Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Location, location, location

When Miss Information graduated, she decided she didn't want a nice boring job. She's rethinking that decision. The new job involves too much stuff, too much information, too many departments and too much coffee. She feels like she's juggling babies this week--cranky babies.

So, when she's at the desk for a public service stint, she just sits and twitches while trying to make sense of it all. None of it makes sense. Here's the thing she's been noticing this week--people don't ask questions in the right place.

The other day a woman asked Miss Information where the Sanford and Son Business Directory was kept. Miss Information directed the woman to the Business Department on the 5th floor.

Woman: Oh, I was just there. I couldn't find it.
Miss Information: Did you ask the reference staff in the department to help you find it?
Woman: No, why would I do that?

Um...because they might know where it is? Because they might be able to suggest an alternative? Because they were closest?

No, it makes perfect sense to come all the way down to the ground floor to ask someone who can't possibly help you.

And then there was this man:
Man: Where are the science textbooks?
Miss Information: They're kept on the 3rd floor.
Man: Do I have to go there?

Well, yes. Kind of. Miss Information doesn't want to tell you what to do because you're an adult, but if you want that book, you sort of have to go to the 3rd floor because it's there.

Miss Information has either had too much or too little coffee to cope with this.

3 Comments:

At 5:24 AM, Anonymous englishlibrarian said...

I love your posts - keep up the good work on the front line.

 
At 9:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was saying to a coworker the other day that "sometimes people just don't want to think more than they have to, and then they are surprised when the world gets snippy with them."

 
At 11:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://people2watch.blogspot.com/

 

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