Proactive Reference: When Users Don't Know What They Need to Know

Proactive Reference: When Users Don't Know What They Need to Know

Date: Friday, September 23, 2022

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Free via Zoom

Register at https://nwacc.libcal.com/event/9597821

As Library Director at Mountainburg Public Library, Margaux Burleson realized a reference service many of us already provide needed both a name and intention behind it. Proactive reference began! Proactive reference answers the user’s deeper need than the superficial question being asked. How can we train staff to provide this next-level service?

Now Access Services Librarian at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), Margaux recognized her new colleagues practicing proactive reference without realizing it and started a conversation about how it might be developed into a series of best practices.

Join Margaux in conversation with NWACC's Head of Reference, Shawna Thorup, and help us explore how we can deliver pertinent information to our users before they even realize they need it and answer the questions they don't know they need to ask.

Public Library Example

Providing hyper-local information about business, events and unique community aspects in the course of casual conversation with the patron.

Academic Library Example

Answering a vague question about "workshops" with a pathway to campus and community resources, as well as tools for self-advocacy.

Bring your proactive reference experiences, your questions, and any strategies you can share!

Presented by RISci, the Arkansas Library Association's Reference & Instruction Services community of interest.