Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Training Students For Reference Desk Work, Maira Bundza

Maira Bundza

Western Michigan University Libraries use student workers to answer reference questions at almost all of the reference points in the library system. The Central Reference Desk in Waldo Library is the most active reference point, with questions on a wide range of topics, and an extensive range of resources. The students working at the Central Reference Desk receive a twelve week training program and a handbook that covers the library collections, services, types of resources, and condensed subject guides for the most popular humanities and social sciences topics. This presentation will show how this training program has evolved over the …