This was timely too. On Friday my boss spent a lot of time with an almost helpless user who wanted to set up a Yahoo e-mail account. He was so bad she wrote down his address and password when finished because she knew he'd be unable to log in again without help.
I warned her that she was setting herself up. Sure enough, the guy's wife appeared today and wanted to use our online version of Books in Print. Same deal. She knew nothing about computers, not even how to type. Couldn't use a mouse, didn't understand what she was looking at on the screen. Again, the boss spent nearly an hour hand holding. This is NOT our job.
But... the public thinks we have "librarian brains" and also many believe they are too stupid to learn. The sad part is, some of them are right.
Agreed. Not your job, but your boss deserves a kudos for slogging through anyhow. I'm reasonably certain however you see your last statement is a coping mechanism that those "stupid" people have installed :P
I myself am fairly poor at memorizing numbers, but recent events have caused me to evolve and become better at it. I'm certain I couldn't ramble off a number on any card I have- even my license number- but I'm pretty decent at remembering lock combinations and passwords. Heh, I wouldn't expect a librarian to know my bike lock combination just because I park it in their bike rack :P
Ultimatly the answer is to refuse to solve their problems, grin and bare their tantrums and watch in amusement as they try & try and eventually evolve as well.
There does come a point where those tantrums are a problem though. Some people today are accustomed to carrying a complaint up the chain of command. You know, the "I want to talk to your supervisor" people. We get those all the time. Fortunately, I can send them to my boss and she will almost always back me up. But when they try to go over her head, they go to the mayor or the city council.
Now we don't owe any direct allegiance to those people. We are funded separately, from our own tax levy and our own endowment (having a private endowment is a real luxury for a public library, but we are fortunate in that we do have one.) But the city officially owns our building and provides a number of services to us, such as managing personnel benefits and payrolls for us. We could do it on our own, but it would use up valuable staff time and in the case of insurance benefits, probably cost a lot more for our tiny group than it does when four or five people are tacked onto the police and fire department and city sanitation and street crews, etc. So we have to avoid rocking the boat too much...
Users of computers at our library have to type in their card number every time they sit down. Consequently they usually know their number, yes. Unfortunately, the kids all know each others' numbers. They run out of time allotment on their own card and use someone else's, which is against the rules.
Those who don't use computers either at home or in the library tend not to know their numbers. Fortunately most of them do remember to bring their card with them.
*laughs* I memorized my library card number back when I was at the library nearly every day. Useful for when I discovered they had their card catalog and hold/loan request systems online via telnet. I could sit at home and put holds on all the books I wanted to check out next time I was there. :D
I wonder if librarians at my local library have this problem? Then again they do have Internet learning sessions, but they make the internet too slow for any power user so hence keeping the twits away.
Not every librarian feels that way by any means. It's perhaps roughly divided 50-50 between those who think we should do absolutely anything to bring people through the doors (serve coffee? sure. dancing girls? maybe. free video games? some do. and so forth.)
The other half, in which I belong, have a different idea of the purpose of a public library. It's an old argument. The two sides used to be called "Give 'em what they want" and "Give 'em what they need."
The first group believes that since a public library is supported by tax dollars for the use of the taxpayers, it should provide whatever the taxpayers ask for. That might even include pornography or junk romance novels. The second group believes that a library is an educational institution with the purpose of helping those who wish to obtain or expand their education on their own, as opposed to the structured environment of a school. That means the library should select resources from the best possible things available, always with an eye toward presenting multiple viewpoints, the latest scientific views, and the finest (award-winning or recognized classics) in literature.
I believe need trumps want and should be provided for first. That means we should spend our money to improve the quality of our collection in current subjects like health, medicine, ecology and nature, political science, economics, etc. It also means that we need to purchase books by prize winning authors, whether they are likely to be "in demand" or not. Magazine subscriptions should include Atlantic Monthly and National Geographic before we consider buying People or Sports Illustrated. It's a much more difficult path to walk, so more and more public libraries have abandoned it in favor of just buying whatever is popular. So they get the latest junk videos, People Magazine, and Stephen King. They may not even have Shakespeare or Jane Austen available, but they have lots of copies of James Patterson and John Grisham so that no one has to wait for one. This kind of decision making is easy. You look at what has circulated the most and buy more of it, and you never have to evaluate anything. If it's popular, you buy it.
Well said. Our society places want before need. Truly the driving force- and probably the reason adults are big children. In the end, a computer- like a brain- is yet another tool... and it is the person using it that can have a purpose or get lost in degradation. For me, no pathway is clear or easy- so I cannot say I've learned nothing from the negative and inappropriate functions offered online OR that I've not watched others lose themselves in want whilst their needs piled higher and higher- I can only say that we have many tools at our disposal, and therefore should ask ourselves why we seek to use them in the manner in which we do.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 06:46 pm (UTC)I warned her that she was setting herself up. Sure enough, the guy's wife appeared today and wanted to use our online version of Books in Print. Same deal. She knew nothing about computers, not even how to type. Couldn't use a mouse, didn't understand what she was looking at on the screen. Again, the boss spent nearly an hour hand holding. This is NOT our job.
But... the public thinks we have "librarian brains" and also many believe they are too stupid to learn. The sad part is, some of them are right.
They luv you for your mind ^_^
Date: 2008-02-28 06:28 pm (UTC)I myself am fairly poor at memorizing numbers, but recent events have caused me to evolve and become better at it. I'm certain I couldn't ramble off a number on any card I have- even my license number- but I'm pretty decent at remembering lock combinations and passwords. Heh, I wouldn't expect a librarian to know my bike lock combination just because I park it in their bike rack :P
Ultimatly the answer is to refuse to solve their problems, grin and bare their tantrums and watch in amusement as they try & try and eventually evolve as well.
Re: They luv you for your mind ^_^
Date: 2008-02-29 01:15 am (UTC)Now we don't owe any direct allegiance to those people. We are funded separately, from our own tax levy and our own endowment (having a private endowment is a real luxury for a public library, but we are fortunate in that we do have one.) But the city officially owns our building and provides a number of services to us, such as managing personnel benefits and payrolls for us. We could do it on our own, but it would use up valuable staff time and in the case of insurance benefits, probably cost a lot more for our tiny group than it does when four or five people are tacked onto the police and fire department and city sanitation and street crews, etc. So we have to avoid rocking the boat too much...
Re: They luv you for your mind ^_^
Date: 2008-03-01 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 09:09 pm (UTC)IT'S YOUR JOB, DEAL WITH IT!
*looks down at your shoes*
Uh, sorry, but you could use a trim.
Imp being
no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 09:31 pm (UTC)(not really)
Snowing real good here now. Probably headed your way.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 10:23 pm (UTC)I wear non-stylish shoes, yes. I always have:
XXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXX XXXno subject
Date: 2008-02-25 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 01:21 am (UTC)Those who don't use computers either at home or in the library tend not to know their numbers. Fortunately most of them do remember to bring their card with them.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 11:29 am (UTC)Then again they do have Internet learning sessions, but they make the internet too slow for any power user so hence keeping the twits away.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-28 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 01:03 am (UTC)The other half, in which I belong, have a different idea of the purpose of a public library. It's an old argument. The two sides used to be called "Give 'em what they want" and "Give 'em what they need."
The first group believes that since a public library is supported by tax dollars for the use of the taxpayers, it should provide whatever the taxpayers ask for. That might even include pornography or junk romance novels. The second group believes that a library is an educational institution with the purpose of helping those who wish to obtain or expand their education on their own, as opposed to the structured environment of a school. That means the library should select resources from the best possible things available, always with an eye toward presenting multiple viewpoints, the latest scientific views, and the finest (award-winning or recognized classics) in literature.
I believe need trumps want and should be provided for first. That means we should spend our money to improve the quality of our collection in current subjects like health, medicine, ecology and nature, political science, economics, etc. It also means that we need to purchase books by prize winning authors, whether they are likely to be "in demand" or not. Magazine subscriptions should include Atlantic Monthly and National Geographic before we consider buying People or Sports Illustrated. It's a much more difficult path to walk, so more and more public libraries have abandoned it in favor of just buying whatever is popular. So they get the latest junk videos, People Magazine, and Stephen King. They may not even have Shakespeare or Jane Austen available, but they have lots of copies of James Patterson and John Grisham so that no one has to wait for one. This kind of decision making is easy. You look at what has circulated the most and buy more of it, and you never have to evaluate anything. If it's popular, you buy it.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-27 11:47 pm (UTC)XD
no subject
Date: 2008-02-28 12:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-28 03:57 am (UTC)Take the compliment and go with it, you
deserve it.
^.~
no subject
Date: 2008-02-28 04:04 am (UTC)