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June 16, 2006 at 7:20 pm | In Abuse is in the Eye of the Beholder | 74 Comments
Abuse is in the Eye of the Beholder:
Managing Challenging Users in Chat Virtual Reference
The silly, the naughty, the nasty. Each librarian has his or her own perceptions of appropriate behavior. "What are you wearing?" "Are you a man or a woman?" "Can you look up Uncle Egbert’s obituary from the ’80’s?" When are users expecting the impossible and when are librarians just behaving badly?
Librarians representing public, academic, and multi-type cooperative service will share experiences working in stressful encounters. Get practical advice on handling difficult users and managing staff.
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I was wondering… how do the speakers define inappropriate? What is an inappropriate question?
Comment by jronan — June 16, 2006 #
That’s a great question to start! It might be useful if the speakers could also share their view on this: At what point does an inappropriate question become abuse of service?
Comment by jthompso — June 19, 2006 #
Do you mean purposefully asking silly questions, goofing around? That is a good point Joe!
Comment by Jana — June 19, 2006 #
I am sorry to be missing this
sessionconference!I haven’t found ‘inappropriate’ and ‘appropriate’ to be useful categories for describing patron behavior in virtual reference.
First, as you imply, it depends on your point of view. Second, in a busy service, a policy of discipline for ‘inappropriate’ or ‘abusive’ patrons is much more work than a policy of sympathy and education for librarians at the other end.
Casey Bisson recently visited our library (http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/11325/) and offered us a quote (see link) saying that people that visit our websites because they want to solve one of these problems:
* They want/need information.
* They want/need to make a purchase/donation.
* They want/need to be entertained.
So, I now think of our patrons as either seeking information or seeking entertainment.
In VR, I have also noticed that our failure to satisfy a patron’s need for information can sometimes lead to the patron seeking entertainment from us instead.
e.g.
I don’t think the failure to assess and satisfy a patron’s information need is always the library’s fault, but we are certainly the ones who have to do something about it.
Comment by caleb — June 19, 2006 #
The example from “caleb” is amusing, and o so true.
Abusive is sometimes, but not always, defined in a library’s service policies or guidelines.
I find it interesting that “abusive” use of public access computers is more easily definable, and more explicitly stated in library usage policies than abusive “behaviors”. This may be due to state laws that clearly describe online viewing actions that are “prohibited” in the presence of minors. But there aren’t “prohibited” behaviors for communication. Physical interaction, yes, but not necessarily online communication.
Any suggestions on how library’s might define “abusive” behavior in libraries? Any specific examples of communication or interaction with library staff that might result in a patron being denied library service?
Comment by Valli — June 20, 2006 #
Inapropriate can be questions of a personal nature (are you single, what is your sex, etc.). Sometimes they are requests for doing one’s homework (I need a paper on the American Civil War). We try not to give answers to obvious homework questions – instead we send information in which the the user can find the answer to the question. They can be questions where the answer requires forming an opinion (which President was better Jefferson or Lincoln), or an interpretation (who/what was most responsible for ending the Cold War).
These are some examples of what might considered as inappropriate. Some we just do not answer – the personal questions. For the others make an attempt to work with the user to, just like we do in face-to-face encounters, to find a means to meet the users information need.
The term inappropriate may be inappropriate – personally I prefer the term unsuitable.
Comment by Ron — June 20, 2006 #
Hi,
I agree that “inappropriate use” can cover many scenarios and may be a bit too broad. And “abuse” is a subset of inappropriate and may be too narrow. I like Ron’s idea to use the term unsuitable.
I guess the idea is to define what the service DOES do and, by inference, what is beyond the scope of the service. This then needs to be clear communicated to librarians. Also, the librarians need a firm understanding of what procedures they follow when someone goes beyond the scope of the service. (This can also be provided to the user prior to the transaction and/or within the transaction when these extra-service situations occur.)
Based on the dig_ref discussion about this, here are some items which some consider inappropriate or unsuitable for what VR is attempting to provide:
Patron behavior
Examples: Goofing around, asking too many questions (how many questions are allowed), stream of consciousness questioner, no question just want advice, just want a friend to chat with, no question just want to voice complaint, students wanting you to do homework for them, insulting to librarian, rude to librarian, offensive language, offensive/sexual content, patron who wants to continue past the time a librarian is available or the service is open, impatient
And, while we are at it, what librarians do which may inadvertently initiate rude or abusive behavior in VR and/or not be within the scope of the service:
No hello or welcome
Brief, snippy statement
Misuse of sarcasm
Long time without communication
No explanation of what librarian is doing. (eg.Sending page after page too quickly)
Sending information that does not relate to question (misunderstanding reference need)
Sending google or some other resource which the patron feels they can do themselves.
Comment by Sharon — June 20, 2006 #
Ron, I don’t think that questions of a personal nature are necessarily inappropriate — they may be part of the patron’s process of trying to establish who or what is on the other end of the line. Questions like “How old are you?” and “Are you a boy or a girl?” may be a conscious or subconscious cover for deeper questions like “Are you really a human being?” and “Should I trust you?” Over at the LBR blog there has been some discussion of Marie Radford’s observations after her focus groups with teenage library patrons who were not VR users. She observed how important a relationship with a trusted human librarian was for these students — and I think there’s a lot to that. As I said in my most recent post, I think it’s essential for VR librarians to be (part of) the genuine “human voice” of the library. We are humans, we have ages and genders. If we don’t allow the patrons to see that, we leave them little to differentiate us from automatons — or for that matter, from the faceless, anonymous, inhuman results of Google.
Comment by lukethelibrarian — June 21, 2006 #
Luke, I agree with you that personal questions may be at times an effort to learn more about the librarian. Many vref services do not offer much information about the identity or qualifications of the person on duty. I had an amusing encounter recently with a very chatty student that illustrates this. The complete “sanitized” transcript is below:
(20:07:13) FemaleStudent: how much are late fees?
(20:08:02) Uflibrarian: hi
(20:08:15) FemaleStudent: hi
(20:08:16) Uflibrarian: late fees? for books?
(20:08:17) FemaleStudent: sorry
(20:08:24) Uflibrarian:
(20:08:40) FemaleStudent: for a dvd…i know they acrue by the hour
(20:08:43) FemaleStudent: what’s the hourly fee?
(20:08:45) FemaleStudent: haha
(20:09:00) Uflibrarian: give me a minute, I’ll look
(20:09:18) FemaleStudent: ok thank you
(20:09:19) FemaleStudent:
(20:09:58) Uflibrarian: Overdue fines are assessed at the rate of 25 cents per day per item. Fines for reserve items are 25 cents per hour per item.
(20:10:04) Uflibrarian: so says our web site
(20:10:11) Uflibrarian: do you have a late DVD?
(20:10:16) FemaleStudent: yeah i do
(20:10:17) Uflibrarian: I can look up your record and tell you
(20:10:21) FemaleStudent: it was due at 12:13pm today
(20:10:33) Uflibrarian: oh, bring it in
(20:10:50) FemaleStudent: i’m up to 2 bucks
(20:10:52) FemaleStudent: haha
(20:10:56) Uflibrarian: first… where did you check it out at?
(20:11:00) Uflibrarian: makes a difference
(20:11:04) FemaleStudent: marsten
(20:11:07) Uflibrarian: ooo
(20:11:10) Uflibrarian: that is reserves
(20:11:22) Uflibrarian: yes, it willl be 25 cents
(20:11:36) FemaleStudent: if i return it, can i check it out again?
(20:12:00) Uflibrarian: um, the policy is that you have to wait 24 hours
(20:12:11) FemaleStudent: ohh ok
(20:12:25) FemaleStudent: i’ll bring it in later tonight then
(20:12:28) Uflibrarian: yes, sorry
(20:12:40) FemaleStudent: no problem it’s only a couple of dollars.
(20:12:43) FemaleStudent: thanks though
(20:12:43) Uflibrarian: if you didn’t get a chance to finish it,
(20:13:10) Uflibrarian: do you have any other questions?
(20:13:17) FemaleStudent: nope.
(20:13:19) FemaleStudent: thank you:)
(20:13:21) Uflibrarian: ok
(20:13:29) Uflibrarian: have a good night
(20:13:33) FemaleStudent: you too
(20:13:34) Uflibrarian: be safe bringing it back, k?
(20:13:41) FemaleStudent: hahaha
(20:13:42) FemaleStudent: i will
(20:13:45) Uflibrarian: night!
(20:13:52) FemaleStudent: i’m sorry but this is the funniest thing ever
(20:14:03) Uflibrarian: im?
(20:14:07) FemaleStudent: i wish i could IM anyone at school
(20:14:15) Uflibrarian: it would be cool
(20:14:18) Uflibrarian: the president
(20:14:20) FemaleStudent: haha
(20:14:21) Uflibrarian: professors
(20:14:26) Uflibrarian: oh yeah
(20:14:42) FemaleStudent: “wha’ts up president man?”
(20:14:46) FemaleStudent: ha
(20:14:52) Uflibrarian: LOL
(20:15:17) Uflibrarian: that was good! thanks for the laugh!
(20:15:30) FemaleStudent: haha yeah
(20:15:32) FemaleStudent: same here
(20:15:51) FemaleStudent: maybe if i wasn’t talking to people on AIM then i could watch a stupid dvd and return it on time
(20:15:58) Uflibrarian: ha ha
(20:16:03) Uflibrarian: maybe the DVD is no good?
(20:16:13) FemaleStudent: “walking with dinosaurs” dvd. nooo thank you.
(20:16:24) Uflibrarian: ah, that explains it
(20:16:31) FemaleStudent: yeah tell me about it
(20:16:37) FemaleStudent: stupid
(20:16:42) Uflibrarian: no Jurrassic I take it
(20:16:46) FemaleStudent: HA
(20:16:53) FemaleStudent: that’s a mom joke
(20:16:59) Uflibrarian: yep, you got me!
(20:17:16) FemaleStudent: haha
(20:17:46) FemaleStudent: are you a student? or like a 64 year old man? creepy.
(20:18:01) Uflibrarian: no, I’m a librarian, a lady librarian
(20:18:34) FemaleStudent: well then i know i can take your advice:)
(20:18:38) FemaleStudent: you know your stuff
(20:18:53) Uflibrarian: cool!
(20:19:03) Uflibrarian: good luck with that studying and viewing
(20:19:12) FemaleStudent: thanks so much
(20:19:14) Uflibrarian: come back if you need help
(20:19:18) Uflibrarian: no prob
(20:19:19) Uflibrarian:
Towards the end of this friendly exchange, you can see that FemaleStudent (her handle was the combination of a town name and a given name) was trying to figure out more about the mystery library person she was chatting up. She was using AIM and had a profile of classes, musical tastes, etc. that I could view, yet the uflibrarian profile that we use to chat with students has no such cues. I am considering adding more information in our shared profile about our staff and qualifications. Is anyone else doing this?
Comment by Jana Ronan — June 21, 2006 #
Luke, I understand the “is it a human at the other end” concern. We try to address it by mixing canned replies with using varying typed replies. If they are concerned about qualifications why don’t they ask if I have a MLS, or what is my educational background. Whether or not I am male or female or, what old I am, is relavent in social chat, but I do not see how it is relavent to information seeking. Further, these questions do not show up in email or telephone transactions.
Comment by Ron — June 21, 2006 #
Jana, that transcript is a classic. You asked what others were doing in the area of profiles — L-Net, Oregon’s statewide VR service is just starting with this idea. Check out Caleb’s entry on the L-Net staff blog where he discusses the idea, and then take a look at some of their early profiles.
Ron, I’m guessing the only MLS most of my patrons know about is Major League Soccer, or maybe the ticker symbol for Mills Corp. In this day and age, information seeking is fundamentally about trust — we are surrounded by information, it presses in on us from all sides, the question is, what sources do you trust? Trust is an intangible that for many of our patrons is *not* established by our educational background (which, online, can be invented like anything else). It’s established by our willingness to speak, engage, and make an effort as human beings.
Comment by lukethelibrarian — June 21, 2006 #
Luke, I agree, information seeking is fundamentally about trust. The user seeks information from a trutworthy source; a person, an organization, a book or a database that he/she has confidence in.
Where does the sharing of personal information (sex, age, etc.) fit into this equation? How does that information make the transaction more or less trustworthy?
Just because I come across as affable, eager to engage in social chatter, and I am willing to share information of a personal nature, does not mean that I am a trustworthy source. Nor is the opposite true; that because I come across as formal or businesslike, and I am uninterested in engaging in social chatter, it means that I am not a trustworthy source.
Comment by Ron — June 21, 2006 #
Well, let see: just because I sit at the reference desk with a scowl on my face, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the vicinity, that doesn’t mean I’m any less trustworthy as a source either — but it does mean that patrons will be less likely to trust me. Being trustworthy and actually gaining people’s trust are two different things. Of course, we must use the clues available to us in each session to determine what kind of demeanor will best gain the patron’s trust. In one session, that may be a very businesslike and formal demeanor. However, in the very next session we need to be prepared to serve a totally different kind of patron, and to reach them in a totally different way. I’m not saying that every patron will raise such questions, nor even be remotely interested in who’s on the other end of the conversation. But many patrons will — either consciously or subsconsciously — and they will be listening acutely for a voice on the other end that is genuine, sincere, interested, and (most of all) human. And if they don’t hear that (or if we shut them down for being inappropriately nosy) what reason do they have to trust us any more than any other faceless website full of allegedly trustworthy information?
Comment by lukethelibrarian — June 22, 2006 #
Luke, are you suggesting that scowling and not making eye contact is professional and businesslike?
Your comments still leaves me wondering why telling the user my age or sex is relevant. How does it add to the quality and/or trustworthiness of ther information presented in the virtual reference transaction?
Comment by Ron — June 22, 2006 #
I think that when patrons ask us personal questions, it is because they see us as potential peers.
Patrons lack of trust in librarians as information sources (and so, not asking us questions) is a huge problem. OCLC’s Perceptions… report is one source for this fact.
We hypothesize that revealing something about ourselves – and that something can easily be professional information and not personal information – can help to develop this trust.
We are experimenting with librarian profiles to try to see if this is true or not, and if revealing more information about ourselves can build patrons’ trust in us.
We already have interesting results – more librarians are willing to share pictures of their dogs than pictures of themselves. The choice of anonymity and safety is important for librarians and patrons alike.
And so, here, we can’t discount Ron’s experience and insight – if personal questions make librarians uncomfortable, if the questions are deemed unsuitable, they will not be answered.
How do we satisfy both our patrons’ craving for human contact (ergo trusted information) and our own need for privacy?
A strategy that has worked for me is to direct the conversation back to the reference interview. “i’m 31, i work in portland and i don’t want to answer your other question. do you still want to talk about mary wollstonecraft?”
From what I know about the speakers, I think the panel will do a good job of addressing the issue.
Comment by caleb — June 22, 2006 #
I like the idea that Jana is considering about including information describing the librarians and their qualifications in a shared profile. Certainly some folks won’t be comfortable sharing personal info, but I think it can help to establish a rapport with the patron, which will encourage the person to ask questions and to become a repeat user. A picture of the librarian and listing areas of expertise or interest, for instance, could add credibility and increase the patron’s comfort level.
Comment by Sam Stormont — June 22, 2006 #
Good heavens, no, that’s not what I meant, Ron. I was trying to make two points with my comment — I suppose a paragraph tag might have made that clearer. The first point was to highlight the difference between being trustworthy as an information source and actually being trusted — actually earning patrons’ trust. A scowling, shifty-eyed librarian at the reference desk may be perfectly trustworthy — but is probably less likely to be trusted.The second point is that as librarians, we must be sensitive to the clues available to us to determine what behaviors will help gain the patrons’ trust. Some patrons will tend to trust a librarian who treats them with a more formal, businesslike approach. But we need to be open to the possibility that the very next patron we serve could be put off by that same approach as cold and impersonal. For the former patron, a question or comment about something personal like age or gender would likely be perceived (by both patron and librarian) as inappropriate. But that doesn’t mean the same question would necessarily be inappropriate in the other session — it might just be part of the process of establishing that trust.Ron, in one of your earlier comments, you indicated that certain topics might be relevant for social chat but not for information-seeking. What I’m suggesting is that information-seeking — because it is fundamentally about trust — inherently involves a social element. If we try to build walls between those two types of activities, I’m concerned that we may end up shutting out the very patrons whom we’ve tried to reach with promises of “online help from a real human being.”I’m truly sorry I can’t be at ALA this year to attend this session in person, so I think this blog is a great idea, and really appreciate this conversation!
Comment by lukethelibrarian — June 22, 2006 #
Hmm, that comment was supposed to have 4 paragraphs. I guess paragraph tags aren’t supported in comments after all.
Comment by lukethelibrarian — June 22, 2006 #
Jana’s idea will be appealing to some librarians, but again some that I work with would not feel comfortable with the idea. Being stalked, receiving unwanted attentions from patrons is a real concern, and past events have made many librarians wary of sharing too much information about themselves.
In our situation the idea would be difficult to implement. We have subject queues. Along with six other librarians I monitor the history and geography queue on a rotating basis. Our “handle,” what the patron sees, is “Librarian 82.” The other queues are similar, with multiple librarians answering the calls on a rotating basis.
Comment by Ron — June 22, 2006 #
Patrons have the same concerns about revealing things about their own identities to us. Those that are more easy going about it connect to virtual reference services.
Is it good enough to only serve patrons who are willing to talk to strangers online?
I agree it’s an awkward challenge to get librarians to reveal something about themselves – we have all faced that same problem everytime someone wants to institute name tags or post photographs of staff on a public bulletin board.
Using an alias on the internet is the first thing that we do to stay safe. If your real name is Luke and you don’t want anyone to know it, you don’t have to chat as “Librarian 82″. You can be “Leia” instead.
Comment by phoebe — June 22, 2006 #
Yes, I am saying that it’s possible patrons trust us more even when we lie about who we are. As librarians, we should appreciate a good story, fiction or non-fiction.
But back to unsuitable questions? What happens when the patron says they are going to kill themself, reports they are being abused by a parent, or threatens to harm the librarian?
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