The biggest missing aspect of good librarianship at the information desk was follow up. I realize that it is rarely possible on a busy day to follow up in the proper sense -- finding the user again and asking if they found everything they were looking for and if they need any further assistance. But it can't be emphasized enough how much positive effect a "Don't hesitate to stop by again if you have any problems" or a "Please come back if you have any more questions" can have.
I've already mentioned how wary most users are approaching the desk and how many seem to think they only have time to get a quick answer and must be on their way again. Even with encouragement, many will not return a second time if they get lost. They will just leave dissatisfied. These dissatisfied users have not been helped at all. If librarians pride themselves on getting users to the information they seek, they need to be sure that the users actually find what they are looking for. In the real world, there is a not enough time to hold every user's hand through the entire search. But trying to get them to come back if they have problems is a start in the right direction of improving results.
The handouts are also useful here. A librarian can say, "Hopefully that'll get you started. If you have any trouble, take a look at this handout on using CARL. But if you're still not sure, just come back here again and we'll see what we can do." Even if the user doesn't come back again, she knows it was at least an option and that the librarian was willing to do all he could do.
The second biggest thing I wish I had seen was name tags or some sort of staff identification. Users are often lost in the wide world of information and looking for guidance. They need recognizable landmarks. They need to be able to easily identify who they should talk to. Usually it's pretty obvious that a librarian can help when she is behind the desk. But when she is elsewhere in the library, it's not so clear. Also, I've seen other people wander behind the information desk and could not tell if they worked there or not. Some seemed like student helpers the way they ruffled through the handouts, but there was no clue to guide me.
An experience related to being able to easily identify librarians is "The Coffee Nazi." During my observations, I saw a student came into the library with a styrofoam cup of coffee. (I believe it was covered with a plastic lid, but can't recall for sure). Shortly after she came through the entrance, a woman walked up to her and, in a sharp, abrupt tone, said, "You can't have that in here. Take it out." She firmly punctuated this by pointing the student to the door.
I had never seen this woman before, and I still have no idea who she was. She was not dressed professionally; she had no nametag. I don't know if she works in the library, is university faculty, staff, or something else entirely. Hamilton Library may have decided one way or the other on drinks in the library, but, regardless, this is not the way to enforce it and still have satisfied users. If this wasn't a librarian, there needs to be a way to determine that. I thought this was the most negative incident I saw during my observation.