The Good, the Bad, but Mostly the Ugly: Adherence to RUSA Guidelines during Encounters with Inappropriate Behavior Online.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Maness, Jack M.; Naper, Sarah; Chaudhuri, Jayati
- Source
- Reference & User Services Quarterly; Winter2009, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p151-162, 12p
- Subject
- American Library Association. Reference & User Services Association
Library reference services -- Automation
Instant messaging
Electronic reference services (Libraries)
AskA services
Library users
Reference librarians
Reference interviews (Library science)
Librarians' attitudes
Online chat -- Social aspects
- Language
- ISSN
- 10949054
Using a scoring rubric based on RUSA's "Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers" (RUSA Guidelines), librarians' performance in 106 chat reference transcripts in which a patron was determined to be acting inappropriately were compared to 90 randomly chosen transcripts from the same time period in which no inappropriate behavior was identified. Librarians serving appropriately behaving patrons scored significantly better on two of five major dimensions of the RUSA Guidelines. Recommendations for librarians serving inappropriately behaving patrons and for improving the two affected dimensions are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]