Janet D. Greenwood Library merged its three service desks into a single-service point model as of January. This Thursday, Feb. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m., the staff will host an open house in the library’s atrium to answer any questions about the change.
Greenwood Library previously offered services in the Learning Commons and the Multimedia Lab in addition to the front desk. “The Desk,” which is what the Greenwood Library staff now calls the front desk area, offers all of the library’s services.
The items offered at The Desk include the same items the library has offered in the past, including digital cameras, video cameras, projectors, iPads and laptops as well as research and technological assistance.
Resident Technology Associates (RTA) will remain available in the Learning Commons to assist students Sunday through Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Head of Collections and Access Management Tammy Hines reported that Greenwood Library did not eliminate any jobs as a result of the merge. There are currently 23 library staff members, all but one of whom work full-time, and 33 student workers.
Hines said the staff researched the single-service point model at other universities in order to see how it worked. One researched university included was Virginia Commonwealth University.
Hines said the library made the decision from the “standpoint of what better [serves] the students.”
With this, Hines hopes to keep The Desk actively staffed with two to three staff members of “varying experience and expertise” available at all times. Other librarians will be on call in order to address additional needs.
According to Hines, the change began “gradually” during the Fall 2013 semester with training sessions and changing of codes.
Hines said there have been some “growing pains” with the change, particularly in scheduling and identifying which items go where now that the staff has consolidated the items into one desk.
However, Hines said the change has helped the staff become “more team-oriented.”
Hines said the “Librarian on Call” sign at the front is part of an attempt to “give visuals for [the library staff] as much as for you all.”
So far, Hines said the library has not received student feedback regarding the change, adding, “Typically, if the students aren’t happy, they’ll let us know.”
Hines believes this week’s open house will allow attendees to see the changes and have the chance to offer any feedback.
“We’re trying to get more people to realize we’re here to help, so the open house is to draw attention to our resources and what we have available,” Hines explained.
Circulation/reserves assistant and committee member Parker York first suggested the idea of the open house.
Head of the library’s Marketing Committee Emily Cox is in charge of the open house.
York explained, “I thought about when new businesses open ... they have some kind of celebration or offering, so this [event is to] help show off our new services and how it might change.”
According to York, the library will serve light refreshments, hand out buttons and allow guests to make their own buttons, and respond to any questions or feedback about the single-point service model.
York added, “We still have students coming up and not realizing our services have changed, so we’re hoping to alleviate some of the confusion and bring to the students’ awareness of how merging the desk will help them.”
