Student Assistant Training: Module 4

1. Services provided by student assistants:
   1. directional questions
   2. technology troubleshooting—computers
   3. basic reference—finding items in Fox Hunt and on the shelves, citation style assistance
   4. scanning
      • show location of scanners
      • instructions
2. Reference Computers:
   5. one on the left for librarian use
   6. one on the right for student use

2. • For reference queries only
   • Double-sided computer screens must be turned on when patron is present
3. Equipment Check / Out of Order signs
   1. 1. located in drawer to left of librarian computer

Phone

3. 7. location at Reference Desk
   8. phone should be answered--(Reference Desk, James A. Cannavino Library)
   1. show how to transfer calls to Public Services Desk (x 2029)
4. Printers and scanners
   10. Go over locations of printers on campus and where the scanners are located in the Library

The Reference Desk is a center for helping patrons with research and is overseen by the Research Services Librarians.  A librarian is stationed here to assist patrons, you are there to assist the librarian.  When working at the Reference Desk you will be called upon to answer questions and solve problems about citation style, the location of things in the library, technology, printing, and more.

Student Assistant Responsibilities at the Reference Desk:

• Be aware of approaching patrons and activity at both desks. Both seats should always be full at the circulation desk, even if it means changing seats mid-shift.
• Answer questions (see Reference Questions below)
• Troubleshoot technology issues
• Monitor staplers and tape dispenser at desk and refill as needed or clear jams
• Complete Reference Desk Projects (See Reference Desk Projects Training)

Reference Questions:

There are several types of reference questions:

1. Research: Please refer patrons who approach you with research requests to the librarian.  These questions are often longer and involve an assignment. i.e. locating sources relevant to a patron’s assignment through the library catalog, databases, and the internet. You may be called on to assist a patron in the event that there are multiple research questions.
2. Checking library holdings: Use Fox Hunt to verify that the library has these materials.  Write down the call number of the book and give it to the patron.  Ask them if they know how to locate books, if not explain it or go with them.  If a journal article is available, offer to email it to the patron, only print it as a last resort. If you cannot find the item in the library’s holdings, refer them to the librarian.
3. Directional: Questions regarding locations in the library.  For directions to the third floor, please refer to the handout located next to your computer or use the maps on the library homepage under library.  Please be courteous and clear when directing patrons around the library, no matter how many times the question has been asked i.e. where is the bathroom?
4. Technology Instruction: Requests for assistance with software and personal computer use, such as Microsoft Office.  It is within your discretion to help with these requests.
5. Equipment Issues: Questions regarding library equipment. Help them as much as you are capable of, but if you cannot fix it, notify a staff member so the issue can be reported to the Help Desk.

Reference Statistics:

The library also keeps track of reference questions.  If you handle a consultation fill out the Reference Statistics Form via the link on the student desktop.  Ask a librarian for help completing this form.  You will also submit these at the Public Services Desk.

Archives and Special Collections:

Located on the first floor, Archives and Special Collections houses unique and often primary source materials such as photographs, videos, personal papers, objects and more.  Important collections include: The Lowell Thomas Papers, Environmental History Collections, Hudson River Valley History Collections and Marist History Collections.  All of these materials can be found when searching Fox Hunt.  Patrons may approach the Reference Desk asking how to access these materials or assistance with locating them in Fox Hunt.  Please direct them to Archives and Special Collections or refer them to the Reference Librarian for more assistance.

It is preferred that patrons make an appointment, but they are welcome to stop in at any time before 5 pm on weekdays.  After 5pm and on weekends refer them to the Reference Librarian for access.

Scanners:

The Reference Desk has instructions for using the scanners.  They can be found in the drawer to the right of the librarian’s computer.  Explain to them that you are giving them the instructions, but if they need further help to please come back.

Mair Room:

The Mair Room is a conference room on the third floor of the library. It is reserved through the President’s Office (Full instructions in Public Services Manual).

The Mair Room is kept locked when not in use.  If someone asks to have it opened, refer them to a librarian.  Do not let them into the Mair Room unless told to do so by a supervisor.

Phone:

There is a phone at the Reference Desk.  You should answer it when the librarian is busy or not available.  When answering state that they have reached the Reference Desk at the James A. Cannavino Library.  If you cannot assist the patron, place them on hold and get a librarian or transfer the call to a librarian.  Transfer all requests for collaborative rooms to the Public Services Desk.

Staplers & Tape Dispenser

There are regular staplers and a tape dispenser at the desk next to where student assistants sit.  Student assistants are responsible for refilling them and handling any issues with them.  Supplies to refill them can be found in the top drawer closest to the entrance to the Reference Desk.

Public Services Desk:

When working at the Reference Desk, be aware of activity at the Public Services Desk.  If there is an open seat at the public Services Desk, please relocate.

Student Assistant Reference Training: SEARCHING

Purpose: Learning to search effectively will help you to better find library materials for patrons as well as to advise patrons on how to best use some of the most commonly used library tools and services.

Using Fox Hunt

Fox Hunt is Marist College’s academic version of a Google search box. It searches across disciplines for a journal, magazine, newspaper articles, books (print and electronic), book chapters, images, video recordings, and many more types of content. This is in contrast to searching in a subject specific database or starting on a Subject Guide.

To perform a Basic search, type in a keyword and Fox Hunt will retrieve results according to relevancy. Keyword searches use simple, relevant search terms rather than searching in full sentences.

Filter results in the left-hand menu by content type, publication type, date, subject terms, library location, language, etc.

The type of publication is listed below each entry. 

To access full text in Fox Hunt, click on the title.  When a library page with additional links appears, click on the links to access it.  If there isn’t an article link, refer to a reference librarian.

To save results, click on the pin symbol. This icon saves it to your account. There are options to print or e-mail the record and format in a citation style.

 Advanced Search

To access the Advanced Search Page, click “Advanced Search” under the search field in the FoxHunt search box on the library homepage, or to the right of the search box on the FoxHunt results page.

Searching

Basic search options along the left of the search bar include “all”, “books”, “videos”, or “articles”. These will limit your search to the tab selected. (This uses a different method than the limiters within search results and can sometimes get you different/ better results).

Advanced search finds records using keywords located anywhere in a record, or only in specific fields.  To perform an advanced search:

Type in the search term(s) you want to find in the Search field. (Punctuation, case, and word order are ignored.)

Select contains, is (exact), or starts with from the dropdown list to identify how multiple words entered in the search are to be combined.

Select from the next drop-down list to limit your search by the available criteria.

Use a single term on each line and connect them by selecting a Boolean operator (AND, OR, or NOT).  This approach usually yields the best results for a multifaceted search.

Select from the remaining fields to limit your search by the available criteria.

Click the Search button to begin your search.

 Try It:

1. Go to main FoxHunt search box on the library homepage or search a Basic FoxHunt search from the FoxHunt Results page.
2. search “poltergeist”
3. Search “poltergeist” OR “ghost”
4. Search “poltergeist” AND “movie”
5. Search “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

Using filters

Limit and filter options on the left of the results page can be selected to filter search results.

Try It:

1. search “Poltergeist”
2. add limit: Material Type: Newspaper Article
3. add filter: Publication Date: 2001-2020
4. add filter: Subject (Subject terms (aka subject headings) are words assigned to an item to describe what it's about): Motion Picture
5. Press the Apply Filters

Access Your Own Borrowing Record:

Patrons can access their own accounts page by clicking “My Accounts” at the top right of the library home page. From the “My Accounts” page, follow the link to “Login to Marist library account”. This will prompt patrons to login using their Marist credentials.

The information provided on the My Account page is as follows:

• Overview
• Loans (any items that are checked out are shown here and can be renewed once by checking the box and then clicking renew)
• Requests
• Blocks and messages (If a patron is blocked because of lost or self-shelved items)
• Personal Details

Try It:

Access your own Borrowing Record and view the information available.

Signing in for all services:

How to Find Items That Are On Reserve:

Course Reserves and regular reserve items are located on the shelves behind the Circulation Desk. Books and DVDs are organized by call number.  You can look up a reserve item by typing the title into Fox Hunt, but the best way to look up what a professor has on reserve by checking the Reserves page on the Library website.

 Try It:

1. On the Library Homepage, click “Research”.
2. In the drop-down menu, select Course Reserves.
3. Select the appropriate course.

 Locate Journals:

Full-Text Journals: This can be found on the library home page by clicking on the “Research” tab and clicking on Find a Journal. To search, you must put in either the title of the journal, or the ISSN, or you can browse by category.

To access the most accurate date ranges of available journals and where to access them, open the journal record and either click or scroll to “View Online”.  Here there are links to databases or information about locations containing specific date ranges of a journal. Match up the date of the article to the proper date range and click on the corresponding database.  If you see links that give a library location, this means that we have it physically in our collection.  If you do not see the date you are looking for in the databases, click on the link to our collection and see what is available.

Try It:

1. Use the instructions above to find a record for the journal Film Criticism
2. Identify the database containing Film Criticism articles from 1990
3. Search within the journal for articles about the film “The Shining”

 Recommending InterLibrary Loan & SUNY Resource Sharing:

If we do not have the resource they are looking for, you can recommend they request the item through InterLibrary Loan or SUNY Resource Sharing. Both services take time, so be sure to not promise patrons unrealistic timelines for getting requested materials.

Try It:

1. On the Library Homepage, click “Research”
2. Click on Research Sharing & Interlibrary Loan

Note: Students needing help with Interlibrary Loan or SUNY Resource Sharing should be referred to a librarian.

Using Ebook Central:

Ebook Central can be accessed by scrolling down the Library Homepage and clicking Find an Ebook. It'll take you to a LibGuide about accessing Ebooks, and on the homepage of that guide you can choose Ebook Central. Once in Ebook Central, you can search using the same methods used when searching the library catalog or you can browse by subject.

Creating an Ebook Central account allows the user to highlight and annotate sections of the ebook, save books and notations to a personal bookshelf, and create folders on the bookshelf to organize work.

Try It:

1. On the Library Homepage, scroll down to the bar labeled "More Research Tools"
2. Click "Find ebooks"
3. In the LibGuide, choose "Ebook central"
4. Find "Merchants of Menace : The Business of Horror Cinema"
5. Go to the third chapter and highlight the first sentence (this will prompt you to sign in, but you will authenticate automatically).

Student Assistant Project Binder

When seated at the reference desk -

• Retrieve the Student Assistant Project Binder from the Circulation Supervisor and take it with you to the Reference Desk.
• Complete highlighted tasks and check them off when finished.  Instructions for photocopies and other tasks can be found in the binder. Please refer to the instructions and ask library staff if you need guidance.
• If all highlighted tasks are completed, please notify the Circulation Supervisor.
• At the end of your shift, return the binder to the Circulation Desk or hand it to the Library Student Assistant replacing you.