Library Student Assistant Training

As a library employee, you should be prepared to assist any library users you may encounter, whether your primary job is to work a service desk, shelve, or do computer work in an office.

Our primary responsibility is to our users. We are here to provide them with the best customer service possible and to assist them to the best of our ability.  Creating a welcoming environment facilitates our ability to help users. You, as a library employee, are part of that environment, and how you present yourself through your body language and how you address users will have an impact on the success of your interactions with patrons. 

Library users need to be able to identify you as a person that can provide them with assistance, and they also need to feel comfortable in approaching you for help.  You need to exhibit behaviors that welcome the user and put them at ease.  We want our users to feel as comfortable as possible in a situation that they may perceive as intimidating, risky or overwhelming.

To be approachable, implement the following behaviors:

1. Be poised and ready to engage approaching library users.  Stop all other activities when users approach and focus on their needs.

• You may be working on a project in the stacks, or during your down time while staffing the service desk.  A library user will always take precedence over whatever project you may be working on. The trick is to work on your project, but not become so focused that you become oblivious to people who may need your help.
• If you happen to be so engrossed in a project that you don't see a user approach immediately, make sure you exhibit some welcoming behaviors like a smile and excuse yourself by saying something like “I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.“  You need to do something to put the user at ease because they probably feel like they are trespassing on your time.  Your time belongs to our users!

2. Establish initial eye contact with the patron, and acknowledge the presence of patrons through smiling and attentive and welcoming body language.

3. Acknowledge users through the use of a friendly greeting to initiate conversation, and by standing up, moving forward, or moving closer to them. Keep an eye out for users who look like they may need assistance but have not yet approached you. A friendly "May I help you with something?" will invite them to seek your assistance.

4. When communicating with a user, use verbal and non-verbal communication to indicate that your focus is on the patron, such as nodding and smiling, or asking clarifying questions as needed.