Staff Roleplay Exercise


Role-Play #1 -- Upset Parent

Parent
While in the library with your 6 year old child, you notice an adult sitting at a computer viewing "Miss May" from the Playboy website. The computer is right in the middle of the room and the screen can be seen by you and lots of other people, although the librarian does not seem to notice what is happening. Your child has not yet seen the screen, but can easily view it. You are upset both because an adult is irresponsibly using your library's computer but also because your child might be exposed to images you do not want her/him to see. You also have a personal religious/moral objection to materials like Playboy in general.

How do you react and what do you say to the librarian/staff member who is at the circulation desk?

Librarian
What is the first thing you do when this patron comes to you with a complaint?
What information do you provide him/her?
What if that does not satisfy him/her?
What can you do to reassure him/her that the library appreciates his/her concerns?
What do you say to your library director?
 


        
Role-Play #2 -- 
          Concerned Library Trustee/Board Member

        
Board Member

          You have been a long-standing member of your library's board/or a long 
          standing trustee. You are personally upset/concerned about the Internet 
          in your library. You lobbied to have blocking/filtering software installed 
          on all the computers in your library, but despite your effort the library 
          director and staff chose to provide open access to the Internet. Now 
          they are asking you to help write an Internet Use policy. You are attempting 
          to "tighten up" the policy as much as you can. You are in 
          the library and are complaining to the library director about how ineffective 
          such a policy will be.  

        
 What do you say 
          to the library director? 

        
Librarian
What is the first thing you do when this trustee comes to you?
What can you do to reassure him/her that the library appreciates his/her 
concerns?
How do you handle this with your library board/trustees?



        
Role-Play #3 -- 
          Vocal Influential Citizen

        
Citizen

          You are either a minister of a large, conservative congregation, a civic 
          leader with lots of clout, or an elected official, who is worried/concerned 
          about the general issue of pornography in the library. You have grown 
          children who live miles away from you and you haven't used the Net yourself, 
          but have heard from others all about "cyberporn" and are upset. 
          Your library decides not to monitor kids access but leave that to parents. 
          You feel that they are being irresponsible and helping lower the moral 
          standard in your community. You are thinking of (or already have) spoken 
          to other civic leaders about doing something "public" to make 
          other citizens aware.  

        
 What do you say 
          to the librarians in your library? What do you threaten if they don't 
          capitulate to your demands? 

          

          Librarian

          What is the first thing you do when this citizen comes to you with a 
          complaint?

          What information do you provide him/her?

          What if that does not satisfy him/her?

          What can you do to reassure him/her that the library appreciates his/her 
          concerns?

          What do you say to your library director?

           

        

        
Role-Play #4 -- 
          Unhappy Library Staff Member

        
Staff Member

          You are a longtime library staff member (either with or without a library 
          degree). Recently your library got an Internet workstation. You were 
          concerned about it because you heard about the "bad stuff" 
          on the Net, but said nothing because you hadn't yet seen it. You also 
          didn't say much about your library's Internet Use Policy when it was 
          written. Now you have seen the Net and you agree with others in your 
          community that there are images/text that are troublesome. Mostly though, 
          you have trouble going up to your patrons/friends and "enforcing" 
          your policy. You don't feel that it is your role be a "Net policeman". 
           

        
 What do you say 
          to your supervisor/library director? 

          

          Librarian

          What is the first thing you do when this staff member comes to you with 
          a complaint?

          What information do you provide him/her?

          What if that does not satisfy him/her?

          What can you do to reassure him/her that the library appreciates his/her 
          concerns?

          What, if anything, do you say to your board/trustees?