RUSQ article "Don’t Shelve the Questions" recognized for excellence with RUSA award

Contact: Liz Markel


Marketing Specialist, RUSA/ASCLA


(312) 280-4398


lmarkel@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


May 4, 2010

CHICAGO—The article “Don’t Shelve the Questions: Defining Good Customer Service for Shelvers” by Luke Vilelle, public services librarian at Wyndham Robertson Library, Hollins University, and Christopher C. Peters, stacks manager at the University Libraries of Virginia Tech, is the 2010 Reference Service Press Award winner, an annual honor administered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

The award, which is sponsored by
Reference Service Press, recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSA’s

Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ) during the preceding two-volume year. This year’s selection appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the journal, pages 60-67. While many articles have addressed the importance of staff training as it relates to effective customer service, this article focuses on a group that is not frequently addressed: part-time assistants who work as shelvers in the library’s stacks. It is this focus that has set this article apart, according to the award committee. “The authors provide good customer service training techniques for departments that use part-time assistants who do not work at a service desk, but will still have some interaction with the library’s users,” said Edward Kownslar, award committee chair.

Vilelle and Peters will receive their award—a plaque and $2,500 cash prize—at the RUSA Awards Ceremony and Reception, scheduled for 4-6 p.m., Monday, June 28, in Room 207A/B of the Washington Convention Center, as a part of
ALA’s Annual Conference events. All conference participants are invited to this celebration honoring RUSA’s best, and are also encouraged to participate in RUSA’s various other conference program offerings—
see a complete list of events at the RUSA website.

The
Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. For more information, visit
www.ala.org/rusa. Not a RUSA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, RUSA preconferences and other RUSA events? Join, renew or add RUSA to your ALA membership at
www.ala.org/membership.