Reference After 5 PM: A Reference Librarian’s Experience Working Atypical Hours at a Large Research Library

Abstract

Reference services continue to change and evolve in the academic library. Students need reference support outside the normal 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours in an academic library. The author works these later shifts and has found success in helping students. This success is due to the author’s collaboration and relationship building with not only students but also library employees and other departments to support a robust and active reference service on Sundays and after 5:00 p.m. This paper explores the author’s first semester providing reference services during the fall 2016 semester.