Easy, Killer

I was just assisting a graduate student with the crazy multi-step way to access our online journal collection. We seriously need a better way..... Anyhow, he wanted a particular article and was not sure how to determine where or even how to get the article. He presumed that we did not own the journal, it's a medical journal, why would we have it, right?

Oh they can be enlightened.

I began the lesson of how to search. From that point he asked about his options of getting articles from journals we do not have access to quickly. As I began to describe one way, a colleague strolls over to offer her advice about the whole situation. She notices that on my screen I selected a journal that we do in fact have a subscription to and proceeds to tell the young man that he doesn't need to bother about the other library or those other options I mentioned because we can get that article.

Blah, blah blah. Don't waste your time. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Just print it out. Blah, blah, blah. I'm the master of reference.....Don't listen to this other lady.....Blah, blah, blah,blah.

I shut up, turned to my screen like a shamed child, and let her talk to the patron taking over the moment. Because, you know, that will keep me looking less like a jerk when I have to tell him the truth about how to get the goods after she leaves. Oh yeah and the fact that she has not stepped foot in that library, nor does she have any idea about the place, shoulda been a big clue too. You see, I do not believe in correcting (loudly correcting) my colleagues in front of EVERYONE in the lobby. You know, it has something to do with keeping up appearances, keeping the patron's faith in your abilities. I prefer that we should make the patrons feel like they can ask us for help and know we can assist them. By correcting another librarian, in a "I know better" way does not encourage patron trust. Don't get me wrong. We can all learn from each other. It just helps to know the whole situation before jumping to conclusions. And not to be so arrogant.

Okay. Here are my lessons of the day.

When you, the super awesome librarian, roll in the library after a big meeting and begin to Bogart a patron from a (younger) colleague please keep in mind a few things:

1. If you just walked into the middle of a conversation, you will definitely miss the context, don't try the 'save the day' approach, this will only make you appear more like an over-eager ass.

2. Due to #1 you would not understand why I happened to choose said journal.... Because maybe, it's one that I know for a fact that other library gets electronically so that I could demonstrate how he could access it online at the other library because duh, I'm answering the first question he asked, the one you missed since you were not here. (And by not being here you also missed the part about him indicating that his apartment was closer to that library and he wanted to know if going there on a day without his car would be a reasonable option.)

3. When you are trying too hard to come off as the suave know-it-all seasoned reference librarian you end up looking like an ass barging in on a conversation. Don't try to look like a big dope, there are other less embarrassing ways for you to invest your time on.

4. Doing this over and over will only make us younger librarians (or newbies) want to stay clear of you and cause further alienation of the staff. Because we know that to you it's more important to be the know-it-all-colleague rather than the let-me-help-you-learn-colleague.

5. Learn to trust the younger librarians...Sure we're young and not incredibly experienced but we too can help patrons. Really, we don't always need to hold your hand.

I think I feel better now......I need to take a walk.