I staff a virtual librarian desk, which means that the people who are asking me questions are people on a computer with Internet access. The vast majority of the not-library-specific questions I get are questions that are quickly and easily answered with a trip to your best friend and mine, The Google.
I wonder every time I am logged on to virtual reference why these people, who are skilled enough to find a link to or navigate to our virtual reference chat site, are not s-m-r-t enough to GO TO THE GOOGLE and search for the answer there first.
Really want to send them to this site. Really. All the time.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Book Donations, A Caveat
Patron: "My wife and I are cleaning out our house and downsizing and I have a lot of books to donate."
Me: "Great!"
Patron: "I have one requirement: the books must be added to the collection."
Me: "Well, unfortunately I can't guarantee that items donated to the library will be added to the collection. We will certainly consider any that are appropriate and will sell the others in the Friends' book sale."
Patron: "Well, these are rare books and some of them are quite valuable. I have had dealers interested in buying them, but I wanted them to benefit the library."
Me: "Well, we'll be happy to take them but again, we can't guarantee what will happen to them after you donate them."
Patron: "Okay, that's fine. I'll donate them. But you should check online to make sure you ask a fair price for them."
Me: "Okay."
Patron hands me a box full of Readers Digest and Time-Life subscription series books from the 1980s.
Me: "Thanks!" [Interior monologue: Yeah, real rare and valuable.]
Me: "Great!"
Patron: "I have one requirement: the books must be added to the collection."
Me: "Well, unfortunately I can't guarantee that items donated to the library will be added to the collection. We will certainly consider any that are appropriate and will sell the others in the Friends' book sale."
Patron: "Well, these are rare books and some of them are quite valuable. I have had dealers interested in buying them, but I wanted them to benefit the library."
Me: "Well, we'll be happy to take them but again, we can't guarantee what will happen to them after you donate them."
Patron: "Okay, that's fine. I'll donate them. But you should check online to make sure you ask a fair price for them."
Me: "Okay."
Patron hands me a box full of Readers Digest and Time-Life subscription series books from the 1980s.
Me: "Thanks!" [Interior monologue: Yeah, real rare and valuable.]
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