Phone numbers

Although many students and ajarns may prefer to be contacted by email with a reply to a question, others may appreciate a phone call. If we cannot answer their question immediately, or there is a problem with the correct way to answer in English, the best solution may be for us to take down a phone number and then have someone on staff call the student or ajarn later. The person who will follow up will have an answer to the question and will also be comfortable enough speaking in English to be able to communicate in an efficient way with the English-speaking library visitor. In order for this to happen, we will need the contact details of the students or ajarns, unless they wish to phone us or send an email at a later time. To get a phone number, phrases such as the following may be useful:

• Fill out this form, please.
• Write down your telephone number.
• Someone will call you.

If the student asks when they will call, if we do not know exactly when, it is best to say:

• As soon as possible.

That way, the student will not expect a reply by a certain time and be disappointed. Sometimes students and ajarns from overseas are not sure about which services offered by the library do not require payment. To make this clear, we can add as a matter of information after any discussion of a particular library service:

• This service is free.

Although no formal goodbye is required after a conversation in which a student requests information, it is polite to offer good wishes by saying:

• Good luck with your exams.
• Good luck with your assignment.

Other information that may be useful for students even if they did not ask about it may refer to when the library will be closed. Since overseas students and ajarns may not be fully familiar with the academic calendar, they may not know about days when the TU Libraries are traditionally closed. They also likely will not know about campus events, maintenance issues, and other reasons why the library may be closed. While we always post a sign in English outside the library when it is closed at an unexpected time, this be too late for the information to be useful to some visitors. Some students or ajarns may have made a special trip to the Tha Prachan or Rangsit campus, only to find that the libraries are closed when they are at the door. To let them know about this useful information as soon as possible,  it is also helpful to add the end of any conversation some information which the student or ajarn may or may not know, such as:

• The library will be closed tomorrow.
• The library will be closed all next week.

If the English speaking visitor replies:

• I know.

then we know they are well-informed and do not need further information. If they reply by saying:

• Oh, really? It is?

then we may assume that they were not aware of this important information before, and we may offer further details, such as when the library will be open again, or if there will be special hours for the library. It is always useful to remind our overseas visitors that changes in the library hours or information about special closings will be posted online on Koha, if that is the case.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)