How to make your librarian happy.
This is a library. Not a lounge, not a sports arena, not a
music rehearsal room. A library.
It used to be that libraries were places of peace and quiet.
Places where people might even glare at you for turning a page loudly. That,
I fear, is no longer the case.
I work in a high school library for a private high school.
During lunch, and during certain other free periods, the library often becomes
a bustling - and above all - *noisy* place.
We like the bustling part. We think it's great that people
feel comfortable spending time in the library. We think it's wonderful that
people want to be here and even sometimes take books out. But it has some
problems. So here's a list of what you can do to make your library a happier
place for everyone - including the people who work
there.
Librarians generally *like* their jobs - they like helping
people find books and information that is of use to them. The parts of their
jobs most people *don't* like are having to tell people to be quiet, asking
them to keep to the library rules, or picking up after people who are causing
more than 'usual' mess.
So: how can you be a better library patron?
1) Know your library.
Some libraries have specific sections where it is expected
to be quiet (so that people who really do need quiet to concentrate can
have a place to work). Some libraries (often university libraries) allow
you to bring drink (and more rarely food) into the library, but sometimes
with special conditions (some only allow water, some only if you've got
a spillproof container like a coffee mug with a lid). Probably any library
with computers (especially ones with Internet connections) has specific
rules about what you can and can't do on the computers - or how long you
can use them for.
Obey the rules. They're there for a reason. Places like quiet
spaces and things like food and drink rules should be clearly posted. Computer
rules should be posted near the computers. If you read a rule and it doesn't
make sense to you, ask a librarian. Really, we don't bite.
2) Even if the library does allow some quiet talking and
food and drink, that means *in moderation*.
That means that you don't get to scatter your food all over
the tables and chairs (or even worse, all over a book - if it doesn't outright
destroy it, it can cause bug and insect infestations that are expensive
and tedious to get rid of.) Be careful to put your drink somewhere where
you won't casually knock it over.
Don't laugh loudly or get into heated arguments with your table companions while you're in a library. If you're in an area that allows quiet conversation, that means just that.
It doesn't mean whistling, singing, loud laughter, giggling,
banging on the table to punctuate a point or anything else that causes more
noise than a quiet conversation. By quiet, I mean 'won't be audible or distinguishable
more than a few feet away'. You don't need to whisper (if you're not in
a quiet area with an urgent issue) but you should use what kindergarten
teachers often refer to as your "indoor voice".
The reason more libraries have loosened up rules is in part
because it does attract more people to spend time there. But if the behavior
of people who don't use the library's resources, and who in fact make it
impossible for *others* to use those resources is inappropriate, you can
expect to see repercussions - either fewer books added to the collection,
a longer wait for assistance, or even shorter hours, as well as those freedoms
being revoked again.
3) Be considerate
If friends find you in a quiet area, either pick up your stuff
and move it to an area where you can talk, or tell them quickly when you'll
be free to meet them.
If you are allowed to have food and/or drink in an area, dispose
of your empty containers in an appropriate trashbin (not a recycling bin).
If you're not allowed to have food or drink with you, and you do have some
(the remains of lunch or a snack for later), then make sure it stays in
your bag.
Try to avoid noisy habits, particularly repetetive ones. Don't
tap your pencil noisily against the edge of the table. Don't thump books
down on top of each other.
Don't strew papers all over the place. In particular, don't
shred paper up into tiny squares and strew them over the floor. If you do
do something like this as a nervous habit (my boss and I call it 'gerbilling'),
or while thinking, then have the decency to pick it up yourself. Librarians
are not your personal maids, nor are other cleaning staff.
Pushing in your chair (or returning it to the place you got it if you moved it from another area) is also a very good thing to do and very much appreciated.
Put any books you took off the shelves in the appropriate
space. Some libraries have carts where they ask you to put books you've
removed from shelves (so they can make sure they go back in the right place),
others have other methods. Use the one your library prefers.
4) If you need a librarian's help, do your best to give
them as much information as possible.
While an amazing number of librarians *can* answer the question
"I read a blue book about this big that I got here about six months
ago, but now I want to read it again, and I forget what the title is, but
it was something about dinosaurs" eventually, it can often be a rather
frustrating task. Color is not the best way to find a book.
When you're asking a librarian for help (and please do ask....), it's really helpful if you can clearly state what you're looking for ('I'm looking for a book on Vietnam, but I'm looking for a specific book which I think was called something like "Divided America" but I'm not sure if that was the actual title...') If you're looking for a specific type of book (like a non-fiction book, a biography, or fiction), it's good to say that. If you're looking for anything on the subject, then say that.
The more information you give the librarian, the more efficiently
he or she will be able to help you find what you're looking for.
There have been people who go to a reference librarian and say something like "Where's your encyclopedia?" where what they really want to know is how to find out what dogs are least likely to be allergenic (that is, to cause allergic reactions.)
While a good and attentive librarian should follow up a question
of "Where are your encyclopedias" with "Here, let me show
you where they are... are you looking for something specific? I might be
able to help you find a more detailed resource." (or something of the
kind), even librarians have bad days (or just hectically busy ones).
However, if you approach that same hectic and busy librarian with a request "Hi, I want to know which breeds of dogs are least likely to cause allergy problems" then the librarian can skip the five minutes of asking you what you're really looking for, and show you exactly what you need.
If you have a question that you feel is embarassing or private, you can either ask a general question ("Where are your books about the human body" or "Where are your books on sexual health?" rather than something about a specific condition.) or you can wait for a quiet moment at the reference desk, and ask if you can have a word in a less trafficked area.
The librarian should treat your request with respect and assistance
(even if that means they tell you that for some reason, they don't have
books on that exact subject) If they don't, then you may wish to consider
taking it up with the library director or through some other formal channel.
Librarians should not ridicule you for wanting a certain kind
of information, even if they disagree with the content, they should just
help you find it, or inform you that the library doesn't have that kind
of material.
5) Make reasonable requests: don't expect private assistance
for long periods of time, or a detailed knowledge of your specific subject
area from every librarian.
If you're interested in learning how to improve your own searching (like using the library catalog better or even how to use it at all) then it's probably going to be easier if you come in at a time that it's not too busy (public libraries tend to be really busy in the afterschool-mid-evening hours, but early on the weekends and after 7 or 8 pm it tends to be quieter)
Go to the reference or information desk, and let the librarian
know what you'd like to learn. They won't be able (probably) to take a lot
of time to teach you something, but they should be able to show you the
basics, where to find further information, and to let you know if there
are other programs available to help you learn those skills.
Librarians often need to help a large number of people in
a relatively short period of time - so you make it more likely to get the
help you need if you make your request as specific and as informed as possible.
If a librarian can't help you fully, they'll probably ask for some way to
contact you, and give you an idea when they can get back to you.
As well, while many librarians have what are called 'subject
specialities', no one librarian is going to know every subject equally well.
Some libraries make out lists, so that librarians know which of their colleagues
know particularly well. If you have a very specific question, it might mean
waiting for that colleague to come to work next, so that they can be asked
about specific resources. Most of the time, though, any reference librarian
should be able to help you.
In many public libraries, the circulation desk is not staffed
by people who have their Master's Degree in Library and Information Science
(that's the entry-level degree to the profession, in most places). This
means that while they can check books out to you, and shelve them, and give
you basic directions (where the non-fiction section or the bathroom is),
they're probably not trained to help answer reference questions (specific
questions, or in-detail research, like the non-allergenic dogs question
above). They'll be able to tell you where the reference or information desk
is, or other options for assistance.
With these ideas in mind, you should be able to both have
a happier time at the library, and to make it easier for the library to
keep serving you in many ways.
This librarian-to-be appreciates it, certainly!