or, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Fear and Loathing at a Public Library Reference Desk



Reference Question of the Week – 1/19/15

   January 25th, 2015

I hate coming across as cynical and patron-deprecating on this blog, but I could not resist reposting this comic. I'm sure everyone who has worked at a reference desk has gone through this same thought process - for me, it was almost a GOOMHR moment and sums up much of the reference help I've given this week:

poker face tech support comic

I can even forgive the scroll wheel thing, but typing the URL into a search box and clicking "Search" instead of using the Enter key cracked me up.




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6 Responses to “Reference Question of the Week – 1/19/15”

  1. Chris Says:

    This made it around my office earlier in the week as well. So true.

  2. Jami Says:

    This is why I prefer being a clerk and shudder whenever my coworkers say I should go back to school and get a degree so I can be a librarian. No thanks! As a clerk I get to let you guys deal with the one patron who asks the same question every day multiple times a day. Give me patrons screaming at me over 25 cents any day over computer questions!

  3. Brian Herzog Says:

    @Chris: I would hope no one in your office was like that – but I think every place I’ve worked has had people like that no matter how techie the job was.

    @Jami: no way, I’m way happier helping with computer stuff than I would be collecting fines. Luckily, my library doesn’t charge fines, so our circ staff (and by extension, me when I’m covering there) doesn’t have to have this fight.

  4. Laura Says:

    This. Just all of this.

    Better yet when the patron thinks that they are better than you at using the Internet but then ask you what a mouse is. Oy.

  5. Chris Says:

    Yeah no, not like this, though occasionally. Mostly it’s our clients.

  6. Cari Says:

    I think I just died laughing. It’s so true.