Skip to Main Content
Lansing Community College Library

Reference & Instruction Guide: Phone

Policies, procedures, best practices and training guide, for reference and instruction services.

Best Practices - Telephone

  • In-person service takes precedent over in-coming calls.
    • Let calls go to voicemail while working with a student.
    • Take calls with a wireless unit when available, such as walking between service areas or building floors.
  • Provide source information to callers when providing research help.
  • If students approach the service area while you are on the phone, offer to take the caller's name and phone number and call back. Ask how long the caller will be at that number.
  • Rather than keep callers on the phone while you look for info, offer to take the caller's name and number and call back. Ask how long the caller will be at that number.
  • If the Library is busy and the caller has a database access problem, refer the caller to the Library > Help > Off-Campus Access webpage. <lcc.edu/library/help/access.html>

Procedures - Telephone

Librarians have several Research Help Desk phone options.

  • The Research Help Desk cell phone is stored at the Help Zone. Help Zone staff can access this phone.
  • The Research Help Desk cell phone has an earbud jack that may be used when taking a call.
  • Librarians may add the Research Help Desk Cisco "soft phone" to the Research Help Desk computer. 
  • When you call or answer the phone, identify the LCC Library Research Help and give your name.
  • For an outside line, press 8.

Check for voicemail messages and missed calls when opening the Research Help Desk and throughout your shift.

To retrieve voicemail messages:

  1. Press the Messages button.
  2. Follow the directions given to you. The password is 23456.

Return all voicemail messages. Consider returning missed calls. Delete all voicemails and missed calls after the transaction is resolved.

 

Always ask a caller first if he or she would like to be transferred to the other person's voicemail and give the caller the phone number to which you are transferring him/her.

  1. While on a call, press the Transfer button.
  2. Dial the extension you wish to transfer the call to.
  3. Either press the Transfer button again to immediately transfer the call or wait for the transfer recipient to answer and alert him/her of the call; then press the Transfer button again.
  4. To return to the caller without transferring, press the round button next to your extension number, located in the upper right of the LCD screen.

**Summer 2021 - The above info will be updated with Cisco Internet Phone features. (SS)