By Deborah Balsamo, EPA National Library Network Program Manager; Teri DeVoe, Library Network Coordinator (Contractor, ASRC Management Services); and Tiffany Lopez, Assistant Library Network Coordinator (Contractor, ASRC Management Services)

Best Practices for Government Libraries is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2011 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 60 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, and more. Best Practices is edited by Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant; SLA DGI Chair. If you did not write for this year’s Best Practices, Marie invites you to submit a guest post for the Government Info Pro marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com.

In 2009 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted an agency-wide assessment to determine the future needs of an increasingly mobile work force and to learn how to leverage technology to serve EPA library users. The Needs Assessment included an online survey as well as user focus groups and qualitative interviews with executive-level management. Key findings and recommendations from the final report spurred the development of several new Library Network projects, all of which utilized existing agency technologies.

Needs Assessment Recommendation: Offer expanded and consistent operating hours

Solution: Live-chat reference available to internal patrons during coast-to-coast business hours

Ask a Librarian—Live Chat Reference

The EPA National Library Network had already begun exploring virtual reference options such as live chat before the 2009 Library Needs Assessment. However, with the recommendation to offer expanded service hours to staff, the Needs Assessment provided the impetus to pursue a pilot chat reference service for internal patrons in December 2009. By pooling EPA libraries’ coast-to-coast hours of operation, library access has been extended to EPA staff from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Thursday, and from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Fridays.

Ten EPA libraries participated in the pilot service, which leveraged the RightNow application used for the Agency’s Enterprise Customer Service Solution (ECSS)/Frequent Questions database. In May 2010, the Network developed an Ask a Librarian icon to further promote the service, and subsequent marketing efforts resulted in increased live chat use. At the end of Fiscal Year 2010, the application behind the service changed to Parature, resulting in a managed transition and additional staff training. The service has been well received by end-users and exemplifies the collaborative nature of the Library Network.

Needs Assessment Recommendation: Offer more training on how to use library resources and services

Solution: Librarian-taught webinars promoted to all Agency staff

National Training Program

The Needs Assessment gave voice to user requests for library training, which had traditionally been the domain of local EPA libraries. Building from the Library Network’s use of GoToMeeting technology and established marketing channels, the National Training Program was created to bring locally-developed library classes to a wider Agency audience. The Network first developed guidelines, a formal class proposal process and an online evaluation form.

After soliciting library presenters, the Network takes the lead on scheduling and marketing classes, managing the technical side of the webinars, and preparing follow-up attendance and evaluation reports. The first National Training Program class debuted in April 2010, reaching internal patrons from twenty different EPA locations over the course of two repeat sessions. One year later, four additional classes had reached hundreds of EPA staff and the Network was exploring the possibility of expanding the program via playback options.

• April 2010: Locating EPA Documents (presented by Research Triangle Park Library)
• June 2010: EPA Desktop Library (presented by Headquarters and Chemical Libraries)
• October 2010: Cited Reference Searching (presented by Research Triangle Park Library)
• November 2010: Using EndNote with Library Resources (presented by Region 6 Sunder Ram Library)
• April 2011: Chemistry and Toxicology Research (presented by Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center Library)

Goal: Build from the 2009 Library Needs Assessment by collecting ongoing feedback from users

Implementation: Ongoing customer service evaluation form, as a follow-up to staff transactions

Customer Service Evaluation Form

To build from the 2009 Needs Assessment data, the Library Network formalized a process for collecting ongoing patron feedback. In January 2010 the Network launched a centralized online customer service evaluation form, which utilized its existing SurveyMonkey account. The Network asks EPA librarians to send the evaluation link to internal EPA patrons following library service interactions. On a monthly basis, the Network generates and sends out individual library reports to local managers. Steady feedback reflects high customer satisfaction with 99% of respondents reporting that they are “very satisfied” with services received. The centralized form provides a pool of data that the Network can access at its point of need.

Deborah Balsamo is the National Program Manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Library Network where she has the responsibility for coordinating the operations of the agency’s libraries, overseeing the implementation of policies and procedures and leading the strategic direction of EPA’s information services. Deborah is former president of the North Carolina Chapter of SLA.

Teri DeVoe is the ASRC contractor EPA Library Network Coordinator.  She provides communication and outreach support for the EPA National Library Network, supports the National Program Manager, and serves as a “librarians’ librarian” to her colleagues at EPA.  Teri is a member of the Washington, DC, Chapter of SLA.

Tiffany Lopez is the ASRC contractor Assistant EPA Library Network Coordinator. She provides support for the library services and outreach initiatives of the EPA National Library Network, and serves as Second-Year Director of the North Carolina Chapter of SLA.

by Jim Scheppke, State Librarian, Oregon State Library

I thought my SLA colleagues might be interested in learning a bit about public libraries that are future ready and what that looks like.

We just had a new public library open across the Columbia River from us in Vancouver, Washington, that is future ready. When you walk in you won’t see any service counters. There aren’t any. That’s because the library staff are all on their feet, engaging customers at their point of need. And I mean all of the public service staff. The old hierarchies between librarians and support staff are gone too. The staff use hands-free voice technology from Vocera so they can work together and share everyone’s knowledge and ability to serve customers.

The situation is similar at the new Kenton Branch of the Multnomah County Library back across the river in Portland. No circ desk! Library users check out their own materials at the convenient RFID circulation stations. Public service staff carry around an iPad using a special glove-like holder to assist customers. Who needs a desk when you literally have the Web in the palm of your hand?

What used to be called “desk reference” is dead. The desks are gone in these future ready libraries. The new trend is “roving reference” – high tech and high touch. And yes, we have mobile reference – chat and text – too. Customers love it. Who says the public sector can’t provide world-class customer service. We are doing it here in Oregon and Washington.

Jim Scheppke has been State Librarian of Oregon since 1991. He’s worked at the Oregon State Library since 1986, and before that at the Texas State Library and the West Texas Library System. Before becoming a librarian he worked as an independent bookseller. He has served as president of the Oregon Library Association and of the Western Council of State Libraries , and has written numerous articles for professional library publications.
He was named Oregon Library Association Librarian of the Year in 1996. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Association of School Libraries in 2001 and was named Honorary Life Member of the Oregon Library Association in 2011. He holds an Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

by Sharon Rivers, Oregon Chapter, Biomedical & Life Sciences Division

Portland is swimming with librarians. If you want to make a joke at a conference of librarians in the Pacific Northwest, just say that you have moved here to find a library job. Thatʼs what I did: I moved here fresh from Pittsburgh last February, was armed with my MLS from the University of Pittsburgh, showed up at the annual Online Northwest Conference and let people know that I was there to network and find a job. The laughs began. And theyʼve continued persistently since. Portland is a hip city and, letʼs face it, being a librarian is pretty darn hip. That is my educated hypothesis on why there is a high ratio of librarians to library jobs here.

This has led me to think outside of the box and turn my Masters degree into a hybrid skill — a skill that I can use to accentuate my basic knowledge of other fields. Here are some of the ways that I have found that I have value as a Library Science grad:

Be a sifter of information: We have all come to realize that the internet is a garbage dump of information. There are some jewels in there, but itʼs important to find a person who can find them. In interviews, I am sure to bring up the fact that in any situation of large amounts of information or data, I can be relied upon to find what is relevant.

Use my customer service skills: Working in a public library for six years has taught me how to be of service to a large array of people. Iʼve learned how to explain difficult procedures to a beginning learner; that many times a person needs to be led with a lot of questions to figure out exactly what they need; and that remembering a personʼs name goes a long way in making a good impression.

Use my passion for continuous education and life-long learning: A prospective employer wants to hear that you are willing to grow in your position. I believe a characteristic of all librarians is a thirst for knowledge. We are curious, ambitious, and intelligent. This all leads to us having the drive to continually be learning more. We have the drive to grow–employers need to hear that.

In my job search, one of the best pieces of advice that Iʼve been given is that I need to think outside of the box. Iʼm certain that I can apply my past experience and skills in ways that I havenʼt thought of yet. If I do this, I am going to be pleasantly surprised.

Sharon Rivers received her Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005.  She is a recent transplant to Portland, Oregon and is currently seeking ways to become part of the network of librarians in Portland.