E-Government Questions: helping users navigate online government resources without practicing law!
Although this webinar is directed at the California library community, it will be of interest to those living in other states.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Start Time: Pacific - Noon, Mountain - 1:00 PM, Central - 2:00 PM, Eastern - 3:00 PM
Speaker: Mary Minow
- If you help customers fill out online forms, are you liable when things go badly for them?
- Is suggesting a specific online form practicing law without a license?
- Can you say “no” and still give great customer service?
Library patrons are not merely consulting online resources in libraries. They are interacting with e-government services such as social services, the DMV and many more. Patrons ask for assistance and sometimes reveal sensitive personal information in a way previously unknown in traditional reference interactions.
Librarians are concerned about personal liability, and libraries have concerns about institutional liability if this information is compromised, or if the patron claims that incorrect information was provided by the library. Learn about the types of exposure that libraries face, and how to minimize it. Sample phrases are offered to staff in conducting these new reference interactions.
After this one-hour webinar, attendees will:
- Understand the difference between library reference work and the unauthorized practice of law in California (with a nod to other states)
- Learn how to minimize legal exposure of the librarian and the library when patrons reveal sensitive information
- Learn sample language to employ when staff and volunteers help library users with E-Government resources
This webinar will be of interest to Reference staff, library management, and volunteers helping users with E-Government resources.
Webinars are free of charge and registration is only done on the day of the event on the WebEx server. No passwords are required.
This webinar will be presented with Closed Captioning. On the day of the webinar you can see the closed captioning in the WebEx media viewer or you can open a separate window using the following link: http://www.captionedtext.com/client/event.aspx?CustomerID=1140&EventID=1741745
- Speaker's slides
- Handouts
- Chat, Q&A, Closed Captioning