When needing assistance at the Marriott Library, students and faculty can rest assured that the training and education of all library staff is top-notch. From the librarians to the student library aides, training and education is a priority. Despite recent changes made to the library that might pose occasional inconveniences to students, employees at the library are adept at assisting patrons because of this training.
“All employees must have knowledge of our collections, even if they do not work on the floor with patrons,” said Mary Ross, grants and public relations administrator.
Ross said all employees take core competency tests to ensure that their knowledge is up to snuff. Nothing less should be expected from a library staff of this caliber.
Horror stories can abound about problems and lack of assistance in any institution or organization, and the Marriott Library is no exception to this rule. It can take years to acquire a full knowledge of the materials that are available in the collections. Care should be taken before insulting the training that the library provides its employees and the service provided. The library collections are so extensive that the staff proves its competence every time it provides assistance.
With the use of the automatic retrieval system, it would be nearly impossible to know what is available from memory. The training employees receive focuses on how to locate what a student or faculty member is in search of. The knowledge of how to assist, and not to stonewall, is a credit to the staff.
Stan Larson is an employee of the library who works in special collections. He has worked with the library for years, and he said his experience has greatly enhanced his personal knowledge of what is available. When his memory fails him, the staff-training manual for special collections is there to aid him.
This manual is 75 pages long and provides comprehensive guidelines for assisting patrons at the special collections reference desk. As long as employees utilize the manuals they are given for their departments, few, if any, mistakes will be made.
“A lot of the time training is on the job,” said Gregory Thompson, associate director for special collections and services. “We spend a lot of time with our part-time and student employees to educate them on how to locate and find materials for our patrons.”
Student employees might only be at the library for a short time, which poses problems in their training. Thompson said they pay close attention to these employees so service at the library does not suffer. Not only is this important for the library, but it is also a necessity to all who utilize the library. No one should have any fear that they have been given incorrect information.
“Mistakes do happen,” Ross said. “When they do, we want to be notified of them.” This is the only way they can modify their training, and make sure that all employees know how to navigate the extensive items that are housed inside the library.
The library has a wealth of information and offers students a wide variety of tools. All of us should take pride in the resources that are accessible in a matter of minutes.
The library staff takes pride in this, and the education and training that it provides its employees proves it. Despite any changes to the library that might inconvenience experienced students, the library staff can make up the difference.
Spend some time in the Marriott Library. Learn how to navigate the systems, and if you run into a problem, you can have confidence that the library staff you speak with has the ability and training to fully assist you.
