Obama Comes to Campus!

I think my blog for this week will be short and sweet! Actually, until about thirty minutes ago I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to discuss. That is until a patron walked up and began to talk to me for what had to be a good thirty to forty-five minutes. She actually wanted to checkout a reserve textbook, but somehow she got stuck on my navy blue hoodie.

You see, here lately, when I work on Saturday’s I wear my Obama hoodie. It’s warm, comfortable, and doesn’t require that I iron it which is the main reason I wear it frequently. Still, I know that showing support for our current president so openly is bound to bring about judgments or possible sneers from others. I would not consider myself to be a diehard Obama follower or fan but I do respect what he has accomplished.

The woman took an interest in my hoodie because on the front it says “The First Black President.” I know that doesn’t leave much room for speculation. Anyway, after she finished reading the front, she smiles and asked me if it were me? Trying to rid my face of the obvious “are you serious look,” I smile and add he’s on the back of the hoodie.

Next, she goes “well he’s really not black he’s actually half mulatto.” I responded yes, that may be the case, but in America we have an old little saying that just one drop of black blood makes you black. Don’t quote me on that phrase exactly as I have probably added to the original statement, but in America if a person has just 1 drop of black blood they’re mostly considered to be black.

Once I was done speaking, the patron asked me if I was going to be a lawyer, to which I replied “nope, I’m gonna be a librarian.” This revelation opened up a whole can of worms on the patron’s part! As she spoke, I realized that she desperately needed somebody to listen to her. She shared things with me about her estranged husband, her living situation, and the strained relationship with her daughter. Perhaps, she felt as comfortable talking to me because she saw a similarity between her daughter and me.

What I recognized about patrons such as this woman and others recently, is their need to have someone who will listen to them talk. Yesterday, for example, a patron known as the “hurricane lady,” called in to find out about you guessed it, hurricanes. I couldn’t find what she wanted to know and she became frustrated and started yelling at me. Thankfully, I was able to remain under control and not get too frazzled by the whole reference interview gone badly.

A co-worker, who also happens to be a full-time librarian at WSU, shared something with me. She told me that a lot of times people who approach the desk, or even call aren’t necessarily looking for “help.” They’re more so looking for someone to be available to talk and hear them out. Remembering what Karen shared with me yesterday, helped me to keep calm as the woman went on-and-on about her life and its problems.