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Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

New Staff Training Manual: Home

Purpose

  • Provides Reference staff access to the library's reference and instruction procedures and policies
  • Serves as a checklist for new Reference staff to chart their progress through the onboarding process

Guidelines and Philosophy for Reference Providers

RUSA Guidelines for Reference Librarians include 5 main categories:
  • Visibility/Approachability
  • Interest
  • Listening/Inquiring
  • Searching
  • Follow Up
  • Reference Services Philosophy

Reference Librarians teach rather than answer questions

  • When possible, librarians help students define their research needs, choose resources, develop search strategies, and evaluate search results, and assist in understanding citation formats. In the electronic environments of e-mail and virtual reference, librarians strive to instruct, guide, and coach rather than just provide answers
  • Rather than doing research for faculty, librarians provide faculty with instruction and information tools they need to conduct their own research

Reference Librarians are proactive

  • Reference Librarians unobtrusively seek out students who may need help rather than wait for students to come to them. To be aware of students hesitant about asking for help.  

Reference Librarians provide information, not interpretation, tutoring, or advice

  • Librarians do not counsel patrons in personal, medical, and legal issues
  • Librarians do not proofread papers. If students need writing help refer them to appropriate university resources such as the Academic Success Center or the Writing Center.

New Librarian / Staff

New reference staff will be guided through the New Reference Employee Orientation and should review this New Staff Procedure Training Manual during the first weeks of their orientation.

Questions and inquiries may be directed towards fellow colleagues and/or the Head of Reference.