beyond 
­ C &RL News management include supervising the 
 Jobline, which is a recorded telephone message 
 describing professional librarian positions cu r­
 rently open and which is changed weekly. I also 
l write press releases for ACRL and in general ad­
t vise the association in matters of editing, publish­
 ing, and public relations.
 Several times during the year I compose and 
 mail surveys on various topics to p re-selected  
 non-ARL academic libraries. The results of the 

l most recent survey on library photocopying ap­
ing. peared in the April issue, and another survey on 

advertising library positions is underway.
 As always, I welcome articles, news items, or 

­ ideas for publication in C &RL News. Guidelines 
 for submission of manuscripts appeared in the 

­ March issue, pp.8 5 -8 6 . Quite often I get many 
 ideas by talking to mem bers at annual confer­
 ence, so if you want to ask questions, share view­

, points or news, or just chat amiably, feel free to 
 contact me in Philadelphia. ■ ■

Continuing Education

CE at the University of California,
Berkeley

Reference librarians working in separate units 
of large institutions such as the U niversity of 
California, Berkeley, can often find them selves 
feeling somewhat isolated. Yet they are in fact 
often faced with the same problems and questions 
as their colleagues in other units.

In an effort to provide reference librarians with 
an opportunity to share their concerns and ideas 
and at the same time to try to seek some solu­
tions, the library’s Reference Services Committee 
developed a series o f referen ce forums. T hese 
forums are held on a variety of topics and are de­
signed to have a maximum of thirty-five partici­
pants to make discussion easier. The committee 
has urged representatives of many different units 
w ithin th e library  system  to atten d . At each 
forum, which is scheduled as a two-hour informal 
bag lunch, there are panelists who provide an in­
troduction and serve as moderators for the dis­
cussion.

The topic of the first forum, which was held in 
the Fall 1981 quarter, was “Reference Priorities.” 
Three panelists provided the basis for discussion 
by distributing three case studies, entitled “Take 
a N um ber?,” which illustrated a number of typi­
cal situations faced by librarians at a busy reference

 desk. The discussion opened with a sum­
mary of those factors which affect the selection of 
priorities at the desk: for example, how many pa­
trons are waiting, their attitudes, their status, and 
the level of difficulty of their questions.

The first case study presented the problem of 
how to maintain a reasonable balance when, at 
the same time as a long-distance phone request, a 
foreign student who has difficulty with English 
has asked what is apparently a complex question, 
and at the end of a long line the chancellor s son 
might be waiting. Several solutions w ere pro­
posed, such as first ascertaining if in fact the 
phone request is a simple matter before automat­
ically putting the patron on hold. If it is obviously a 
time-consuming question, there is justification for 
asking the patron to phone back at a suggested 
time or offering to return the call later.

It was generally agreed that patrons waiting at 
the desk should be taken in order; however, the 
librarian should acknowledge in some manner an 
awareness of the others. The importance of body 
language was discussed. The status of the patron 
as a rule should not affect the order in which 
questions are answered, although it is possible to 
suggest to faculty members that they might wish



177

to return later or wait for a return call at their 
offices if they do not have time to stand in line. I f  
there are many patrons waiting, the librarian can 
ask if anyone has a simple question, or whether 
th e re  are several p eop le from the same class 
needing assistance with the same assignm ent. 
Consideration of the special needs of a patron, 
such as age, disability, or distance from the li­
brary, is important as well. The point was raised 
that it can be difficult at times to maintain en­
thusiasm when there is a class of 100 students, all 
of whom are looking for a journal article on the 
same topic. It is worthwhile to suggest to the pro­
fessor the possibility of an in-class lecture on in­
dexes and abstracts pertinent to the course or a 
special tour.

T h e  seco n d  case study illu s tr a te d  how to 
handle a reference question needing only a quick 
database search when response time is slow and 
there are other patrons waiting. The concensus 
was that a good policy for computer searches at 
the referen ce desk is to do them  quickly but 
wisely. I f  the patron is paying for the search, 
then one might suggest that he return later when 
there will be less delay.

The third study examined the amount of time 
spent with individual patrons (both connected 
with the university and from outside the univer­
sity), tactics for answering questions presented at 
closing tim e, and the function of the librarian as

instructor. Although there can be no strict policy, 
the general reaction favored setting a definite 
time period of no more than fifteen minutes and 
finding as much as p o ssib le w ithin that tim e 
lim it. Also discussed was the lev el of b ib lio ­
graphic instruction in cases where a patron only 
wants a direct answer. Then the librarian should 
determine the suitability of teaching patrons how 
to find things on their own, have tools available 
so that patrons can locate materials easily, and 
always encourage patrons to ask for further help. 
The teaching function of the library cannot be 
overemphasized.

The initial forum generated a great deal of en­
thusiasm and participants suggested many ideas 
for further discussion topics. It became apparent 
that there are a lot of related problems that could 
be addressed at a reference forum. When a sec­
ond forum was held recently on the “Disturbed 
Patron”, there was so much interest that it had to 
be repeated. The next forum was held on the 
methods and problems of library instruction, and 
other topics will be designated by the Reference 
Services Committee. W e hope that the reference 
forum series will be an ongoing part of continuing 
education for reference staff.— Norma Kobzina.

Editor s Note: Norma Kobzina is assistant librar­
ian at the Natural Resources Library, University 
o f California, Berkeley. ■ ■



Obtaining article reprints for 
searchers, scholars, and students
one of your library’s important jo
But writing, mailing, and organizi
re p rin t requests diverts your 
sources from  more critic a l tas
That’s why you need the reprint 
quest system that uses less time a
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•  RAP cards come in co n tin u ­
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•  A system of self-adhering la­
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even give the author a rec­
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And if th a t’s not fast and efficient 
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sing: have your RAP cards preprint­
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ut with the name line blank. Then 
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ho want reprints and let them com ­
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Either way you use RAP, these 
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