Have you ever been asked a question at the library and suddenly didn’t know what to say? On this show Brittany Davis and Kevin Jones, Librarians at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, share ways that comedy and improv can help. By knowing and practicing improvisational techniques librarians can be prepared to think outside the box when faced with the unexpected. It’s a lighthearted way to enhance the work we do in libraries.
Transcript
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Adriane Herrick Juarez:
This is Adriane Herrick Juarez. You’re listening to Library Leadership Podcast where we talk about libraries, and leadership, and speak with guests who share their ideas, innovations, and strategic insights into the profession.
Have you ever been asked a question at the library and suddenly didn’t know what to say? On this show Brittany Davis, and Kevin Jones, Librarians at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, share ways that comedy and improv can help. By knowing and practicing improvisational techniques librarians can be prepared to think outside the box when faced with the unexpected. It’s a lighthearted way to enhance the work we do in libraries. Enjoy the show!
Alison, welcome to the show.
Brittany Davis:
Thank you for having us.
Kevin Jones:
Thank you.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #1: Thank you for talking with me today. The title of this show is Did you Hear the One About the Librarian? which is a lighthearted way to jump into this topic we’re discussing here, which is using comedy and improv to improve library services. As we start can you talk about why using humorous techniques and improv can be useful in libraries? 01:28
Brittany Davis:
Sure. I’ll tackle the improv part and let Kevin handle the humor side because that’s how we approached it at our local Kentucky conference for libraries. I think improv can be a very useful tool to encourage soft skills that maybe not everybody is coming in with.
It’s a fun way to play a little game, get a little more comfortable with people, and really understand—especially in the reference interview, how to approach doing that, and how to talk with folks, and things like that.
Kevin Jones:
And in terms of just humor in general, a number of our patrons suffer from library anxiety. A little gentle humor can help remove some of the barriers that they face—alleviate some of that anxiety, humanize us to our patrons, and actually help them remember some of the things we say. Humor is very useful.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #2: What are some of the specific improv methods that can be employed in libraries to enhance library services? 02:45
Brittany Davis:
We originally looked at a study by Vardell and Nelson that had an update in 2022. They went over six basic principles of improv that we used to build our presentation, and are using to help improve library services for our folks.
Those six principles are: make a connection; listen; yes/and; be in the moment—be flexible; listen to your inner voice; and follow your intuition. I think the top two easiest to make a change with are listen, and the yes/and principle—which we’ll talk about a little bit more in detail later.
Listening is the big one—to have a fun improv game where you listen to your partner. Whatever letter they end their sentence with is the letter you have to begin your sentence with. You really have to be listening and understanding in order to respond. You’re listening to get more understanding rather than to respond, which I think a lot of us are in a bad habit of doing.
The yes/and principle is big in improv. That’s where you trust your partner, or whoever you’re in the scene with—whoever you’re interacting with, to build something together. You always find the yes/and then you add to it. In reference services that looks very much like the reference interview, right? You ask follow-up questions, you say, Well, maybe we don’t have this specific book, but we do have this whole area of books on this topic. Those are a couple of easy ways to integrate improv into your library services.
As far as instruction goes, if you’re an instructional librarian like we are, it’s always best to have the ability to think on your feet a little, because every class is going to be a little different and you just can’t plan for all scenarios.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #3: How can those of us who haven’t employed improv in our library services develop these skills? 04:40
Brittany Davis:
I think that’s something that we’re still working on ourselves. Like Kevin said, using humor in the classroom humanizes us. We are trying to find more ways to build those connections— make connections be the first tenant. For us, we may start simple and easy with a small group of people that are like your trusted companions. Do a team building exercise where you’re trusted—because improv is a little scary, just like doing a reference interview or instruction can be a little scary. To practice it with that small trusted team first is a good way to introduce the skills and the games. That way once the library’s comfortable they can disseminate it from there.
Kevin Jones:
Just as the technique suggests you just practice listening and practice saying yes. I think that will help you quite a bit with improv.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #4: How long does it take to learn this, and is it for everyone? 05:39
Brittany Davis:
I’m not sure we have a good answer for that one, Adriane, to be honest [laughs]. Like I said we are just barely dipping our toes in. I think improv is something that you’re continuously learning. I’m not sure there’s an end date to being like the best improvest, or however you want to phrase it.
I think it’s really good to help people get comfortable being a little uncomfortable. Give them a little bit more confidence in situations where they may not have had that before—which always helps when you’re interacting, both at the desk and in the classroom. Just to have that confidence behind you of, I’ve done something scarier than this, I’ve done this scary improv thing. I can totally handle the students here.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #5: Can you demonstrate for us how this might work in libraries, maybe with a role-play? I think it would be useful for our audience to hear what this might sound like in practice. 06:21
Kevin Jones:
Sure. I’ll start. There’s a mama bear in the library with her cub.
Brittany Davis:
And she’s looking for books on honey.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Yes, and did you know we have a bear storytime next week that would be perfect for them?
Kevin Jones:
Yes, and I heard some beekeepers are going to do a demonstration soon as well.
Brittany Davis:
And the baby cub bear was so excited for all these great things at the library.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Yes, and we have so many books about bears. Do you think they’d like any of those?
Kevin Jones:
Yes, [laughs] I think they’d like all of them. Let me see—Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and yes, and The Berenstain Bears. Yes, and Winnie the Pooh. I think that Mama Bear and her cub are going to be very happy at the public library.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Yes, and did you know we have chairs in the library in three sizes? One for Papa Bear, one for Mama Bear, and one for Baby Bear?
Brittany Davis:
[laughs] Mama Bear will have to bring Papa Bear next time.
Kevin Jones:
Yes, and I’m sure all of them are just right. [laughs]
Brittany Davis:
While that may seem like a silly exercise to some, if you get over your fear of doing something off the cuff, then you can put it in the context of the library. You can say, Okay, let’s say a patron walks up to you with this particular reference question. Now roll-play and improv this “scene” together. See how it shifts when you do yes/and, as opposed to, Well I don’t know, or we don’t have that, etc, etc.
Kevin Jones:
Brittany was pointing out just so brilliantly the minute you say no—the improv is finished. It’s just like that with a reference interview as well. The second you say no, it’s over. You have to find a way to keep going. I think that transfers very well into helping patrons.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #6: You also mentioned the One Word Game. How does that work? 08:50
Brittany Davis:
Great question, Adriane. Let’s go ahead and try it out here. The One Word Game is you build a story one word at a time with a group of folks—ideally three or more people, but Kevin and I have done it just individually [laughs] just to practice a little bit.
We’re going to make it a little easier and have a theme for everybody. Let’s do the day in the life of a public librarian. I’ll start, then I’ll toss the ball to Kevin, then Adriane—then we’ll just circle until we have our story built.
I’m going to go with d.
Kevin Jones:
day
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
that
Brittany Davis:
began
Kevin Jones:
started
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
with
Brittany Davis:
a
Kevin Jones:
question
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
about
Brittany Davis:
flying
Kevin Jones:
and
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
dancing
Brittany Davis:
the
Kevin Jones:
patron
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
ended up
Brittany Davis:
really
Kevin Jones:
happy
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
dancing
Brittany Davis:
when
Kevin Jones:
she
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
found
Brittany Davis:
the
Kevin Jones:
book
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
about
Brittany Davis:
dancing
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Yea [laughs].
Brittany Davis:
It’s a very simple way to demonstrate that you have to listen, you have to make that connection, you have to trust where your partner is leading you. You have to be flexible. [laughs]. It does all the improv tenants in one very simple fun game.
Kevin Jones:
It sounds easier than it is. To be sure.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
True.
Brittany Davis:
Yeah.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #7: It does sound easier than it is. But, it’s a real creative process. I can see staff getting together to practice this, and then when they’re in the situation there’s a real sense of enjoyment. 10:30
Brittany Davis:
Yes. Vardell and Nelson, when they originally did this it was in a semester-long course. They had a control group where they did the typical, This is how we instruct about what a reference interview is, and how to do it. Then they did one that had these improv techniques. They found that the soft skills were better in the improv student workers than they were with the traditional approach to teaching.
So, it does have a little more merit because it is so hands-on. It’s putting you in the hot seat, so to speak, and it’s getting you comfortable before you have to have those interactions with the public, or whoever you deal with.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share? 11:21
Kevin Jones:
Yes. If your listeners are interested in learning more about humor in libraries, I would highly recommend Joshua Vossler, and Scott Sheidlower, Humor and Information Literacy, which is published by Libraries Unlimited.
Brittany Davis:
The only thing I would add would be The One Word Game. If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to do some improv and to break the ice look up One Word Game improv. It was one that we played with our group of people at the Kentucky Library Association Conference and it went over pretty well.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #9: Do you have any favorite management, or leadership books, or resources, and why? 11:57
Brittany Davis:
It’s been a couple years but I liked, I believe her name was, Priya Parker, The Art of the Gathering. She did a really good job of explaining: setting up expectations; ground rules; the setting; and just all the things you can do as a host—whether it’s a meeting, or a holiday dinner, can really help set the tone and the experience for the people you’re inviting. I’ve tried to take some of her ideas and incorporate them into meetings I’m leading to have better meetings.
Kevin Jones:
While it isn’t a management or a leadership book, Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection—it seems to imply an empathetic accountability that I think would benefit all types of leaders and followers as well.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Question #10: Brittany, and Kevin, in closing what do libraries mean to you, personally? 12:47
Brittany Davis:
That’s such a big question. I don’t know if we have enough time for that one [laughs]. I remember my mom always reading to me. I was always in libraries as a young child— through my teen years. I volunteered at the library. I eventually worked at my local public library. I worked at the university library as a student, and now I am a librarian at the college that I went to as an undergrad. So, it has been an essential theme in my life of meeting information with people and how do we do that in a way that best serves the person walking through the door?
Kevin Jones:
I don’t know if I can answer that question personally, but I would like to quote Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. He said, When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully—the church, which belongs to God, and the public library which belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer.
Adriane Herrick Juarez:
Brittany, and Kevin I appreciate you talking with me about using comedy and improv to improve library services. Much of what we do in our profession is about thinking on our feet. Practicing improvisational techniques can really help us do this.
This has been a lot of fun. Thank you for being on the show.
Kevin Jones:
Thank you for having us.
Brittany Davis:
Thank you, Adriane.
You’ve been listening to Library Leadership Podcast. This is Adriane Herrick Juarez. For more episodes tune into LibraryLeadershipPodcast.com where you can now subscribe to get episodes delivered right into your email inbox. Our producer is Nathan Sinclair Vineyard. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time.
We would like to thank the Park City Library for their dedicated support of this show. The opinions expressed on this show are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of Library Leadership Podcast, or our sponsors.