Emily-Jane Dawson, Librarian, Multnomah County Library
Working on L-net has helped me broaden my communication and reference skills considerably! In most of my job, my patrons are adults with non-fiction related questions and information needs, and though many L-net patrons have a similar profile, my work with chat patrons on L-net has helped me to broaden my readers' advisory skills, and has given me more chance to interact with kids and teens than I would ever have in my brick-and-mortar library. Also, it's incredibly satisfying to help people where they already are -- I can't tell you how many times L-net patrons have told me they were pleased to be able to get answers by chat or email, because they weren't able to physically go to the library.
Lori Moore, Assistant Director, Newberg Public Library
Staffing L-net is valuable to me because I learn so much while I'm helping patrons. I learn more about what is out there to help patrons on the web in general, but I also learn new things about what other libraries are offering such as programs, web tools, and databases. Often I learn about great things I can think about using in my own library!
Mary Bush, Librarian, Multnomah County Library
My experience doing l-net shifts has been invaluable to my growth as a reference librarian here at MCL. I am on many desks at the library and also work at a branch. I don't often get a lot of reference questions when I'm on the desks at Central and reference skills improve as we use them. I welcome the opportunity to sink my teeth into an l-net question, either in live chat or through email reference.
Doing live chat is a great opportunity to think fast using electronic resources. It keeps our brains flexible and energetic. Each new question is a learning opportunity, both for me and for my patron. It's also an opportunity to connect to patrons who are not regular library users and help them become library users. We are there for them whether online or sitting at a desk. Each interaction through l-net, even if the question isn't "deep" or complex, still creates an important relationship between a new library user and us- the librarians or library staff. We can learn a lot from our chat users, about what their information needs are, and subsequently using what we discover to find better ways to serve them.
L-net standards for reference are high, and I appreciate the constant reminder to be a good reference librarian, do a good reference interview, interact with the patron and follow through if I can't find an answer quickly.
Lee Catalano, Librarian, Multnomah County Library
I enjoy being an L-net Librarian because it gives me a chance to work with adults (a group I don't meet with very often in the course of my day), answering questions I don't often get asked (because kids' questions are often really different than adults'). But I also enjoy working with youth in another medium -- I help them in person every day, but exploring answers to their questions in a web-only environment is challenging and rewarding. Students often seem to come to us as a last resort -- "I've looked all over the internet" -- and I enjoy being able to show them how to be better searchers and what makes a better website. Many time, we've both learned something at the end of a chat session and that makes me feel great!
Valery King, Librarian, Oregon State University Libraries
The work of academic librarians is changing. We do fewer hours at the reference desk and instead focus more on teaching classes and providing individual research consultation. What an opportunity, then, that L-net offers! I keep my reference skills fresh, I interact with K-12 students that are the college students of tomorrow, and I have a chance to keep current on some of the communication technologies that young people seem to adapt to so readily. I can also interact with a broader range of Oregon citizens than I might otherwise have the opportunity to do. As our mission statement makes clear, Oregon State University considers the state of Oregon to be its campus, working in partnership with others around the state to best serve the people of Oregon. What better way can a librarian contribute than through the collaborative efforts of L-net?
Beverly Stafford, Librarian, Multnomah County Library
Working on L-net gives me a chance to be a librarian in a whole new way in terms of technology, plus I am part of a library service that can be helpful to people throughout the entire state of Oregon. I like to help provide a library service that makes an immediate connection to those who don't have a library nearby, or who can't easily come in to the library. This includes people of all ages, and expands the idea of what library services are all about, in an age when looking up information on the internet is thought to be sufficient. L-net is also great for networking among other librarians in Oregon, since we can work together to provide a service based upon immediacy of reply. I can't think of any other library service that gives me this sense of connection to both Oregon residents and librarians, that so easily allows for a way to share the wealth of information and resources of Oregon's libraries.