By Alex Scott
Bellarmine University may be a hidden treasure itself, but this intuition offers other hidden resources that are available to all students. I was able to ask questions of reference librarian Martha Perry Lundgren about the position she and her colleagues share. There are four reference librarians working in Bellarmine’s library: Lundgren, John Boyd, Kevin Peers and Dan Bays. Their knowledge of the library and resources prove helpful to the students every day.
Q: As a reference librarian, what do you do on a day to day basis?
A: We assist and instruct students, faculty and staff with how to do research in person, by phone, through email and by speaking to classes as groups about finding good research articles and materials. One of us is usually at the Ask Us (Reference) Desk in the very back of the Lansing Learning Commons on the main floor of the library. We evaluate new online databases for purchase, evaluate and suggest books for addition to the collection, borrow materials we do not own from other libraries for our library patrons (Interlibrary Loan) and design course guides that students in specific courses use for specific assignments. We also develop and update the library’s website, add books and other publications to Scholarworks (an online repository for publications by BU faculty and students) and stay up to date with news and current events in order to be informed when students have questions and a lot of “other duties as assigned.”
Q: What are some ways that you help the faculty?
A: We inform faculty of new databases and other materials that might be useful for their courses. We conduct research sessions for their classes and assist with acquiring material needed for their courses and their personal research. We direct their students to the library resources that are most appropriate for college-level research and help them figure out what’s useful (peer-reviewed, scholarly, timely, etc.) for their assignments.
Q: When is the biggest spike in students’ inquiries, and why do you think that is when it occurs?
A: Study period and midterms are generally quite busy, as well as the end of the semester. It sounds obvious, but it depends when their course assignments are due, so it varies from course to course. Often students will wait until very near the due date of their research assignment before seeking our assistance. This is unfortunate because the earlier they come to us for help, the more we can help.
Q: What is your favorite part about your position as a reference librarian?
A:We are always happy when we can help a student feel less stressed about finding resources for their assignments. We like the satisfaction of knowing that we make a contribution to students’ educational experience. We also enjoy the research process ourselves, as student’s questions are often like a mystery to solve. We get to learn new things without the stress of having to do the work of writing the paper.
Q: What are some ways that students can reach out to the reference librarians?
A: Students may contact us in several ways. The easiest way is to visit us in person near the back of the first floor of the library, at the Ask Us (Reference) Desk. They may phone us at the reference desk at 502-272-8317, they may email us individually, and they can reach us through the “Ask Us” button on the library web site which sends the question to an account all librarians check. They may also tweet us via the library’s Twitter account and reach us on the library’s Facebook page. Both of these are available on the library’s home page.
Q: What are some jobs you do that students may not know about?
A: We also order the books for the recreational reading collection located in the Level A stairwell, update our social media accounts, update the library pages, attend various meetings, work with the administrative side of many of our databases and much, much more.
Q: What would you change about your position or the library that could better enhance student participation in seeking out your help?
A: We plan to improve our marketing and promote the library in a more proactive way. Often students don’t know what we do or that we are here to assist them. We are apparently a well-kept secret. We’d also like to clone ourselves, but that’s another idea for a later decade.
Q: Do you think more students would benefit from your help and why?
A: More students would benefit from our assistance by contacting us earlier in the research process. Often students will say that they have been searching Google for hours to find something, and when they come to us (after much wasted time) we will find exactly what they need. We think students feel that they are competent in searching, but they are often not aware of the many resources we have that can help them.
Q: Why do you think some students may be discouraged or feel hesitant to seek help from the reference librarians?
A: We think students feel that they should already know how to research and therefore might feel embarrassed to ask for help. Many students say that they are afraid they are bothering us. What they must understand is that our first priority is to help them. All of our other tasks are secondary to that. In other words, come ask us for help.
Q: Does the library have any future plans or events that could raise students awareness?
A: We are working to improve our marketing and community awareness. We plan to improve this through social media, Bellarmine Today, The Daily Knight and a number of other methods. Word of mouth is always good—as well as being asked to talk to a Concord reporter!
Q: What is one thing that you wish more students would know about the reference librarians or the library itself?
A: We wish that more students were aware of our services. We are here to make the research process less traumatic for them! Don’t be afraid to “bother” us… we’re here to help! Remember…
“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” — Neil Gaiman