the other side of the (reference) desk

Philosophical question: Can I still call myself a librarian if I no longer work as a librarian?

Philosophical answer: I hope not.

I have a paper coming up in my accounting class. As soon as I heard the assignment I knew exactly which reference source I needed and headed off to the library(s) to find it.

Take #1, academic library: I could have tried to locate the book on my own but I have so many things in my head that I didn't think I could possibly remember another thing like a call number. Besides, my library doesn't have stand alone terminals to look up books - I'd have to wait in line for an eon for a free computer or fire up my laptop and remember what I was looking for. I thought it would be a pretty straightforward transaction so I strolled purposefully up to the reference desk and told the librarian what what I knew: the book was called "Industry Surveys" and I knew it was published quarterly in a 3 or 4 volume set and last I knew it was published by Mergent (and was formerly published by Moody's). The librarian searched the catalog a few different ways but didn't find the book so she then showed me an online database that supposedly had the book. She searched the database a few different ways and half-heartedly said "Oh, I guess you need to know the SIC code" (this was my cue to realize she was looking for the wrong thing) and sort of gave up. She then sent me away to the reference collection armed with a call number where the books *might* be if they had them. Needless-to-say I didn't find the book.

Take #2, local town library: I like to study at my local town library. It's clean, bright and quiet and has very few distractions; perfect elements for marathon study sessions. Yesterday afternoon my study agenda included writing a paper and completing a set of slides for the professor I work with for my research assistantship. On a whim I stopped by the reference desk where the overly helpful librarian spent about 15 minutes searching the catalog every way to Sunday before giving up with a sigh and recommending I check the huge library downtown.

Take #3, huge library downtown: This library has a dedicated business library so I felt hopeful that the third time would be a charm. I told the librarian what I was looking for and she said she thought it was something they had. She immediately got up and led me on a ten minute parade around the library looking in all the places she thought the book would be. Yup, ten minutes of random staring at shelves and wandering around. The librarian finally decided to "look it up" and actually had to consult a paper card catalog! You know, like the ones in the drawers! Armed with a card supposedly containing information about my book, we spent another ten minutes wandering around looking for it. I tried to tell her what it was about the books that I actually wanted but she wasn't listening or didn't care because she kept pulling stuff off the shelves that was clearly not what I said I was looking for. Finally, finally!, she thought of something they had behind the reference desk that fit the description of what I was looking for. It was what I was looking for! Turns out Industry Surveys is now published by Standard & Poor's. And it's no longer published in print; they print it off their subscription site. They have me a paper index (paper index!) and I rifled through the boxes until I found the industries I wanted. Exhausted, I sat down to read.

Take #3, part #2: I found the information I wanted and asked the librarian about the photocopying procedures. They had a print card system but mercifully the machine took change and/or bills. The document I wanted was long so I figured a $5 bill would cover it. The change machine didn't accept "new" $5 bills so then I had to go begging around to other patrons if they had change or would be willing to change their "old" $5 for my new one. Someone finally took mercy on me and I got myself set up at the photocopier. I put my bills in the machine, lined up the document and hit "start." The machine had been idle so it took a while to get started. While it was warming, the change machine decided I was taking too long and ejected my $5 in quarters. All Over The Floor. By the time I picked up all the quarters the machine was ready to copy and I finished without further incident.

It was very weird being put through all the paces that I have put patrons through when I was a librarian. All I kept thinking was "Why do we make all of this so hard??" Libraries are going to die out not because of the internet but because librarians and their customers don't speak the same language and librarians don't want to give up librarian pride and just make things easy rather than doing things "right." I am also guilty of all of this - so so so guilty. But seeing other librarians so through the drama I went through when helping customers made me ill. As a customer, I also found it incredibly frustrating. I feel like I should go back in time and apologize to every customer I've tried to help by over-explaining and over-complicating things. Libraries are moving forward but simultaneously moving backwards. I just wish while we got our act together we made things easier for our customers.