Reopening RA Ideas to Help You Get Through This Stressful Time

Real talk today. Many of you are starting to reopen this week, while others have already been open for a bit. I am not going to beat around the bush, it is stressful, and some libraries are doing a better job of caring for staff while they reopen to the public than others.

I cannot fix the problems your library has already made, even though I am appalled at what I have seen happening, but I can be there to help you navigate a little better.

One of the main things we have learned here in the public library world during this pandemic is that people still want reading options from their libraries. For the last five years or so, we have marketed ourselves as a place over our collections in a misguided attempt to stay relevant [I have been against this shift for years and it is why I focus on the staff as a conduit  to our collections], but when push came to shove and our buildings had to close, people still wanted stories, leisure reading, listening, and viewing options from us.

We didn't need to pivot to stay relevant, but unfortunately it took a pandemic to prove it.

Therefore, as we reopen, RA services are where we need to focus. These are services we can not only provide at a safe distance, but they will will also bring much goodwill and joy to our patrons, with less stress on us.

I cannot make reopening stress free for you [no one can], but below, I have some advice to help you provide RA Service  in a way that maximizes your patrons' positive experience at the library and keeps you as safe as possible in the process.

Focus on Passive RA: From what I have heard from my colleagues who have already reopened, patrons are just so happy to be able to interact with the collection, physically. They want to see all of the books available to them. They want to browse. Make that as easy as possible for them, both because their time in the building will most likely be limited and because we want to minimize touching as much as possible. Also passive RA allows us to help our patrons without having to be right next to them. 

Here are some ideas for Passive RA:

• Place as many titles as you can face out throughout the library. At the end of every shelf, on desk  tops, scattered everywhere. Let all staff be involved in what titles are face out. Don't worry about cohesion of themes. The goal is to get the widest variety of titles out and in front of people without them having to "dig" for  them. 
• Displays!!! Speaking of face out, make larger groups of books in displays everywhere. Those can have themes and a plan, but don't over think  it. You do not need signs and decorations; in fact all you need are items to check out as I have explained here before. You are going to have limited mental capacity during this stressful time, so don't give yourself more work. But do get in the stacks and grab titles to put on a display with a unifying title or even just a picture that sets a mood. Display ideas can even be as simple as books that came out while you were closed. You don't have to be witty. Some patrons will prefer the  random face out books with no plan while others will like a larger themed grouping. Make sure you have both.
• Print out all the lists. Whether you make fancy brochures or you go onto a website or NoveList to print out a list made by others, getting a disposal, single use lists of suggestions in to patrons' hands will go a long way toward helping them find their next good read from a distance. Post them everywhere: near other displays, at the public service deals, throughout the stacks. You cannot have enough paper lists in the budding right now. Again, they do not have to be original lists.  Do not make this harder on yourself. 

Conversation Starters: No matter how many passive RA options you provide, there are going to be patrons who want to chat with you. But here is the honest truth, you might not be up to providing RA depending on your personal level of stress at any given moment. A good way to encourage socially distant RA conversations is to have a set of conversation starters at your fingertips. You begin with setting the distance rules and then offer up a conversation starter such as the ones I have suggested in the past here. Having something to talk about ready at your fingertips will make your job easier. It will also reinforce why the library is a resource worthy of their tax dollars. The personal interaction, the conversations about books and reading, will remind your community of how great you are, even if they are still a little miffed that you were closed. [Not fair for them to be miffed, I know, but some of them are and we need to not ignore that fact.]

Don't be Afraid to Remind Patrons of  the "New Normal": You may have reopened your doors but obviously visiting the library is not the same experience as it was before you closed. When patrons get a little testy about what they cannot do, remind them what they can-- see above. Refocus the conversation back to all of the wonderful services you are offering like RA. And keep reminding them about all of the virtual services you developed over the last few months that aren't going away now. RA Service is a patron friendly service, it is a service for people's "wants," it is a service that brings joy-- let's all try to remember that.

The hard truth is we cannot stay closed indefinitely and expect to have our communities keep funding us. That is unrealistic and unfair. Yes we still served patrons while our buildings were closed, but if we want to remain funded and staffed going forward, a phased reopening is essential. I am not saying it is 100% safe, but as other things in your area open, you, the library, have to make steps forward toward in person services. There will be steps forward and steps backward on this path, but focusing your in-person services on the most positive and socially distant options is a start. RA service makes people happy. You can offer it at a distance while making people feel happy to "be back."  And it gives you something fun and positive to point to when they are upset about what they cannot do. I know this won't work with everyone, but I have found that it works with most here in my community.

Finally, if you are at a library in the RAILS system here in IL and you need to talk to someone about your concerns about what is going on at your library right now, please contact me. I am nowa RAILS Board member, worked a public desk for 15 years, and am a 19 year IL Library Trustee. I have seen it all, and I am in a position to share your concerns with people who can  do something about it. I have already heard from a number of people and will keep your identity confidential while also making sure to get the concerns of  library workers pushed up the chain. 

Good luck, stay safe, and remember, sharing the love of a good read will energize you and your patrons. It is a way to turn a while pile of negatives into some positives.