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