Comments on: If Information is Food, Ctd.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:49:18 +0000

Regarding this part: “They would want the librarians to care about what they were reading or watching or doing; that to them it is an important basis of contact to have with the library.” I would satrons want you to care about *helping them with* what they’re reading or watching or doing, by (1) listening to what they actually want, and (2) cheerfully providing it. The best responses I’ve gotten from patrons is when I come across as supportive of what they’re seeking, especially when their request is a little “low-brow” or unacademic. By supportive, I mean being non-judgmental and energetically throwing myself into the search, not actually saying that I support whatever they want. When they know you really care about getting them what they’re asking for, it doesn’t read as impersonal.

Correcting factual errors in reference transactions is right and proper, but handing patrons Moby Dick or A Visit from the Goon Squad when they want paranormal romance is deliberately refusing to answer their request. You don’t need to be a librarian to do that, either–any high school kid with a list of Harvard classics and the recent awards shortlists can hand out all the pre-approved ‘good’ books. Where you earn your pay in readers’ advisory is by figuring out what the patron actually desires and what books fit the bill–not by ignoring their criteria completely and supplanting it with your own literary tastes.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:09:28 +0000

I read your previous post to refer to fiction, or, more broadly, to reading for entertainment. I agree with you that it would be the rare librarian who would be able to restrain themselves from making sure their patron was leaving with accurate information. I know there is some apathy in the profession, but for most of us, that’s one of the hallowed tenets of librarianship. So, no argument on helping customers find the correct information–although I have had experiences that touch on a fine line. For example, the vaccine=autism connection has been thoroughly debunked, but I still have customers who want to read Jenny McCarthy or Mayim Baylik’s books that discourage childhood vaccination. How do I handle that? I want my customers to have the best information possible, but it seems condescending and downright rude to try to offer them something a bit more scientifically valid.
As to your comment about being impersonal, I think some of us remain reserved because privacy is such a valued commodity in libraries. We don’t want people to think we are judging them based on the information they are seeking or the entertainment they want. Although we do want to give them the sense that we care about them, too. So, again, another fine line!

By: Nancy Almand

Nancy Almand — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:59:39 +0000

“only connect”
Librarians share a connection to information, to share that is an essential role. Many of us are just magnets for random information that is frequently useful, not to mention being well-read, and we have a talent for finding information. It is neither good or bad, it is just information.

Supplying it is a form of neutral non-judgment: No big deal, I hear this all the time, I can handle it. You have an information need, you have come to the right place. How may I be of assistance?

By: bmljenny

bmljenny — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:33:25 +0000

I don’t know if these posts just happened to all come out at the same time or if you all are reflecting off each other’s writing, but I really liked the points that the Stacked blog post had on this topic:
http://www.stackedbooks.org/2012/05/you-can-like-what-you-like.html
I particularly liked the “guilty pleasure” parts – that has a similar connotation with food. Unlike unhealthy food though, there is no evidence that reading Twilight is actually BAD for you, unlike eating a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s. It doesn’t cause cavities or clog your arteries. It doesn’t make you dumb.

By: libraryjake

libraryjake — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:32:21 +0000

Thank you for amending your previous post. Like the good postmodernist I am, I recognize that all texts are valid, but I can’t help but think that some are more valid than others. And that goes for fiction as well. Take Twilight, which is both much loved (sales, awards) and maligned (feminist backlash, just plain haters). The very dialogue around that series I found very beneficial, both in and outside of library settings. I’m in favor of pretty much anything, save hate speech and death threats, that gets people reading. Maybe the Twilight series is the gateway to something else, maybe it’s an end in and of itself.