#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jun 19 2017

via Flazingo Photos

TOPIC

Moving between types of libraries/from libraries to information work or vice versa

This week's chat topic is inspired by Becky Yoose's "Fitting” into the Big Tent: The Role of “Fit” and Moving Between Library Types at Letters to a Young Librarian. I chose this week's topic because transferable skills are always an important thing to talk about and because it's always interesting to think about the differences between types of libraries and between libraries and information work.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Have you switched between library types or between libraries and info work? which types of libraries? What type of info work?

Q2 What do you think are the most transferable skills a library professional can have?

Q3 How do you sell yourself and your transferable skills to employers?

Q4 What advice do you have for building skills for a new type of library/info work when your day to day job is very different?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 9 PM ET MONDAY, JUNE 19 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jun 5 2017

via PDPics

TOPIC

Dealing with difficult library users

Having recently had a situation myself where I wasn't sure exactly how to navigate the issue I was having I thought that a chat on dealing with difficult patrons might be timely. Whether it's grumpy patrons, people who don't want to follow policy, people who make you uncomfortable for whatever reason, or even just vocal people with very different viewpoints to yours we've all had at least one encounter with a patron that could have been labelled as difficult. There are a lot of articles out there about dealing with difficult people in a customer service role, here are 4 that directly relate to the issue in libraries:

1. MLA2010: Black Belt Librarians: Dealing with Difficult Patrons by Brian Herzog at Swiss Army Librarian
2. The #@%& Joys of Library Work by Roz Warren in Metropolis
3. Dealing With Difficult Patrons by Jessica Olin at Letters to a Young Librarian
4. How to Deal with the Grumpy Patron by Gina Martinez in Library Worklife

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 How do you deal with an angry/belligerent patron who is argumentative during your interaction with them?

Q2 Have you ever been made to feel physically unsafe/uncomfortable during an interaction with a patron? How did you deal with it? What changes were made to policies if any because of it?

Q3 What do you do if a patron is loudly espousing a belief of an inflammatory nature in a public space that could make you or other patrons upset?

Q4 How do you deal with disrespectful patrons? i.e. the patrons who don't respect libraries or library workers for whatever reason.

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 9 PM ET MONDAY, JUNE 5 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG.