Archives Found

Sometimes, working with a patron on a reference question seems a lot like being a teacher: many times the student/patron wants you to do their homework for them. Just a few weeks ago, I was up at the reference desk, working on an unrelated question about the football program, when I heard one of my colleagues doing a reference interview with a patron. The archivist was giving the patron several resources, including the contact information for a professor on campus who is in the process of publishing research related to that particular topic*–and the patron broke in, impatiently. “Where can I find the book? I don’t want to go through all of these papers. I just need the information.”

I’ve been curious recently to find out more about the research policies at other institutions. We have a set limit of 30 minutes of help for questions that are sent via email or phone; this is to discourage people from calling and saying “Just send me everything you’ve got on the history of the university.” After the 30 minute limit expires, patrons are required to either come in and do the research themselves, or to hire a researcher to do it for them. Staff members and graduate students here are permitted to hire themselves out as paid researchers as long as the work is done off the clock, but there are very few people that are willing to do it, primarily because it’s a hassle, and getting paid by the patron has been a problem in the past.

One of the problems for a lot of patrons is that they are not accustomed to using original documents. They are confused and unsure when they are putting their belongings in a locker, signing the research agreement, and being issued pencils and paper. They don’t know how to behave in a research room, and they are uneasy about using various things– microfilm, finding aids, gloves (for photo and negative collections). Perhaps because they are ill at ease, sometimes patrons are less than forthcoming about their research topics and reasons, which can make a reference interview frustrating on both sides of the desk.

I’ve worked at the reference desk in a variety of places and environments, and there are some staff members that truly have a gift for working with the public. These staffers tend to have a love for the documents and subject matter, as well as a stubborn desire to help people find whatever they might be seeking– enlightenment, a dissertation topic, an elusive photograph, or their grandparents’ citizenship papers. There’s usually at least one such staffer at every archive, and there is generally a queue for their services. However, is there a way that we can make the reference experience better for patrons? What are some of the ways that we can help every patron in the same vein as the “gold star” staffer or archivist? Where is the line between helping, and good service? How can we provide everything that the patron needs without doing their homework for them?