Library Revolution

So I spent the day at the hospital today with my husband, who was getting surgery for a herniated disc. Nothing major, and he’s already recovering well at home.

Anyway, I don’t spend a lot of time in hospitals. Whenever I do, it’s a bit of a shock to the system for me. I mean, the people who work in a hospital, everyone from the little old lady volunteer in the waiting room to the nurses, to the surgeon have such a responsibility.

They are in charge of peoples lives, their health, their peace of mind. If they make mistakes, people suffer. I mean, they really physically suffer. I got a little taste of this when I worked for a cancer treatment center several years ago. Even though I was working with their records and sometimes answering the phone, I felt a lot of pressure to always get it right. If I didn’t, the consequences could be disastrous for someone, or at the very least could make someone’s suffering worse. I was a bit releived when, after about a year, I left to pursue other interests.

So I’m not really cut out to be a medical professional. Too much pressure. Too much at stake.

Which is why (in part) I became a librarian.

As a librarian, I certainly have certain responsibilities that could impact people negatively if I don’t perform them perfectly every time. But if I do have an of day, nobody is going to be paralyzed. Or disfigured. Or killed. They might just be a little grumpy.

This is what I want to say to a lot of library staff: Relax.

You are not a surgeon. Or a military officer. Or an air traffic controller. Getting that book on the shelf STAT will not prevent someone from losing a limb. Making sure that hold gets fixed so that Mrs. So-And-So gets the new James Patterson ASAP will not bring about world peace. Relax.
Yes, you can genuinely and deeply effect your patrons with what you do professionally. You can influence people’s lives with the information and services you provide. You can educate, inform, entertain, and  really make a difference to your patron and your community. But you also have the luxury of knowing that you are not in a life or death situation, and not every little thing needs to be made a Federal Case. Relax.

I mean it. Take a deep breath. Ask yourself, “Is anyone going to die from this?” And Relax.

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A few of my favorite Harry-themed videos for your amusement on the eve of “The Big Day.”

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Take a look at this excellent post at Library Nation.

Kathleen puts it so well, that I don’t have much to add, and I won’t try to paraphrase when you should just go over and read it for yourself.

I will,  however, say that I agree 100%. And it all comes back to engaging in meaningful conversations with our patrons (or our potential patrons). We really, really, really, really need to listen to what they have to say and use their comments as constructive criticism. No matter how we come across the comments, and whether or not the actual commenter pays taxes in our particular library district or not. It’s so hard to get good, usable feedback… let’s embrace it when we find it and then do something with it!

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I was in a library the other day, sort of hanging out near the circ desk while I waited for the person I was supposed to be training. (In case you haven’t noticed from my other posts, I spend a lot of time like this!) As I was standing there, the phone rang.

Here is the conversation I overheard – or at least the half I heard (paraphrased a little, sorry!):

Circ Clerk: (with a smile) Hello! Public Library!

<pause>

CC: (smile fades)Well… (uncertainly) I’m not really sure.

<pause>

CC: Um… I just don’t know. (frowning) On the main highway I suppose. You know, Main Street.

<pause>

CC: It depends on where you are coming from. I don’t really know…

<pause>

CC: East or West? What town are you coming from?

<pause>

CC: Oh, I don’t know where that is. I don’t live right around here…

<pause>

CC: Well, you could ask someone when you get close. We’re really right on Main Street.

<pause>

CC: (with a sudden look of utter confusion) Our Web site? I don’t know… maybe it’s there…

<pause>

CC: OK. Sorry about that. Goodbye.

I felt kind of bad… for the clerk (a really nice lady) and for the poor, lost patron on the other end of that conversation. I almost wanted to ask her to hand me the phone so I could give the directions myself.

I’m sure this not the first (nor the last) time someone has called this library for directions. I’m also guessing that they get calls for library hours, event information, renewals, policy questions, and other routine inquiries. Most of which have simple, consistent answers that could be given easily and clearly… if they were pre-scripted.

Do any of your libraries keep a set of typed, canned answers to typical questions somewhere near the main phone? I’ve seen this at libraries from time to time, but it doesn’t strike me as all that widespread a practice. But maybe that’s just my impression.

Nothing so long and complicated that staff would panic trying to find the right answer in a tall stack of densely printed pages… just a short summary of what to say to those questions. Something for the clerks answering the phone to fall back on when they don’t readily know the answer, they forget, there has been a change, or they just space out (we all have those moments!).

This poor lady could have really used a copy of the directions right near the phone… and so could her patron!

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I just couldn’t let this one languish down in the comments.

Remember my little rant recently about Librarians and Minimum Technology Competencies? You know, the one that got a lot of people riled up? (If you could only see the outrage that warmed my In Box. LOVE IT!!)

So one comment read as follows:

It is interesting to compare your list to the list of skills that students in Livonia Central School must exhibit at the conclusion of third grade.

http://www.sctboces.org/toolbox/template.cfm?ID=2791&P=LP&L=4479&T=Technology%20Goals%20Primary%20Grades

Sorry this is a cut ‘n paste. That’s as far as I went.

Well, well, well.

In case you’re not interested in clicking through to see what the school expects third graders to be able to do, I will summarize here.

Prior to completion of  Third Grade, students will:

1. be able to copy and paste within a document (creating and formatting the document was required for 2nd grade)
2. use spell check
3. insert a graphic into a word processing document
4. use the internet to communicate

Please take a look at the full list. Using a mouse is listed for Kindergarten.

Why does the school require these skills? Beause without them, the kids won’t be able to function in future grade levels, much less in college or in the workplace. So for anyone who god miffed and argued with me that simple computer skills just aren’t relevant to their lives as librarians, I wonder if your child’s school would agree.

Didn’t grow up in a time when basic computer skills were a required part of the curriculum? I totally understand - most of us didn’t. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have to catch up.

Thanks to Lizz for the link. I really don’t think I’m out of line in any of this. Lizz would be the first person to tell me if I was… she’s also my mom!

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