Reflections of a Reference Librarian

Abstract

In this, my final column as RUSA President, l am taking some time to reflect on my career as a reference librarian. I guess you could say that I am probably in the declining years of my career. I am over fifty and have been a reference librarian since 1980--you do the math. So I wanted to reflect on some very basic questions, such as why did I became a reference librarian? what or who have been my greatest influences? and of course, what is the future of reference? THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS--REDUX I have worked in the same library for twenty-seven years. When I first started, I told my students in my classes that there were three questions asked most frequently in the library So, to relieve their suspense, I would just tell them the answers. 1. Where is the pencil sharpener? (At the circulation desk.) 2. Where is the photocopier, and how much do the copies cost? (In the front lobby, and 5 cents.) 3. Where are the restrooms? (Go downstairs, turn left and left again.) Today, my most frequent questions are almost the same. The pencil sharpener question has been replaced by users needing assistance with printers. I still get asked about the photocopier costs, but the answer is more complicated: currently 15 cents after purchasing a copy card (40 cents) with a single dollar bill. The bathroom question and answer remains the same. After reading Lorraine J. Pellack's recent RUSQ editorial, First Impressions and Rethinking Restroom Questions, and the comments that her article generated on the RUSQ website (www.rusq.org) I agree that a polite, friendly, and quick response to this question is essential to forming positive impressions of your services. (1) WHY I BECAME A LIBRARIAN I became a librarian because I loved solitary studying in libraries while a college student. The library, as a place, was very comforting to me. As a child, I would go to the Norwalk Public Library--a Carnegie library--which still stands on Main Street in this Victorian town in Ohio. The library was right next to the AP it was a satisfying habit by then. They too gave me a carrel and I sought out reference librarians for assistance. They were mostly friendly. Do you remember, however, the way you felt as a library school student asking questions of reference librarians when you were taking your first reference courses? …