WebJunction

This article reprinted by permission from The Accidental Systems Librarian by Rachel Singer Gordon, published by Information Today, Inc., Copyright 2003 Rachel Singer Gordon. Interested in the whole book? Visit Information Today's online store at http://books.infotoday.com/books/AccSysLib.shtml

Systems librarians are generally in the position of both having to deal with outside technical support and serving as help desk or technical support in their own institution. Again, you will tend to find yourself in the role of liaison, translating vendor-speak, contacting tech support for an affected user, and identifying the real problem behind a given user's request.

Any librarian who has been through introductory reference coursework-or who has worked at a public services desk-is familiar with the concept of the reference interview. Your background in ferreting out the real question behind an initial encounter will come in handy when a staff member or library patron begins a technical support interaction with: "This computer isn't working!" Now it is your turn to be on the other side of that tech support call. Viewing your technical support encounter as a reference interview will also help you view this process as a collaborative effort between yourself and the affected patron or staff member. Your main goal in a support encounter will be to resolve the problem to the user's satisfaction, but your secondary goals can include identifying the real issue, identifying whether there are related or underlying issues that might also need resolving, and identifying opportunities to use the encounter as a learning opportunity. (These aspects are, of course, ideal, and in a busy library environment you may often be satisfied with just getting a user up and running again.)

The first step in your technical support interview will be to get a detailed description of the problem. Start from: "This computer isn't working!" and ask targeted questions to ascertain the real issue. Useful questions to help narrow down the exact problem include: "What exactly is it doing?" "Is it displaying an error message?" "What were you doing when the problem occurred?" and so on. If this is a recurring glitch, try to have your staff members or patrons recreate the issue. Have them show you exactly what they are doing when the situation occurs. Try to get specific error messages out of them; identify the specific software and version they are using; find out when the problem started; see if they have installed software or otherwise modified their machine without your knowledge; see if the machine has been experiencing minor problems for a long time, which now have escalated to the point where the user cannot function.

It will often be easier to observe an individual’s actual workflow than to have her try to explain her exact sequence of actions when a problem occurs. As one survey respondent notes: "The most important skill is probably not computer based at all. It is the ability to do troubleshooting based on symptoms of a problem. A good example is that recently records on the catalog were getting overlaid on a regular basis with old information that had been changed. It took several weeks to figure out the problem but I finally observed our cataloger's detailed workflow. She was forgetting to purge or delete old files."

If you are in a larger institution and feel confident in your ability to train your coworkers to report problems accurately, or if there are often times when no systems staff is available to resolve technical issues, you may wish to develop a standardized method of reporting computer problems. Create a printed fill-in-the-blank form that can be kept at central locations such as the reference and circulation desks, and use this form to coax usable information out of the reporting staff member. Include space for the date, the location of the affected machine (here your inventory numbering system will be useful in easily identifying which system needs work), the name of the staff member, any error messages generated, a description of the issue, and anything the staff member may have done (reboot, change settings) to try to resolve the problem on her own. Many computer repair shops use a similar form to describe problems when items are dropped off for repair; you may be able to borrow ideas from your local vendor and adapt the format for use in your library.

Some libraries find it useful to use the back of their standard "Out of Service" signs for these reports, so that the person putting a piece of equipment out of order is also responsible for filling out the form. Others prefer that forms be given directly to the systems librarian or support department so that the situation can be dealt with as quickly as possible. Make sure that all staff know to whom they should report computer outages. If you have several systems personnel, make it clear whether staff should report problems to different individuals or whether you prefer centralized reporting. Remember also that it is often more difficult for users to describe a problem in writing than in person, and take the time to speak directly with the reporting staff member before attempting to resolve the situation if the written report seems unclear or incomplete.

Sample Computer Problem

Report Date:

Reported By:

Inventory Number:

Item Location:

Please describe the problem, in as much detail as possible:

List any specific error messages the system is generating:

List any steps you have already taken to try to resolve this issue:

You can keep these forms on file to help you identify machines that constantly act up. You might also wish to create a maintenance reporting form for yourself and/or your systems staff that gives the date and resolution of each of these issues. This completed form can then be kept on file with your inventory or in each system's motherboard box so that you have both a record of what has been done and a reference to consult if the issue occurs again in the future.

Try to create an environment in which library staff feel comfortable approaching you and/or your staff with their computer problems. While many staff members might seem to approach you with every minor issue, others will not want to "waste your time" or may feel they are exposing their technological ignorance by asking for help. If not dealt with, however, minor issues tend to evolve into major ones. Users who have become frustrated by constant minor annoyances will tend to be less comfortable with technology and more resistant to change. This is another reason why people skills are so important. Always ensure that staff members understand that these problems lie with the computer, not with them, and that you want them to come to your department with even seemingly minor issues.

Back up this request with a willingness to deal with such issues as swiftly as possible. This response requires developing the ability to prioritize your time and to differentiate actual issues from minor glitches that may just require a reboot. (See more on teaching staff to do minor troubleshooting and identify real problems in Chapter 9.) Make sure that if you have several systems people on site, all staff members know who they can go to with their computer problems. If one systems person, for example, is in charge of networking and one is a printer whiz, make this information accessible to all staff so that the right person can resolve a given issue as swiftly as possible. (If you are a one-person shop, then, of course, all queries will come directly to you!)

You may need at first to be more proactive; set a regular time to go around the building and talk to staff about their computing environment, their needs, and their issues. Those who will not come to you directly might be willing to share their frustrations if you show your openness by first coming to them. While making your rounds, take the opportunity to engage in some preventative maintenance; bring some canned air and clean out case fans, defragment hard drives, and open up mice and dislodge dust and lint. While it might be difficult to fit proactive maintenance into your schedule, setting aside a couple of hours each week will help prevent larger and more time-consuming problems in the future, as well as help you become acquainted with other library staff members and their specific needs.