Information Service Standards

Knowledgeable. We are knowledgeable, fair, and professional. This means we:

• Know RUL access services policies and procedures and apply them consistently.
• Maintain confidentially of patron records in accordance with library policy.
• Understand service boundaries and how to be flexible in adhering to them.
• Know about the services offered by Imaging Services and Media Services and how to direct patrons.
• Know what services we have for patrons with disabilities.
• Know about using wireless in the Libraries.
• Know where to find information about reciprocal borrowing agreements and who to refer patrons to for Princeton borrowing, OCLC reciprocal borrowing, VALE borrowing, etc.
• Develop an understanding of common questions and new trends at the desk; share this knowledge with colleagues.

Provide Basic Information and Directions. We answer questions about hours, policies, locations, events, and people with information we can easily locate on the Rutgers University and Rutgers University Libraries websites. This means we:

• Find and provide library hours, reference and circulation desks hours, and hours of other library services and offices.
• Know our library building and where materials and facilities are located: current bound journals, folios, sorting shelves, photocopies, restrooms, group study telephones, classrooms, administration offices.
• Know how to use BookRoom and direct patrons to the location of library classes, meetings, and events.
• Explain basic circulation policies: loan periods, book checkout limit, recalls.
• Know who is eligible for RDS, E-ZBorrow, ILL, and off-campus access.
• Direct patrons to campus offices and services: Admissions, dining halls (NB, Camden, Newark); computer labs, bookstores, and student centers (NB, Camden, Newark); health centers (NB, Camden, Newark); RUPD (NB, Camden, Newark); ombudsperson, etc.
• Direct patrons to academic departments and classroom buildings (NB, Camden, Newark) on campus.

Teach How to Use Core Access Services. We explain basic services and how to use them. This means we:

• Explain MY ACCOUNT in IRIS and how to use it: how to renew books, how to change PINs, how to check on the status of checkout items, how to check on the status of requests and bookings.
• Teach patrons how to find out what's on reserve for a course.
• Explain to patrons how to request book and article delivery: in IRIS, in the PALCI catalog, by filling out ILL forms.
• Explain to patrons how to request a media booking.
• Explain how to log in to the Libraries' website from off-campus.
• Explain to patrons where to update their library address in the RU Online Directory profile.

Introduce Basic Library Resources. We can conduct basic searches in IRIS and general periodical databases. We know how to find the location of cited items in RUL's collections. This means we:

• Know how to search IRIS by title, author, subject, and periodical title.
• Know how to locate online Help in IRIS and how to use it to find what sublocations, statuses, locations, and formats in IRIS mean.
• Interpret bibliographic records and serial holdings in IRIS.
• Know how to search Academic Search Premier and other resources by article topic and how to use "Help" within the database.
• Locate a known journal article.
• Explain where, when, and how to access and do basic searches in PALCI and explain E-ZBorrow to users.
• Know where to find Indexes and Database and Subject Research Guides on the Libraries' web site and when to make patrons aware of them.