I beg to differ.... I am a born and bred Philadelphian and it IS a foreign
country.  Who else eats cheese steaks with cheese whiz :-)  Carole

At 01:52 PM 12/7/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>We have a number of curmudgeon faculty, who refuse to learn to use the
>computerized resources for themselves; they much prefer allowing us to
>dazzle them with our mastery of all things computer.  There is a young
>woman whom I know each one of us in the Reference Dept. has helped
>multiple times.  She is always in need of being shown how to use the
>catalog or one of the many databases.  We have patiently shown her time
>after time and I am sure we will continue to show her for as long as she
>continues to attend classes here.  But she isn't the "best" story.  We
>have another young American woman who signed up for our Research
>Consultation service 4 separate times, all for the same topic, because
>we weren't helping her find what she needed.  All in all, we weren't
>surprised that she wasn't quite getting it, since she thought
>Philadelphia, PA was a foreign country, and her vocabulary didn't
>include the word "previously".  What did surprise us is that this person
>is a junior.
>
>Happy holidays to all.
>
>Frances Piesbergen
>Ref. Leadership Team/
>Govt Docs Coordinator
>Room 320 (MC 60)            Dep.#0326
>Thomas Jefferson Library     ph. (314) 516-5084
>Univ. of MO - St. Louis       fax: (314) 516-5853
>One University Blvd.            e-m:  sfrpies@umsl.edu
>St. Louis, MO  63121
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
>[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Max Shenk
>Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 1:17 PM
>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

**********************************************
Carole R. Bell
Head, Acquisitions Dept.
Paley Library 017-00
1210 W. Berks Street
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122

voice:  215-204-3275
fax:    215-204-8550

email: crbell@temple.edu