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Lansing Community College Library

Library Teams: Reference Services

All the teams in the LCC Library, a description of their purpose, and a listing of their charges and responsibilities

Description

The Reference Services Team (RST) provides a forum for members to plan, communicate, exchange ideas, and share information relative to all aspects of reference services and collections.

Subcommittee work teams may be formed to bring work results to the RST meetings for final decisions.

Charge

The Reference Services Team develops recommendations, guidelines, processes, and procedures to achieve high quality reference services. The team addresses reference service issues and concerns.

The Reference Services Team has responsibilities for the following areas:

  1. Monitoring trends in the delivery of reference services.
  2. Implementing and experimenting with ideas that lead to improved reference services.
  3. Evaluating the effectiveness of reference services and processes.
  4. Developing in-service sessions to help reference staff build core competency skills.
  5. Sharing, communicating, and experimenting with new tools, techniques, and resources which will assist library staff to hone their reference skills.
  6. Addressing collection development issues relative to collection planning, selection, withdrawals, ordering, organization, use, and access.
  7. Implementing department goals, policies, and procedures that fall within the team's purview.
  8. Making policy recommendations regarding reference services and collection development matters.
  9. Evaluating the team's effectiveness.

RST Roles

  • Review meeting agenda prior to meeting
  • Complete prep work prior to the meeting
  • Engage during the meetings
  • Follow through on team assignments
  • Help Ref Lead Librarian poll team members of topics / time needed to add to the meeting agenda they are to facilitate.
    • To be done a minimum of 7 days prior to schedule meeting.
  • Collaborate with Reference Lead Librarian to prepare meeting agenda.
    • Preparation and distribution of finalized network accessible agenda with attachments to team members and department staff notified of agenda access will be done by the Reference Lead Librarian.
  • Check meeting room a day ahead of time to work with User Services Manager to arrange room so all members can be seated and visually see one another, if the meeting is F2F / Hybrid.
  • Review previous meeting notes to determine if clarifications needed or to identify if specific topics need updates.
  • Get meeting started and keep meeting on track.
    • Possibly ask for timekeeper
  • During the meeting determine agenda priorities, changes, etc.
  • End every meeting with topics for the next meeting and adding to the future topics when appropriate.
  • Gather handouts for absent members and provide them with a brief overview until meeting notes are distributed.
  • Use the meeting notes / minutes form to summarize topic discussions, decisions / outcomes, and next steps.
    • Complete notes within a week of the meeting.
    • Add to WebEx Teams space Library Staff Updates 1-3 bullet points that highlight mtg decisions or info that has interdepartmental interest.  Include a link to complete meeting notes for ease of access to meeting notes.
    • E-mail all team members via the distribution list SS-LibRef a link to the completed notes.
  • Notes corrections / clarifications shall be noted and dated in the meeting notes of that meeting.
    • By the note-taker of RST meeting reviewing previous notes.
    • Include a notation in the notes area, such as:
      • *Corrected by (initials) (date)
      • *Updated by (initials) (date)
  • As a best practice, the note-taker of meeting notes reviewed (usually the person who wrote previous mtg notes) shall display notes and quickly ask for possible updates or status reports regarding next steps.
    •  Any updates will be captured in the next meeting notes so to provide follow-up info on the next step topics identified.
  • Team member may choose which meeting to lead a Professional Development (PD) topic
    • Notify the Ref Lead Librarian of which meeting so it will be placed on the agenda
  • Prepare a concise 15 - 20 minute reference services professional development session
  • Topic examples may include:
    • Sharing knowledge of a specific research database
    • Review specific book(s) or periodical article(s)
    • Apprise team members of a specific website
    • Share experiences from a webinar or workshop you attended
  • PD leader may contact team members prior to RST meeting with information relating to their PD session
    • This is helpful to have team members review PD top information ahead of time to have meaningful topic discussion
  • PD leader may prepare informational handouts for team members to reflect upon after meeting
  • Facilitators and Note-Takers must find your own sub
  • Notify Reference Lead Librarian of change
    • Who will update agenda grid

Reference Research Guide

Communication

Team meetings are open to all staff.  Visitors are welcomed.  All staff may contact the Reference Lead Librarian to have a topic added to the agenda.

Team members share in meeting facilitating and note-taking duties.

Agendas and meeting notes are available in the department shared network workspace.

  • Reference Lead Librarian will prepare and distribute meeting agenda to RST members. 
    A link to the meeting notes shall be e-mailed to the RST members within one week following the meeting. The meeting facilitator will give absent team members' copies of meeting handouts.  
  • Meeting highlights of 1-3 bullets of interest to other Library teams shall be added to the WebEx Teams Space Library Staff Updates. Including a link to complete meeting notes.

Members & Meeting Attendees

RST Members:

  • All Academic Professionals of Reference and Instruction services
  • Electronic Resources Management Librarian Academic Professional

Regular RST Meeting Attendees

  • Library Director
  • Library Technical Services and Systems Administrator
  • User Services Administrator
  • Technology Resources Administrator
  • Help Zone Technologist
  • Representation and expertise from other Library teams, staff, students, and other campus departments attendance as needed or desired. 

Team Academic Year Goals

Academic Year  2021-22 Department Goals include:

  • All Teams review and update Best Practices