Teach and Tell: Access Services’ Frontline Rolein Patron-Centered Activities

Presented at the 2016 Access Services Conference, Georgia Tech Global Learning Center and the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, November 16-18, 2016, Atlanta, Georgia.Yini Zhu is a Managing Librarian and Head of Access Services at George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her responsibilities include the development of public services policies, library technology, and faculty research support. She manages and coordinates the planning of all operational activities and outreach programs of Media/Computer Center, Circulation Department, and Interlibrary Loan Department. In addition, she oversees the internal planning and operation of all technology functions within the library, as well as the design, development and maintenance of the George F. Smith Library’s website and the Health Sciences Distance Learning website. After earning a Bachelor of Art in English Language and Literature from Yangzhou University in China, Yini Zhu pursued her graduate degree in the Information and Libraries Sciences from Rutgers University where she earned her MLS in 1994. Her passion in the medical information technology and informatics research led her to her second Masters degree in Medical Informatics from Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology. She was named a NLM Medical Informatics Fellow for which she attended a week-long medical informatics study at Augusta University, Georgia, in April 2016. Yini Zhu is actively involved in scholarly activities including research data management, graduate level teaching, presentations, grant writing, and applied information research.Within the library, the Access Services staff stand at the convergence of users and services and are armed with core functional skills. Yet despite this advantage, they have traditionally played a passive role in patron-centered outreach. Our objective was to see if Access Services could play an active role in promoting library services to enhance academic learning and research. The “Teach and Tell” project began with identifying each Access Services Department’s (Circulation, ILL, and Media/Computer) unique services and expertise. Potential outreach activities were then identified for different target library patron populations. Through these outreach activities, the Access Services staff contributed significantly to raising awareness of library services and promoting a positive library image. This project demonstrated that Access Services can go far beyond its traditional, passive desk function and succeed in building confidence and motivation among staff to take on active roles in patron-centered activities