Friday, February 2, 2018
Secret Shopper
This assignment went in two different directions for me. First, I completed an online chat with a librarian at my local library (using LibraryH3lp, for those familiar), as a large portion of the people working the reference desk there know who I am. Secondly, I did actually go to my local library, and I asked for recommendations with the librarian helping me knowing I was in the library science field.
For the online chat, I was pleasantly surprised by my results. I wasn’t expecting much - at most, I figured I would walk away with a booklist the library has on their site, or a link to Novelist (this library features their subscription regularly). Instead, I ended up having a solid conversation with the librarian, and they gave me a few specific recommendations with summaries, and why they thought I would like them, and even offered to put the books on hold for me.
My in person interaction was interesting. It ended up being someone who was relatively familiar with my reading habits, so they still found me books that I would be willing to read, but they asked far fewer questions about my reading habits than the online interaction did. This could have been because they already had things in mind (the individual in question frequently recommends books to me), or because it was an on-desk interaction and there was quite a bit going on in the library at the time I was available to visit.
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Dear Malissa,
ReplyDeleteI thought that you were clever to use an unknown identity for conducting an interview with a librarian at your library. It was also unique that you utilized an online chat service to communicate with the librarian. It seems that you had a productive conversation with the librarian on the online chat. I believe that it was beneficial that the librarian gave you more than one recommendation in order to give you a more comprehensive answer to your question. It also seems that the librarian was very polite, and I think that she did an excellent job at providing a reference interview as a librarian. She clearly respected your request and did as much as she could to satisfy all of your needs by giving long summaries, explanations for recommendations, and offering to put books on hold for you.
My reference interview was only somewhat satisfying, and I did not receive the same amount of care from a librarian as you did during your interview. So, I wonder if some librarians are enthusiastic at conducting their work in contrast to other mediocre or unenthusiastic librarians. I also think that your librarian was skilled at responding to the needs of library users, since she effectively answered your request in multiple ways.
In addition, it was interesting that you still choose to conduct an interview in real life, despite having an excellent online interview. I wonder if you thought that you still had to conduct an interview with an actual person at a physical library location. Also, it is a shame that the librarian at a physical library location didn’t ask you more questions, but I suppose the librarian already knew what your reading habits were.
So sorry you didn't have an overly positive experience! I think sometimes it comes down being enthusiastic, and sometimes it comes down to confidence. I know I have much more confidence in suggesting children's or YA books as opposed to regular adult fiction, and that can impact interactions. I know doing it online also gave the librarian a chance to think and review resources without feeling pressured to respond right away. The conversation lasted about half an hour, but there were some time gaps in the conversation, which was something I was both expecting and comfortable with. I wonder how much this conversation would have differed if I had done it in person, too. Are they as confident in giving suggestions in person as they are online? I'd like to think so.
DeleteHi Malissa! I agree about the online services being very helpful. I had to utilize that service for another class and the librarian was very nice and found some animal rights books I had not heard about (which I thought was impressive because I am very familiar with this category of books) and, more importantly, I wanted to read. I actually found the online chat more helpful than my recent visit to the library. While my librarian was exceedingly nice, I was unable to find a book based on her recommendations that I wanted to read. Maybe it is easier to help someone over the computer where the librarian can take their time and not be pressured by line of customers forming behind the patron seeking help.
ReplyDeleteOnline chat has grown on me over the last few years. One of my jobs has us answering the chats as they come in if we're working on the desk, and they used to terrify me but now they're relatively enjoyable. The only downside of them is if the patron is asking a technical question about how to use a resource and it's something that is easier to show than it is explain through words. I think the extra time it lends the library staff answering the question is nice, especially if the patron isn't overly rushed. Thoughts can be collected and things can be presented in a clean manner, and the potentially better choices can be found as opposed to the first choices, as one might fall into when trying to help someone at the desk while they also know there's a line forming behind said person.
DeleteHi Malissa! I think it's great that your online chat went so well. It probably helps that with it being online they don't have to worry as much about it taking a little longer. I'm curious what you asked for help locating. Was it a specific genre or similar to another author? For the online chat, were their recommendations ones you think you'd enjoy?
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't know what I was asking for when I began the online chat, but ended up narrowing it down (both for myself & for the librarian helping me) to books with unpredictable endings. I didn't really want to focus too hard on one genre over another, as I don't personally stick within genre lines when reading. I then went into the in person interaction with the same type in mind. They (online chat) did also ask what I had recently read, and gave one recommendation off of that, that also paired with the unpredictability. I had them put one book on hold for me and picked it up yesterday. The others have been added to my to-read list, so I'll get to them eventually!
DeleteWe use LibraryH3lp as well although I've never had anyone use it to ask what to read. Most people use or online What to Read Next form or just ask in person, but I love the idea of people utilizing that for RA. I'm so pleased you had such a great experience with that!
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