Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery - Staff Wiki


Roving Reference Log

2010 Fall

8/11/10 2:30-3:30 Commons

A lot of people looking at the sign but no questions.

Could use a backpack to carry around loose items.

Sign is very heavy! Screws missing in signholder.
-Possible solutions: take sign out of holder, use dolly or luggage cart, order a plastic one, add wheels?

Not very many people around.

Remember to charge the iPad. 

8/31/10 First day of classes 4:00-6:00 Outside library (very hot!)

Wireless didn't work well outside the library. Need to ask about ordering 3G service.

4-5pm  A lady asked for the pencil. That's it. -- Shu

I went out from 5-6. Several people stopped to say hello and ask what the new service was. 

A few directional questions (1 library and 2 campus). Got one comment--"The library is awesome!"

Kept forgetting to give out pencils and cards. Will remember next time. 

9/1/10 Commons 3:00-5:00

3-4pm A new graduate student was interested in the service and asked for a textbook. But it is not available in the library. I used iPad to show her plenty of library webpages and handed her a flyer. -- Shu

I worked from 4-5. Toward the end of the hour, two undergraduate students asked what the service was about and then asked a question about media
as a follow-up. Gave pencils and cards.

Connected 3G service this morning. Need to tell Christina any time that we wish to stop the service. Has to be done on iPad. 

Brought in a backpack to carry items. Added a campus map to our kit since I had directional questions yesterday.

9/2/10 U.C. 1-3

1:00-2:00 Upstairs on 3rd floor of UC. No questions..not too much traffic. Everyone who passed looked at the sign, though.
Signholder losing screws constantly!

2:00-3:00 No traffic. Since today is too hot outside, we temporarily decided to move to inside of UC. So the location does matter.  

Also, sent emails to department chairs in Education, Public Policy and Psychology to ask when would be good times to schedule hours in their departments. Got feedback from Linda Baker in Psych noting that this project was a very good idea!

9/7/10 Outside Commons 11-1

Borrowed folding chair from Commons--asked at the Front Desk. One question about using iPad from anthropology undergraduate student. Gave her a pencil and a card. 

I had a non-library directional question in the second hour. There are a few students reading the sign when walking by. -- Shu 

9/9/10 UC 1-3

There was a question about textbook from 1-2.  

No questions from 2-3

9/13/10 Commons 12-2
Very crowded. Poster sale on Main Street. Several people thought I was involved with this and asked questions about how to purchase posters. A few comments (one thank you--had used chat service in past and liked it), one library directional (where is the library) and one non-library directional. Lots of people looking at the sign. 

I was asked if I worked for poster sale. No questions from 2-3. - Shu 

9/14/10 UC 3-5

There was a student asking about the library study spaces and quiet floors from 4-6. I handed him a ref card. - Shu  

No questions but several comments. Two from undergraduate students, wanting to know more about service. Several from faculty members noting what a good idea the service is--a quick shout from provost as he walked by saying, "This is great. Thank you for doing this." iPad batteries ran out around 5:40 so I came back and plugged it in.

9/28/10 Academic Wing A&B 11-1

There was a peak traffic time between 11:15 and 11:30. A transfer student stopped by and showed interest on the library services. I handed him a flyer and introduced him the project SAILS. -- Shu

Time does matter. Joanna had plenty of questions between 12 and 1pm.
--gave an undergraduate student a flyer for webpage.
--several faculty members came up to talk to me about the project and at the same time, a student came up tentatively with a reference question. i had to shoo away the faculty!-JG

9/29 Public policy building 1-3

*--*several students asking me what i was doing there. staff from the shriver center also asked about what we were doing and took flyers for SAILS to hang up. JG

It was quiet from 2-3. A junior student was interested in the roving and asked for the details of roving project because he wanted to do something similar for his organization. I also asked him to distribute some project SAILS flyers to new students he works with. And a faculty asked me to return two DVDs for her, which is a kind of new service.--Shu

10/4 Math/Psychology 3rd floor 12-2

This is the Psychology office area. It is quiet. May not consider next time.

--very quiet. not one person asking questions but psych dept. was excited to have us there. maybe a different time?
maybe more marketing with faculty? JG

10/5 Outside of the library

It is cooling down outside. We should consider to do it in the building from now on. 

10/20 Public Policy building 4-5

Two comments from faculty--questions about how the iPad works

10/21 Commons--Food Court area 1-3
No questions from 1-2. JG

10/25 Math/Psych 11:45-1 on 3rd floor, 1-2 on first floor
Psych dept has been encouraging so I am trying to find a good time to be in their department. Mondays were recommended as
a day when a lot of grad students would be there. Psych faculty meeting going on from 12-1. Halls very empty.

1-2 talked with a math graduate student. He would like to help to spread the words to his classmates who are TAs for undergrad courses. Shu

10/26 Commuter Fair, 12-2
Successful marketing event. Handed out SAILS flyers and reference postcards. Pens and pencils, also.

10/27 Academic IV, between A and B wing, 2-3
Lots of student traffic in the first half hour. Mostly undergraduates. Took a bowl of candy and gave everyone who took candy a reference postcard and
for first year students, SAILS flyers. One student noted that she would get in touch for research help soon and another student from ELC asked for help
finding english conversation books. I directed him to RCLC since they have more items like that.

11/2 Math/Psych, 11:30-1
A lot of students in this area during this time but not many approaching with questions. A flurry of students around 12:30--drawn in by candy, took flyer.
One student took an undergraduate flyer and then asked if we had one for graduate students.

Another student came by with his parents and we chatted about the service for a bit.

One more student came by and asked an actual question. Interested in the book sale and when we would be having one again.

11/3 Commons, 11-1
11-12 unfortunately no business.
12-1, not much traffic. Lots of students, no one stopping. One student did stop to ask how he could "study better" like our sign says.

11/9 Starbucks

 I think we were too small to see there since the sign was not allowed to display. So we just used a table sign instead. Shu

11/10 ELC

12-1 I had two questions. One is from a staff asking about requesting book from other campus. The other is a student asking about writing center and sources for improving her accents. There are some international students having trouble reading the sign. It may cause some problem there. But it is still a good start. Shu  

11/11 Public Policy Building

11/30 Commuter Good Morning breakfast at the Commons main street

8:30-10:30am  One question about e-books, marketing project SAILS and drawing for Starbucks gift card. A nice trial. Shu

2011 Spring

4/6 UMBC Women's Center

12-2pm Attended the returning women's meeting and got three reference questions from them.  Shu

5/10 UMBC Women's Center

12-1pm It is close to finals, I had two reference questions about how to use databases for writing paper. Shu


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