1. EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
Library Anxiety & the iPad
“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring
you back the right one.” ~ Neil Gaiman
Alison L. DePollo
Interlibrary Loan Librarian Candidate
August 31, 2011

2. How many students might feel:

3. My first experience in an academic library:

4.  75 - 85% of students described their initial
response to library research as FEAR
The Numbers & Responses
According to Constance A. Mellon’s research:
“This library stuff is confusing.”
“Where are the reference books?”
“Which card catalog do I use?
There are so many drawers!”
“It was like being in a foreign
country and unable to speak
the language.”
“The library seems like a huge
monster that gulps you up after you
enter it.”

5. Why do they feel this way?
 The size of the library is overwhelming
 They don’t know where materials are located or
how they are organized
 Lack of confidence in beginning their research
 Lack of research knowledge in general

6. Part of it could be our fault …
So, what do we do?

7. It’s the little things that make a big difference.
And one more thing…

8. One tiny step for librarians…
The Roving Librarian!
…away from the Reference Desk.

9. Why should we try this?
 Statistics show reference transactions are dropping but
gate counts are not
 158,294 (1997) vs. 95,568 (2003)
 Computers are in high demand – students do not want to
leave them to come find us
 We have provided many news ways for students to
contact us, but are they using them?
 Email, chat, text-messaging
“If these students won’t come to us,
perhaps we should go to them.”
~ Smith & Pietraszewski

10.  Sherrod Library website
 Millennium catalog
 Databases
 LibGuides
 Access articles as PDFs
 Other apps
 Wolfram Alpha
 Bluefire Reader
What can RL do for students?

11.  Gets us out from behind the desk
 Shows the students we want to
help them
 Shows the students that we are not scary
 Librarians are easily accessible and “cool”
 Using the iPad lets us monitor any non-flash IM
service while in faculty meetings
• Meebo
What can RL do for librarians?

12.  Wear a name tag or something that will set you apart
from other patrons
 Do things that show you work at the library
 Straighten books, etc…
 Pay attention to body language of patrons
 Be friendly and have a smile on your face
Want to try it? Here’s some advice:

13. Personal interest in RL
 Use Free Spreadsheet app to
keep track of statistics
 Use Penultimate app to take notes
Poster session or presentation at TLA 2012
 Article for Tennessee Libraries or another
interested journal

14. Bibliography
1. Carlile, Heather. 2007. “The Implications of Library Anxiety for
Academic Reference Services: A Review of the Literature.”
Australian Academic & Research Libraries 38, no. 2: 129-147.
2. Lotts, Megan and Stephanie Graves. 2011. “Using the iPad for
Reference Services: Librarians go Mobile.” College & Research
Libraries 72, no. 4: 217-220.
3. Mellon, Constance A. 1986. “Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory
and Its Development.” College & Research Libraries 47, no 2: 160-
165.
4. Smith, Michael M. and Barbara A. Pietrasewski. 2004. “Enabling
the Roving Reference Librarian: Wireless Access with Tablet PCs.”
Reference Services Review 32, no. 3: 249-255.