Author in the Rye??

Patron (young female): Do you have Author in the Rye...?
Me: Author in the Rye or Catcher in the Rye?
Patron: Oh, Maybe. It is a famous book.
Me: That would be Catcher in the Rye.
Patron: (shyly) Thanks.

Slow Cooker Recipes

Patron: (pointing to the public computers) Can I hit this button and get slow cooker recipes?
Me: What are you looking for? Books with recipes or something from the Internet?
Patron: I just want a recipe to take home with me!!
Me: Elaborating on my earlier question - would you like a book to take home or are you looking for something to be printed out.
Patron: Can you just show me how to use this?
Me: (Trying to explain how to use "this") you can check our catalogue (our home page is the catalogue) or you can find something on Google.
Patron: No, no. Just get me something printed.
Me: Do you have a certain recipe in mind or a favourite website for slow cooker recipes?
Patron: No.
Me: Just Google for something and ask him if he wants this printed.
Patron: Yes. Do I have to pay for this?
Me: Yes. 10 cents please.


Patron leaves.
Me: Left wondering about my reference interview skills!!!

Another Step Forward - Or Is It?

I just watched a video on Augmented Reality on the Common Craft Blog - a blog I follow regularly. This video got me thinking. With Google, people decided they didn't need libraries or librarians. With this, what will they say?

We as librarians know that the general mass doesn't know how to search efficiently or effectively, but.....hmmm.... they think they do.

But, what is the need for so much information anyway. These gadgets take away the decision making ability, the joy of looking up information, the adventure of venturing out, from us. Will the younger generation understand that? Or will they let their gadgets make decisions for them? How long will it be before you can point your glasses at a human being to decide weather he/she is your soul-mate (I hate that word).

I'm just another librarian rambling.

Education or Experience?

Patron wearing yellow tinted glasses and hooded jacket: When does the University close?
Me (no glasses or hood): For the day, for the semester or the year?
Patron: No, when does one finish University?
Me: Oh, a degree? It depends - could be 4 years or 6 years or longer.
Patron: Oh! (goes away)

3 minutes later:

Same Patron: Is education important?
Me: That is a very broad question and philosophical. Do you have a specific question about education? (remember he is hooded and has tinted glass - so I can't see much of him)
Patron: What about you? Was education important?
Me: Me, personally? Yes it was.
Patron: What about experience?
Me: Education adds more value to your experience and/or vice versa, atleast for me personally.
Patron: Oh, okay! (and walks away)

A few minutes later:

Same patron: I want to write an exam to show I would qualify for a degree.
Me: (not finding anything immediately) I'll give you the University's number and another College's number. Talk to people there.
Patron: (Reading what I wrote). What is this?
Me: That is the name of the University?
Patron: Is it here? In town?
Me: Yes.
Patron: Really?
Me: Really!
Patron: Hmmm... (and walks away)

Me: What was that all about??????? Was he serious? Was he testing me?

An Act or At

Patron: It won't give me an Act!!
Me: An Act! What Act are you looking for? (as in law)
Patron: It just won't give me an Act!!
Me: Was someone else help you find something? Can you tell me more?
Patron: I am on the computer typing my yahoo email ID. And I can't type the @ sign.
Me: Oh an "at." Let me come and help you.

Do you work here?

I was sitting behind the desk, reading a work email. A patron comes to the desk and asks:

Patron: Hi, do you work here?
Me: Yes (screaming in my head: Of course! I am sitting behind the desk!)
Patron: Where are the card catalogs?
Me: Uh! We don't use those anymore.
Patron: Where do I search for books then?
Me: I will show you how to use our online catalog.
Patron: Alright! (sigh).

But still a sport and comes with me to the computer and spends 15 minutes finding his way around. I thought that was nice.

Do I need a card?

Patron: Do I need a library card to take stuff out of the library?

Me: Yes.

Patron: It's probably a dumb question eh?

Me: No. Not at all.

Patron: I can't believe I have to sign up for a card. Can I take it just once without a card?

Me: No. You cannot.

Patron: Urgh....

What more will they ask of us?

A patron called from home. He is having email issues and wanted a favour. Could I go into his email account from the library and let him know if there are any emails from potential employers? Don't read the mail, just check if there is a mail, he says.

I had to say: NO sorry, we cannot do that. You are welcome to come into any of our branches and use the computers. We are open till 9 p.m.

He hung up on me! He'll probably come marching in later to yell at one of us for not helping him.

Where is Carly?

It was a steady Saturday and this is the conversation I had with my patron

P: "Where is Carly?"
Me: "I don't know. Who is Carly?"
P: "Your Library."
Me: Carly works here?
P:"No. It is another of your library."
Me: Oh! (still not connecting the dots)
P: "It is a branch."
Me:"You mean Carlyle King, our branch?"
P: "Yes."
Me: "Here is the address and map of how to get there."
P: "Thank you."

Innovative Interfaces Incorporated - Millennium

Our library is switching to a One Library One Province mode. One of the first things we are doing is switching from dying DRA to Millennium by III. I have used this at BCIT, Burnay and am looking foward to working on it again. It is more intuitive and user-friendly.

We are the first library to go live with this and then the rest of the province will follow. Staff are understandably a bit stressed with the change, scheduling and the unknown, when it goes live on December 15th.

Did you know that computer systems upgrade is one of the top causes of stress at a workplace? No wonder......

I think most of the fear stems from the fact that patrons will not be patient while we learn this system on the job - they will yell, stomp, throw tantrums.... But wait, we have all this already, don't we? Good luck to us!

Conference in Alberta

I was at Netspeed in Calgary, Alberta last week. This was my first time to Netspeed. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures.

The focus was on technology in libraries. I learnt some new lingo like "Vook" which means video book and "digi-novels" which means digitized books. Came back with interesting thoughts and ideas to try and implement here.

In Light of Swine Flu or H1N1

Everyone here is a bit anxious about this cold season because of this flu. Our City is going to great lenghts to create pandemic alerts, install hand sensitizers in all the popular places, offering advise on washing hands often, creating pamphlets on the subject, etc. They also said there should be a six-feet distance between someone who is sick and coughing and sneezing.

All weekend I worked, we had this guy in the library with a hacking cough, lots of sneezing, sniffling, and was overall unclean as well. Almost all of us had to help him at one time or another and we absolutely had no way of staying six feet away from him. He was using computers and prints which we also had to touch at one point or another. By the end of the weekend there were 3 of us feeling unwell but atleast two of us are here back at work on Monday.

All this rambling has a question. What are other libraries doing in these situations? Has anyone refused service to patrons due to their illness symptoms? I uphold the laws of good customer services at my library but am worried I am going to be sick soon.

Ten Commandments for Librarians - not in any particular order

I was thinking of listing Ten Commandments for librarians. I had to pause for a while but thanks to comments from friends and fellow bloggers I am upto 10 now.

1. Acquire: as in collect for your library
2. Weed: can't stress how important this is if you want to acquire new items
3. Read: Of course you are supposed to have read every book in the world - but kidding aside read, read, read... it can be anything.
4. Lead: be a leader and come up with innovative ideas - have a vision
5. Manage: Know when to pull the reigns - budgeting, staffing, etc
6. Update or be up to date: in terms of what is happening in the technology world, library world or just world in general
7. Learn: learn how users learn, learn new technology, so you can be a better teacher
8. Teach: as in teach computer classes, catalog search, database search, etc
9. Synthesize: anything you read, learn or update yourself with - use it. Example: if you learn of a new computer program or social networking site, see how you can use it to your library's advantage
10. Listen: this is a very important skill. Without listening we don't understand the question and we cannot have a reference interview.

More personal favours

Twice last night I was asked by patrons if I would let them use my computer or my email. There are about 25 computers they can use in the library.

The first case was a lady who wanted to send something to her email from the web and then print it (don't ask me why). Alas, she forgot her mail password. So she wanted me to sit with her, send this stuff to my email and allow her to print it from there. Common! I should mention I printed it off the web for her.

The second case was a young man who couldn't download Skype on our computers. We don't allow downloads. So he wanted me to download it on my computer so he could quickly talk to someone!

Would you walk into an office building (say you are in the building for a reason) and ask the staff there to use their computer? Given we are a public service and not just some office building - still, isn't there a limit as to what can be expected of us.

If you are new here you should read my other entries on what people ask at the library.

Conversations with patrons

Me: Good Evening. How can I help you?
Patron: Someone I know died and it is in the paper. My friends found out about this on the computer. I want it.
Me: Where did this person die?
Patron: In Calgary or Edmonton (in another province)
Me: Was it an accident? Was it reported in the paper or was it an obituary?
Patron: I don't know! (with lot of attitude). My friends found it on the computer. Look for it.
Me: Where did your friends find it? (I meant where on the computer - a newspaper site, general website, email)
Patron: On the computer!! Geez! Can you find it or not?
Me: I cannot find it if I don't know what I am looking for? And I don't know where your friends found it? Can you be more specific? Was this information in the newspaper?
Patron: Look! This person died in Calgary or Edmonton and my friends read about it on the computer! That's all I know. Can you please look into your computer?
Me: Sure. Do you know the name of the person who died? I can check the obituaries first and go from there.
Patron: Not really!
Me: ????????
Patron: ???????

Crazy afternoon

It's been a crazy afternoon and I wasn't even on desk serving patrons!! With two copies of daily schedule floating around any changes I made in the schedule didn't show up and I had to do it all over again. This time it wasn't my fault. I'll leave it at that and not point any fingers :))

I had to register for a conference and the fax machine was acting up. It kept saying "there is a problem with your number. Please check your number and dial again." So after faxing, I had to call the place (out of province) and confirm they got my fax. Gosh! All this technology! It can be useful only when it works! When it doesn't, it is a pain in the - you know where!

I hope the rest of the evening is quiet and I don't have those snarky patrons - what a positive attitude eh? But really on the positive side, I have tomorrow off! yay!!

Sweetheart Librarian

I had a question over the phone today from a patron who explained the contents of a book - Canadian author who wrote about himself and his son; had to do with them watching movies - now she couldn't remember the title.

It didn't take me too long to find the book as I had heard of it. She called me a sweetheart for finding it so quickly and relieving her of her headache.

A few days ago, I helped a patron (she was about 80 years old) find books on dating and relationships by Dr.Phil. This patron has promised to bring me flowers some day for all the help I offered.

I must be having a good month........Hope this luck lasts.......

In case you are wondering about the title in the first case: Film Club: A True Story of a Father and a Son by David Gilmour.

Meebo Me Widget

I am proposing that we have a chat widget on our library's website. Heck I am the virtual reference librarian aren't I? I wanted to play with it first. I couldn't believe how easy it was to do this on my own blog. Try it and if I am online I will talk to you too.

T as in T and K as in Koffin?

This was the question I had over the phone: Could I have the address and phone number for TK Mechanics in town? I wanted clarification and asked T as in.....?

Patrons reply: T as in T (probably meant "tea" which was still hard to understand over the phone) and K as in Koffin.

Email us your resume?

Okay. It must be a full moon or something. Too many wierd questions and this one tops the list for today.

A patron has a friend who typed his (patron's) resume for him. Now this friend has to send this resume to our patron. I didn't want to know where this friend was. Patron calls us to ask if this friend could send this resume to us because he doesn't know how else he could receive it.

After a chit-chat, it was clear our patron didn't know about emails or discs for saving. He concluded that he was going to ask his neice (who apparently has an email id) to receive this resume from his friend and get it printed. He thanked me for explaining this process too!

Whew! I am glad that was solved and I didn't have to receive strangers' resumes.