Number 10: “I’ll look dumb asking about
things I don’t know.”
Everybody can use help finding information at one
time or another; we librarians think the smartest students are the ones
unafraid to ask for help.
Number 9: “I’m bothering the staff at the
Help Desk.”
We work on other things at the desk when we’re not
helping students, and since clipping toenails looks unprofessional, that’s
often computer work. But we’d really rather help you than do those
administrative tasks.
Number 8: “I should be able to do this on my
own.”
We want to help you become more capable of
independent research, but there is just so much information available with
so many search methods that no one can figure it all out. (Believe me,
your teachers ask for help all the time!)
Number 7: “I can’t afford such high-level,
professional assistance.”
Yes, you can! We’ve made a special arrangement with
our administration to include fully professional reference assistance as
part of your tuition payments. (Note: printouts of results not included
in this free offer. Enlightenment and relief are natural side effects of
this treatment. If you experience puzzlement for more than four hours
after receiving assistance, this could indicate a serious condition and
requires immediate attention.)
Number 6: “I already learned how to do
research in my First Year Seminar.”
We hope you did get some library experience in FYS,
but that is just a start; there are always more things to learn about,
some very specific to individual subjects, that can’t be covered in one or
two library instruction sessions.
Number 5: “I don’t seem to understand
what they say to me at the Help Desk.”
Easy solution: remove your iPod earbuds before
listening.
Advanced solution: learn to read lips.
Number 4: “I can’t go over to the library
right now, so I can’t get any help.”
Actually, you can, if the library is open; we should
have someone who can answer the phone (ext. 7213) or answer a chat
question (username coateslibrary on AOL, Yahoo, or MSN chat
services) during almost all the hours the library is open.
Number 3: “It’s too late in the day (night) for even phone or
chat help.”
Well, our reference staff do tend to sleep at night
(hey, we’re not 18 any more), but you can send us an email (pick your
subject librarian from the library web page or just send something to asklib@
trinity.edu), and we’ll get back to you during the next weekday in most cases.
Number 2: “It’s too late in the semester for
anyone to help me now.”
If your paper is due in 30 minutes, we probably can’t
do much to help your content (though we can give quick citation help!). But
even with just a day or so to go, we can help you locate things that are
available right here and now for most topics.
And the Number One bogus reason for not asking
for help at the Help Desk....
“The library staff are so dazzlingly charming and
attractive, I always forget what I was going to ask.”
Sorry, can’t help you here.
We have the same problems;
you should see how often we forget our topics at staff meetings.
