Notes from the "No Desk" session

Here are some things I remembered from the session, please feel free to add anything I have forgotten

Kara

·         The session started with some ideas being put forward on what the idea of “no desk” meant. Some of these ideas included the idea of no barrier between staff and customer, no chair to sit on and the idea of a 24/7 service outside of the traditional library space.

·         The experience of roving reference with the use of ipads was discussed. The technology novelty factor seemed to be viewed as a positive by customers. What software was used on the ipad was also talked about.

·         The question was raised of how the loss of the desk as a buffer would affect interactions with confrontational customers. There was some experience that seemed to point to the lack of a desk having a ‘levelling’ effect which made the situation less confrontational. The idea was that perhaps being able to stand beside someone might make you seem more sympathetic.

·         An example was given of a library having a series of service points with computer terminals, where a roving librarian could take a patron to assist their enquiry.

·         The issue was discussed of how patrons are expected to recognise library staff when they are not behind a desk. A trial was done at one library where staff were asked to wear a distinctive t-shirt/polo shirt but there was strong resistance to this by the staff involved. Some session participants suggested that a lanyard seemed to be working fine at their libraries. Other suggestions included vests, bags with ‘info’ symbol and (jokingly) facial tattoos.

·         This conversation also moved into the idea of language/signage to direct patrons when there is no large desk, for example “ask me”, “ask me your specifically library related question” and the information symbol.

·         People also spoke of the idea of approaching customers to see if they needed help, rather than waiting for them to come to the desk with a query. This could be a challenge for some library staff to get used to. Also it was mentioned that cultural differences, for example with body language, could be an issue.

·         It was thought that customers could get frustrated with roving staff if they thought that others managed to ‘push in’ by catching staff’s attention. The idea of ‘service points’ would give customers a place to queue.

·         For the libraries where a large desk was something that was going to be around in the foreseeable future, some alternative ideas were proposed. These included having one staff member seated behind the desk and another standing in front to give the best of both worlds. Also, by seating the customer on the corner of the desk, at 90 degrees (rather than across the table) they would be able to see the computer screen and would be able to place their materials on the desk rather than juggling them if they were standing.

·         The idea was put forward that as any move to a desk-less library would most probably be a transitional change, it is important to think of how to manage the change for the patrons so that they are not left confused and giving them a number of options in how they deal with staff could help with this.