|
 | |||
| Lopez Island | Orcas Island | Visitor's Guide | ||
| Email this page to a friend | ||
| ||||||||||||||||
SAN JUAN ISLAND LIBRARY |
Related pagesSan Juan Island Library Web site Previous columns |
|
Yes, but...
posted 01/20/2010
What I love about this joke is, of course, how true it is. I actually prefer telling this joke to people so I can show the proper amount of enthusiasm and excitement librarians exhibit when asked a question. Just try asking us a reference question and see how we pounce. I dare you to try and take back a question after you asked it. I know many librarians who routinely continue looking through reference sources after a patron has left even if they gave them a good answer. But this blog post by Kate Sheehan calls us out for something that is all too easy to do. It's the "Yes, but..." response. From Kate: "I'm looking for a book about [insert recent issue that isn't well-covered by books just yet]" "Well, you might find there's more information in articles. Let me show you our online resources for articles." "I was hoping for a book." "Yes,...but...you'll likely find better information in articles." Oops. "Yes, but..." can actually sound an awful lot like "No." More often than not, we do this with the best of intentions. We are trying to provide the most accurate information out there. We want to make sure the patron gets the best information we can find, even if it's not exactly what they asked for. From Kate again here's perhaps a better way to phrase the answer: "I'm looking for a book about [insert recent issue that isn't well-covered by books just yet]" "Yes, and...our online resources will have articles that cover the most current developments." This way our patrons know we heard their request and that we can help them. By saying "Yes, and..." we can also connect them with more library resources and services that they may not have known about. It's the perfect lead in that I'm going to try out. Such a simple observation that can be applied in so many situations. Thanks, Kate!
|
|
|
SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2010 |
|
