In 2018, the Library’s Public Services Team formalized a plan to re-imagine the pool of several hundred static, redundant, and sometimes out-of-date published FAQs to function as a mobile-friendly, visually appealing introduction to Library and Museum resources. The new and revised FAQs provide concise, up-to-date answers to common or interesting glass-related questions written for a general audience. Revised FAQs highlight relevant digital content from across the organization where possible, including blog posts, images, digitized library resources, and videos from their YouTube channel, as well as a small number of print and archival resources in their collections that might be of interest. The project has so far raised the profile of the library within the organization and allowed them to strengthen collaborative relationships with other departments as they update the information they provide and the ways in which they provide it. FAQs are now viewed as an opportunity not only to provide high-quality reference service, but also to create a virtual experience for users that inspires them to explore further.
View the FAQs online.
Mikki Smith is the Reference and Visitor Services Librarian at the Rakow Research Library at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. She earned a PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2017. She also has an MA in Library Science and a Graduate Certificate in Book Studies from the University of Iowa, which she earned in 2007 while living in Riverside, Iowa, the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. She loves to talk about amateur newspapers produced and exchanged through the mail by teens in the late 19th century, as well as the art, history, and early technologies of glass.
Library Type: Museum Library
Demographic Served: Museum staff, Studio Students, Residents, Scholars, Artists, Collectors, and the General Public
Population Size: We serve the general public, many are visitors from other states and countries.
Library Staff Size: The library is staffed by 21 full- and part-time staff. We occasionally have paid interns, and regular volunteers.