91´«Ã½

CHICAGO-

The 91´«Ã½- Reference and User Services Division (RUSA), continues to offer an outstanding combination of repeat and new courses/webinars. Check out our list of upcoming programming below:

Policies and Procedures: Letting them work for you and your patrons

60-minute live webinar on Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Creating policies and procedures are the backbone of library operations. Policies and procedures influence everything from circulation to staff training. Ever have a difficult patron or a dispute? Conflict is hard enough to deal with, but not having an answer makes the situation worse for your and the patron. What about library staff? A lack of procedure makes it harder for you and your staff to set boundaries, understand their patron-base, recognize their needs, and how it fits into the library mission. Creating policies and follow-through procedures are vital for libraries to set guidelines and ensure the diverse needs of patrons are being met.

The presenter, Jennifer Blair, will help attendee develop an understanding of policies and how they influence decisions and audiences and how to create, communicate and enforce a policy.

Reference Interview

Six-week asynchronous course beginning on Monday, November 8, 2021

Reference Interview is a comprehensive six-week asynchronous course focusing on the methods of evaluating reference services, behavioral aspects of reference service, and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need. Using images and text, this in-depth educational approach covers everything from the approachability of the librarian to how to follow up with the patron.

The course, taught by Dave Tyckoson, is tailored for support staff, library technicians, newly hired reference librarians, and those librarians who want to brush up on their interview skills.

60-minute live webinar on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

In this free webinar, our panel will address different aspects of how to make services better to remote users, addressing the following topis:

• Rapid Revisions: Updating Reference and User Services
• Chat Reference: Training during a Pandemic
• Access, Technology & Connection: Assessment for Sustainable Solutions
• Libraries, Older Adults & COVID-19

The instructors are Rebecca Eve Graff, Research Librarian for English, Medieval Studies, and the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Southern Methodist University; Taina Evans, Regional Librarian, Brooklyn Public Library; Melissa Del Castillo, Virtual Learning & Outreach Librarian, Florida International University; and Allan M. Kleiman, Director, Edison Public Library

Don’t see a topic that interest you, check out our full listings here or submit a proposal form .

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at .