In Progress - NEW Access Services Manual

We should always respond to an email as soon as possible so the patron will be assured that we respect them and their concerns are being heard.  Never leave an email unanswered for more than 24 hours.  

Address the main matter.  Always be polite and professional.  Long greetings and thank you (closings) are not considered polite. The length of your email replies can even determine if the receiver will read it or not.   If it’s too long, sometimes they can miss the point you want to convey.

If the email is in regards to something you are unfamiliar with, forward it immediately to a person that can answer or help the patron.  If you are unsure, ASK.

Student Workers monitor (2) email accounts:

• The tulibrary@thomasu.edu account should be used for all official external communication and reference transactions.
  • All library staff have access to the tulibrary email account. Student workers should monitor the tulibrary account for the duration of their shifts and respond to patron inquires to the best of their abilities.
• The libstudentworker@thomasu.edu account should be used for all internal communication between student workers at the circulation desk and other library staff.
  • Only the two computers at the circulation desk have access to the libstudentworker account.
  • The password for the student worker email is the same as the password used to log in to the computer
• All full or part time library staff that are not work study staff will have an individual email address set up by IT.

Emails to the tulibrary account from patrons seeking assistance should be answered as soon as possible by student workers.

• Use signatures to respond to common questions. There are pre-written responses for:
  • How to login to GALILEO
  • Informing a patron that their ILL has arrived and can be picked up in the Library (these emails will typically be answered but the Library Technical Assistant for Access Services)
  • Informing a patron that their ILL borrowing request for an article has been canceled because TU Library already has access to that article with instructions on how to access the article (these emails will also typically be answered but the Library Technical Assistant for Access Services)
  • What the library hours are
• To use a signature:
  • Select reply 
  • Select the Signature 
• If the request is too complicated and the student worker cannot find the answer in any of the policies or procedures, the student worker may call a supervisor who will direct them to where they may find the answer or respond to the email themselves.