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2021 Conference is Feb 23-25. Click for more details!
Reference services are the heart of every library and has a timeless purpose of providing personal assistance to their respective patrons seeking to satiate their specific information needs. Reference services, including virtual reference, consist of communicating and establishing relationships with patrons. As handheld devices become more prevalent, virtual reference services are more important now more than ever due to the increasing need to provide 24/7 access and assistance to library patrons through email, text, instant messaging, and live chat services, meeting patrons where they are - on their phones, iPads, or laptops. Because of these technologies, there are some occasions when we, as virtual reference providers, encounter a patron who is experiencing a crisis or is reaching out for information to assist someone who is in crisis. Since this is such a delicate issue, being “fully present online” is of utmost importance when responding to patrons in crisis. This presentation offers guidance for dealing with patrons reaching out in times of crisis by identifying types of crises, guidelines from the National Crisis Prevention Institute, and how to use the trauma-informed approach to respond to patrons. We will also discuss resources available to offer patrons. In addition, we hope to provide tips on how to administer self-care to alleviate stress from dealing with crisis interactions.
Alison Wessel, Delaware Department of Health & Social Services Library, Director of Library & Information Services
Alison Wessel, Delaware Department of Health & Social Services Library, Director of Library & Information Services
Alison Wessel, MSLIS, MA, is the Director of Library and Information Services for the Delaware Health and Social Services Library. Prior to joining the library team she worked in mental health clinician roles for two Divisions within the Department of Health and Social Services. Alison currently serves as the Vice President for the Delaware Library Association and is a member of the Delaware Public Health Association. Some of Alison’s other passions include Indian food, Neil Gaiman, and giving new lives to discarded books by turning them into flowers, jewelry, and other art.
Missy Hernandez-Williams, Delaware Division of Libraries, Consultant
Missy Hernandez-Williams, Delaware Division of Libraries, Consultant
Missy (Hernandez) Williams is so thankful for the opportunity to work with the Delaware Division of Libraries as a contracted consultant through Library Systems & Services. She is passionate about lifelong learning and sharing that passion with others. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. Besides working most of her adult life in various library environments, providing in-person and now entirely virtual reference assistance from her home in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, Missy also proofreads for a local magazine, is an avid hiker, a very amateur ballet dancer, and professional "cat-cuddler" to Gatsby Blue Kitty.
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