Re: Time to lighten up! M. O'Neal 07 Dec 2004 21:38 UTC
I also would like to say, with no offence to Max, that this person was in need of assistance and wasn't getting it. I have a daughter with a learning disability who is attending a community college and I would like to think that she is being given all the possible help available. After all isn't that why we are here- to help, yes, even if it means multiple times. Mary O'Neal Webster University Library, Serials On Tue, 7 Dec 2004, Rick Anderson wrote: > I want to say this gently, as I genuinely mean no offense to Max. But > the scenario he describes below sounds more to me like a failure of the > library than a failure of the patron. Granted, the patron didn't seem > to have a clear idea of what she was after. But isn't exactly that why > patrons come to the desk? I think the thing to do in that situation is > to put some effort into helping the patron figure out what she needs, > and then to help her find it. My suspicion is that the reason she > didn't return for a fifth time is not that she found what she needed -- > rather, she was probably simply too mortified to approach the > periodicals desk again, or had simply come to the conclusion that no one > in the library really wanted to help her. > > ---- > Rick Anderson > Dir. of Resource Acquisition > University of Nevada, Reno Libraries > (775) 784-6500 x273 > rickand@unr.edu > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum > > [mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Max Shenk > > Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 11:17 AM > > To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU > > Subject: [SERIALST] Time to lighten up! > > > > O.K., serialisters... I had something happen today which I wanted to > > share, and I thought it'd be a good chance for everyone to lighten up > > and post their Amazing But True Patron stories. > > > > Mine is: > > > > I work at a community college library periodicals desk. This > > morning, a > > student came to the desk and asked if she could see "The Harvard > > Journal." > > > > "We don't have a title called The Harvard Journal," I said. "Do you > > need the Harvard Business Review? Harvard Educational Review? Harvard > > Health Letter?" I sent her back over to the reference desk to get more > > information, assuming that she'd come back with a citation from the > > indices. > > > > Five minutes later she comes back again: "I need Current > > Controversies." > > > > "We don't have anything called Current Controversies... > > there's a title > > called Issues And Controversies, but it's shelved in the reference > > section." > > > > She goes back to the reference desk... > > > > Five minutes later, she comes back a third time... > > > > "I need Harvard Education Review." > > > > "What issue?" > > > > "Uhhh... fall... 2000-something." > > > > She went over to the reference desk a FOURTH time and this time didn't > > return. I assume she found what she was looking for online. > > > > Will she be able to grasp the concept of "Do you want fries > > with that?" > > is my question. > > > > Your turn. > > > > Max Shenk > > Periodicals Assistant > > Brendlinger Library > > Montgomery County Community College > > Blue Bell, PA 19422