Manual for Support Staff on the Information Desks.

This manual was produced during the 1992-93 Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario school year to be used as a reference guide and a training tool for library support staff assigned to work at the library's information desks. Its purpose is to help ensure a uniform standard of service and to provide practical procedures for information and basic reference service. It was compiled using ideas from published reference manuals and staff training materials and from direct observation of the support staff at the information desk. The topics covered in this manual include (1) areas of responsibility; (2) policies of job performance including basic principles, ethical issues, desk duties, the reference interview, answering questions, follow-ups, phone calls, and referrals; and (3) reference tools found in the library, including the online catalog, CD-ROMs, and quick reference tools. An index to the reference tools is included. The reference situations and training questions in the appendices were used in training the support staff but were not included in the actual manual. (Contains 11 references.) (JLB)