Project 1: Reference Observation (Patrons, Librarians, and Books Oh My!)

The library that I chose was Tustin Library which is a branch library located in Orange County. It’s a small library located at 345 E. Main Street Tustin, CA. 92780. The hours that the library is open are Monday - Thursday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Friday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday – 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

This library has very friendly staff that welcomes you as you walk through the door. Their staff is made up of younger gentlemen and two older ladies that check out the books, at the information desk there were two ladies to help you out, one was a librarian and the other one was the librarian’s assistant. The librarian was often busy which made her seem unapproachable, but the librarian’s assistant was eager to help the patron out. There is also three different staff personal that are located throughout the library, they are there to help to patron when in need.

As I surveyed the library I noticed four different sections to sit at. The library also has two sections of computers to use. One of the sections is unfiltered for adults, and the other is for children. Both need a library card and can only be use one hour per a day. Not only does this library have a place to read books, it also has a very cozy section to relax by the fireplace and read current magazines and newspapers.

The book sections consist of:

· Reference books

· Auto biographies

· Concept books

· Fiction/Non-fiction

· Foreign languages

· Parenting books

· Books for teens

· Picture books for children

· Audio books

· DVD’s, CD’s, and VHS’s for your viewing and listening pleasure

· Oversized books

· Large print books

· Books for young adults

As I look around I see a lot of different people or patrons that are here for different reasons. There are children reading picture books along with parents, and there are also older people sitting back relaxing reading magazines. There are patrons that are here for reading and they’re here to use the internet as well. Some are planning out their trips and some are just goofing around like playing video games.

Another type of patron I see is the one that is here for research for school assignments. Students make up for most of the people that are filling the seats in the library. They are probably here for the extensive amount of reference tools that the library offers. The library offers reference services that are mainly textbooks and encyclopedias, magazines, and newspapers but unfortunately the reference books must remain in the library at all times. There is no reference area because it was a waste of time to have to walk back and forth to refer to the book and then find the book. So they separated the reference books into the sections that related to the books. The librarians made it easier to find the reference books by marking them with a green label.

The Tustin Library has business/financial references that are available as well. The different references are Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Investor’s Business Daily, OC Business Journal, Business Week, Consumer Reports, Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Home Business, Kiplinger's, Small Business Opportunities, Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, ValueLine, and, Morningstar 500 Funds.

If you choose to visit the Tustin Library website you will find that they have a reference/resource webpage (http://www.ocpl.org/randr.asp). On that webpage it has three different services which are books, research/resource, and local information.

The research/resource area has:

· World Book Encyclopedia

· Mergent Online

· California Libraries Catalog

· Full Text General

· Business and Health Magazines-EbscoHost

· Greenwood Daily Life Online/World Cultures Today

· Newspaper Articles-Newsbank

· Literature Resources-Literature Resource Center

· Proquest/LA Times

· Reference USA, and California Statistics-Rand

Tustin Library workshops consist of children, teens, and adults programs. The children’s program provides story times for preschool children, evening PJ Story times presented by storytellers, and an annual Summer Reading Celebration with a "Read Aloud/Read Along" component for pre-readers, and other book-related programs throughout the year.

The Teen program consists of many different things based on the teen’s interests. They provide art programs, game nights, and for the future college student S.A.T. practice tests. Teens can also offer their service by participating on the Teen Advisory Board. A teen can also help by volunteering to be a part of the program Homework Helpers. Finally they provide a wonderful service titled Teen Services which aims to educate, entertain, and encourage teens to make the library an important part of their life.

Tustin Library has a book discussion club for adults which is every month. Members choose the books they will read and discuss. Topics-on-Demand workshops are offered periodically. The most recent was an Ikebana flower arranging workshop, accompanied by Japanese tea and treats. The Tustin Library staff also will respond to patron interests and requests.

Tustin Library’s online catalog system is available to patrons on two computers that are in the middle of the library and also available on line at http://orca.ocpl.org/uhtbin/cgisirsi/X/0/0/57/49?user_id=webserver which provides a quick search that makes easy to look up books at the Tustin Library.

The strengths this library had were the librarians were there to help at ease and were very approachable. They offered a lot of services for children, teens, young adults, and parents that helped reach out to the community. This library wasn’t just a building, but a place for the community to gather. They organized the library with the patron in mind which created an easy but effective experience. The library created a safe place for children to learn and interact with other children. They made you feel like you were at home except instead of my mom saying be quiet the librarian would say it. All in all this was a great and educational experience I won’t forget. Now the next time I think of the library I won’t just think of books it has so much more to offer.