Cornish College of the Arts
At Cornish, I have been working on the Reference desk for several years and began under the mentorship of my fellow librarians and specifically under the then Director of the Library until I completed my own MLIS. I now have been working on the reference desk since 2010 and am thankful for the advice, leadership, and examples my fellow Librarians have been for me over the years. I began by observing and learning methods of drawing the questions out of patrons in order to best assist them in their research and now I employ these methods learned from my mentors as well as those shared in class and my own experiences from working with patrons. In the 2015-2016 academic year, I answered over 733 reference questions.
One of the most important lessons I learned is to be friendly and approachable. Smile when a patron comes in the door and say hello. Many a time I have done that and have watched as the patron changed their direction to come ask me a question. Being open and available is a crucial aspect of librarianship in an academic setting, where we work with students of all ages and experiences.
I have taken responsibility for following up on questions posted to our Facebook page and those emailed to the reference desk email. I enjoy following up on these questions and appreciate the time I can take with these types of questions. I also enjoy the face-to-face interaction I have with patrons and their questions. I come from an education background and love sharing our library and its treasures with all kinds of visitors, from staff, faculty and students to board members, the general public, and the occasional movie star/almunus.
One of the most important lessons I learned is to be friendly and approachable. Smile when a patron comes in the door and say hello. Many a time I have done that and have watched as the patron changed their direction to come ask me a question. Being open and available is a crucial aspect of librarianship in an academic setting, where we work with students of all ages and experiences.
I have taken responsibility for following up on questions posted to our Facebook page and those emailed to the reference desk email. I enjoy following up on these questions and appreciate the time I can take with these types of questions. I also enjoy the face-to-face interaction I have with patrons and their questions. I come from an education background and love sharing our library and its treasures with all kinds of visitors, from staff, faculty and students to board members, the general public, and the occasional movie star/almunus.