{"id":45641,"date":"2013-10-30T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-30T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=45641"},"modified":"2013-10-30T08:59:30","modified_gmt":"2013-10-30T12:59:30","slug":"the-many-sides-of-reference-special-collections-versus-academic-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=45641","title":{"rendered":"The Many Sides of Reference: Special Collections versus Academic Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Many Sides of Reference: Special Collections versus Academic Libraries<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"CourtneyButler\"<\/a>I recently accepted two different part-time positions that both require that I man the reference desk for a significant portion of each shift I work. One position is in a special collections department within a public library and the other is in a small, private university library. Honestly, there are days when having these two jobs make me feel a bit like I have a split personality. Obviously the core principles of conducting reference interviews are pretty much the same in both places, but I am also finding there are a lot of differences between the two. Here are the ones I\u2019ve noticed most:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Patron Flow<\/b><\/p>\n

When a patron walks in the door of special collections, there is a 97% chance they are going to need my help. There are a few who just want to use the room to study or only want to use the materials in the reference room and know exactly what they\u2019re looking for. The vast majority, however, will at the very least need my help pulling materials from closed stacks, if not help finding materials to pull in the first place.<\/p>\n

At the university library it\u2019s a little different. Some libraries are busier than others, but in the one I\u2019m at I\u2019ve found there\u2019s closer to a 10% chance that any given patron walking into the building will need\/want my help, and that\u2019s probably being generous. Libraries are community gathering areas, and it has been a bit of an adjustment getting used to the fact that most of the people who walk in the door don\u2019t<\/i> need my help. They just want a place to study or do a project. Then again, a lot more people walk through the door at the library than at special collections, so I\u2019m probably glad they don\u2019t all need assistance or I\u2019d have a line a mile long.<\/p>\n

Information Literacy<\/b><\/p>\n

Due to the nature of the materials and resources, it has been my experience that there is less instruction given on how to find information in archives and special collections. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there definitely is some. More and more finding aids, indexes, and even collections go online all the time, and most patrons need instruction in accessing and using these resources. However, a significant number of patrons simply call, email, or walk in and say \u201cI want information on X. What do you have?\u201d and just expect you to produce some relevant materials. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense for a number of reasons. For one, every archives and special collections department is different. Each uses a different system and has vastly different holdings than other institutions. Even as a staff member it takes time to adjust to the collections at each new place. Also, a lot of researchers only come in a handful of times at most. They want information on one specific topic that your institution just happens to have materials on and then they may never come back again. Why spend the time learning each institution\u2019s system?<\/p>\n

On the flip side, the training at my library job has had a strong focus on using reference interactions as an opportunity to teach patrons the skills necessary to locate and use resources on their own. In contrast to special collections patrons, my university patrons (students) are (hopefully) going to make use of the library regularly for several years. It makes sense for them to learn the university\u2019s individual system. Plus, Boolean logic and other skills such as broadening and narrowing topics, picking efficient keywords, and locating relevant and suitable resources are all skills that can be applied in just about any library anywhere.<\/p>\n

Security<\/b><\/p>\n

Another possible reason for the university library placing a greater emphasis on teaching information literacy (and the patron independence that goes along with it) is that they don\u2019t have to deal with the same types of security issues that the special collections department does. The vast majority, if not all, of a library\u2019s collection is generally out in the open available to the public. It is a very self-service sort of setup, which is not the case in special collections. In special collections, the vast majority of materials are kept in closed stacks to protect against damage, loss and theft. Patrons cannot peruse materials. Even if they can find the location for an item, they can\u2019t go get it. In most places, patrons can\u2019t even bring in bags or coats and have to fill out paperwork just to use the room. It makes sense for special collections staff to be more involved in patron use of materials so that they can monitor the safety of the materials.<\/p>\n

Before I go on to recommend special collections reference at the end of the article, I would be remiss in my obligations if I didn\u2019t mention that it\u2019s not always fun or easy to enforce the necessary security. If anything goes missing or gets damaged in a library, it just gets replaced. That\u2019s not the case in special collections, and it\u2019s really important to protect the materials. That being said, there are always patrons who feel the need to give significant sass about having to take off their coats and store their bags. But libraries see their fair share of belligerent patrons as well, so it\u2019s not the end of the world.<\/p>\n

Collection Scope<\/b><\/p>\n

To put it simply, in special collections if someone asks me \u201cDo you have information on X?\u201d then I can say with some confidence whether or not we do. In the library, however, my answer is usually closer to \u201cUhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh why don\u2019t I show you how to find out?\u201d Archives and special collections departments generally collect materials based around certain subjects. Whether it\u2019s a famous person or specific institution or geographical area, there is usually some central theme to most of the holdings. There are always a few extraneous items, but most of it will have to do with one general area. That is not the case in academic libraries. Holdings, both physical and electronic, have to span every academic subject taught at the academic institution and then some. A student might come in and say \u201cI\u2019m in a Russian class. What do you have on Russia and World War II?\u201d and all I can say is \u201cLet me show you our card catalog\/appropriate database\/some cool searching techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Finally, I don\u2019t mean to create or enforce any stereotypes, but the truth is that at the university library I deal primarily with young patrons while the special collections department gets a lot of traffic from the elderly. As with all of these, there are always exceptions. Generally speaking, however, in the library I get a lot of 20-something students (if not teenagers) coming to the reference desk while the special collections room tends to attract an older patron base. I kind of like having the mix of the two, personally.<\/p>\n

So there you have it. While it can be a little jarring occasionally (and especially at first), I\u2019m really enjoying seeing these different sides of reference. I think the experience has ended up teaching me how to do both a little better. I would encourage any librarians\/archivists who have never considered crossing over to give it some thought. If nothing else, it\u2019s one more experience\/new skill set to add to the resume.<\/p>\n

So what do you think guys? Did I miss anything crucial? Am I way off the mark? What have your experiences been like?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho The Many Sides of Reference: Special Collections versus Academic Libraries I recently accepted two different part-time positions that both require that I man the reference desk for a significant portion of each shift I work. One position is in a special collections department within a public library and…<\/p>\n

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