Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches

A daily diary of actual interactions between a reference desk librarian and his patrons

Reference Librarianship documents a year in the life of a young librarian working in the “trenches” at a library in the Midwestern United States. This one-of-a-kind book provides a daily diary of every librarian/patron transaction—no matter how mundane or absurd—to demonstrate not only how advances in technology have affected the reference librarian’s job, but how the public’s expectations have changed, as well. The book also includes observations by a now-retired reference librarian on the current state of the field based on these unedited interactions.

Over the past two decades, the job of reference librarian has seen many changes. But in many ways, reference desk work hasn’t changed a bit, with its mix of odd, humorous, routine, and ridiculous requests that capture what it’s like to deal with patrons day after day. Reference Librarianship paints a clear picture of the field for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical support to practitioners, and reminds library administrators of what life was like on the “front lines.”

A sampling of the daily transactions documented in Reference Librarianship:

Monday, May 19, 2003:

• pencil

• pencil

• network down

• I tell people that I can’t sign them up for an Internet terminal because the network is down and they just stand there, staring into space

• One of them asks for three days worth of newspapers

• microfiche machine explanation

• Sorry, Sir, the network is still down (multiply by twenty and insert randomly into the remainder of the day)

• magic tricks, but he pretty much knew where they were

• One of our large interior plate glass windows shattered. No one was hurt and it made a fascinating noise, like a crystal waterfall landing on soil.

• “Books on prostitution, you know—whores?”

• Someone from the County called to ask if any criminal activity had occurred on a particular street. Someone else referred her to us. She was dubious—with good reason.

• “Math puzzles.” Okay. I show him the books.

• “Just math.” Certainly. I show him the books.

• “I need them in Spanish.” Grrr ...

Library Journal

Nothing ever prepares the library school graduate for his or her first reference job. Loaded with 40 hours of graduate study and the sheer passion to deliver the most current information while finding that proverbial needle in the haystack for every passing patron, the freshly minted librarian is somber, serious, and ready to apply every resource at any cost. Retired reference librarian Anderson (Puzzles and Essays from "The Exchange": Tricky Reference Questions) and adult services librarian Sprenkle (Waukegan P.L., IL) have written just the book to lend a good laugh and bring the newbie back into reality. This seasoned librarian's monthly blog, entitled "A Grunt's Diary," of manning a reference desk at a public library for a year is filled with reference requests from quirky patrons. "The other librarian on duty (Call her `Librarian Y') got a customer who wanted the Internet but had never used it before. Librarian Y suggested that she do the searching. He agreed. What would you like? `Sex,' he replied. What about sex? `Porn.' Never had a customer asked us to download porn before!" Some of the funnier items involve the nature of the questions themselves and, of course, all of the Internet login, network crashes, and printer/copier/computer technical errors. This reviewer was skeptical about this book at first, but the authors provide some classic examples of daily reference life and reveal little truths about a reference librarian's love of helping others. Highly recommended for all reference librarians and LIS students.-April Davis, Libn., Chantilly, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.