Observations From the Ref Desk

Hello, all. I've created this space to share thoughts and insights into my current experience as a librarian working at a public library.

Full disclosure: it is primarily a space to vent frustrations, though I plan to also share positives and general observations. I imagine other librarians in similar positions will see a lot of familiar signs in the things I share here, but perhaps not. It's certainly not my intention to discourage those interested in librarianship as a potential career path or special interest -- but I must forewarn you that, again, I intend to air quite a few frustrations. Thanks for reading.

or The Daycare Industrial Complex

idk.. is that anything?

Have just been thinking about one of the worst aspects of my job as a librarian working at a public library: unaccompanied minors. This will dovetail nicely with later post about Third Spaces™️, but for now it’s about kids in the library.

Ideal scenario: a student of elementary, junior high, or high school age enters the library with the intention of finding a book or some other informational or educational material for reasons of academic or personal amusement. If they do not know where to find said item or how, they approach a librarian for assistance. After a brief reference interview, they receive the help they need, perhaps ending their visit by checking out a few books or other things with their library card. All is rejoicing. Perhaps they stick around to view a display on a seasonal topic or participate in a fun, educational event. They leave the library knowing it is a safe, welcoming place to ask questions, read, seek information and guidance, and check out books.

Scenario two (my current reality): young children barely out of kindergarten, pour into the library in the afternoon immediately after school not in search of books, but to claim a spot at the computer as quickly as possible to loudly play roblox or the like. Those not at a computer find other ways to cause a disturbance such as: eating and littering, knocking over furniture, running, mis-shelving books, yelling. Among other things. They are not interested in reading or learning or being entertained in the context of the library. Instead, they want to play with play doh or paint or beads or sand. They want to take these things provided for them (sand?!) to be shared by everyone home for themselves. They want to run and jump and roughhouse. They want to be children and to have fun. They do not want to follow rules or directions. I do not want to ask them to stop yellingrunningjumpingeatinghitting every 3-5 minutes.

When I applied for this position it was not with the intention to work with children. It was certainly not with the expectation that I wrangle them constantly, only to be met with seemingly never ending disrespect. On top of this, there is no support or acknowledgement from the branch manager, and all of my coworkers agree that this, the constant bad behavior of the children, is an exceptional problem. That it occurs on a literal daily basis (the library is open 7 days a week) is also astounding.

I simply cannot imagine behaving like this as a child and getting away with it. When the children are not attempting to order me to do tasks for them (a girl told me to plug in her table for her??), then they are cursing at my elder coworker (an elementary aged child screaming insults and expletives at a man in his 60s?!). To them the library is just their playground. It’s a jungle gym and an arcade and a lounge.

This is a topic I can talk at length about and might just -- with later reposts and whatnot. But for now, I just have to say that I am truly astounded at the lack of tech literacy that the average public library user has in this digital age.

When I think this, my next thought is then: okay, let's put things in perspective (thanks, me). The perspective: I've been using a computer since I was an elementary school-aged child (in the United States), but am also of an age where the Internet age was still somewhat new (Google search wasn't really a thing 'til I was in junior high). So I was familiar with floppy disks for a time before they were phased out in favor of disc drives for CDs. I've rewound cassette tapes that I played in my Sony Walkman, but also had a portable Sony CD player and later an iPod Mini. I interacted with Clippy in Microsoft Word and used Skype before its ~mysterious~ disappearance coincided with the arrival of Zoom.

By now you're probably thinking why don't you just say that you're a m*********? and then wow, are you seriously censoring m*********? this is Tumblr, sweaty, we don't do that here (okay, this is just what I'm saying to myself. But maybe on a rabbit trail that may or may not be relevant to the focus of this Tumblr, I'll talk about why I don't like that classification).

ANYWAY -- returning to the context of perspective: I've grown up with a lot of changing technologies and would proudly and not inaccurately describe myself as being somewhat tech savvy.

That is why I find it incredibly baffling when patrons enter the library and ask me to: help them log into their email account which they claim they never had a password for, assist them with using a flatbed or tray scanner and then wondering aloud where the fax machine is (which they would also need help using if it did exist), print things, copy things, download things, type and then untype things, minimize windows, open menus, simply use the computer.

I'm trying not to sound rude and I know that I sound rude because I know that I'm coming from a place of privilege (kind of) and that some people just don't know how to do these things. Sometimes because of age, or access, or ability. I get that, and that libraries are for everyone. But it does not stop my mounting feelings of frustration when I discover that the library for many people is nothing more than a print center. Another site of a FedEx Kinkos UPS USPS outpost. And even when I can get over that library dream bubble bursting fact, it is the strange rude attitudes with which these people who do not know how to send documents to the printer demand my attention and service that really irks me.

I found myself oddly put at ease recently when I at first tensed at the sight of a patron approaching my shared reference desk to of course ask for help with emailscanningprintingthings and prefaced it by saying that they were "not good with technology". I'm sure with more thought I could be checked for this as well, but in that moment I was much more willing and open to assisting them because there was an initial moment of honesty. I need help. Can you help me? Yes. I'd be happy to. Instead of finger pulling me over or yelling across the room or staring at me like I'm an alien when I suggest they enter their password. I'm not opposed to helping people, but I want to be treated with respect when doing so. I don't want to enter the interaction under the strange pretense that I've been waiting for them all day, just twiddling my thumbs until they arrived just so I could help them print copies of documents (usually very sensitive ones as well like SS cards and IDs).