Every once in a while, just when I think that I can't possibly give directions to the Academic Success Center one more time, a student approaches the information desk with a real live reference question. You know the kind; the ones that we're going to school to be able to answer. Last week, two students approached me with some absolute gems: I need a newspaper article about Africa, the content has to be positive, can you help me?; I'm writing a paper about how to help little girls not think that they're Snow White and need a prince to rescue them, can you help me? And the answer is YES, YES, YES!!! I would LOVE to help you.
And then it happens. You start to explain in your most accessible everyday language about online databases with current journal and newspaper articles, and the glazed look of complete and utter disinterest takes over the patron's face. "I just want a book. Can you tell me where the books are?" O.K., I can get you a book. I found what looked to be several promising titles about self-esteem in young girls at the Purdy-Kresge. I explained to the patron that the books were located in our graduate library. "Oh no, I don't want to walk there, I just want a book that's in this library." Seriously? Not only are you not interested in articles, you aren't willing to take two minutes of your time to walk to P/K? Using my most persuasive librarian logic, I tried to convince said patron that these resources were her best bet if she only wanted to use books. She reluctantly took the call numbers and said she'd think about it. But I'm pretty sure she never made the walk, and I can't imagine what became of her essay.
Then there's the newspaper article patron.
Me: "Is there a specific topic or issue pertaining to Africa that you're interested in?"
Patron: "Nope, just has to be positive."
Me: "O.K., we can start there. Let me show you this database with access to current newspaper articles." (I've already lost her at this point.)
I pulled up a list of articles using only the term "Africa" and understandably came up with quite a hefty list. The patron looked at the screen, mentally crossing off the first four results because they pertained to H.I.V., and pointed to one with Ethiopia in the title and asked if she could have that one. I pulled up the full-text and it was an extremely brief, two paragraph article. I asked the patron if she was required to discuss or write about the article and suggested that we continue looking as this one didn't appear to have much substance.
Patron: "No, no, that'll work just fine. How can I get that one?"
These are but two examples of typical reference interactions here at the desk.
Is it just me or is there something very wrong here? How have we, as a nation, gotten to the point that even when we have instant access to an unlimited wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, we still want to complete a task while putting forth the least possible amount of effort? How does this bode for our future? What is going to happen to our critical thinking skills? How is this generation ever going to learn anything significant if they can't be bothered to read a list of article titles, let alone a full article itself? And how will this information-seeking behavior translate in the workplace when graduates who have never been forced to apply any real investigative or analytical skill find themselves in the position where the outcome of their work is no longer a grade on a paper or a degree, but the actual contribution of meaningful ideas or products that will carry us forward as a society?
Is anyone spending their time and money at a university to actually learn something? Whatever happened to intellectual curiosity? We have a great privilege in this country to have access to the educational resources we have, but with that privilege comes the responsibility to use the resources we have been given for improvement of self and society.
(Stepping down from the soapbox now.)
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2 comments:
I feel your pain. One thing I try to keep in mind is that I was not particularly intellectually curious at 19 or 21. I was interested in boyz. Although, I did use the library! We are maturing later as a society, so that we reach adulthood around 26 or 27--not 18. Sometimes I think that most students should push back college a few years. I want them to go get a job, see how the real world works, and then come back to school, because then (I've found in my teaching) they are actually motivated to learn and use the resources available to them.
As for the desk, do the best you can. You might also want to search the library literature for articles about reaching out to Millennials. That might give you some tips.
The state of higher education today really bothers me, and I don't want to go into it in a blog comment, but I agree with you. It's just that a lot of these students haven't reached the maturity level necessary to tackle college research assignments.
C'mon, you expect them to-
A. Turn off their cell/iPod
B. They would rather be sleeping/playing video games
C. Their mommies have spoiled them and done everything for them-I'll be most have never even had to hold a job
D. One day they will next door to you and their moronic kids will want to play with yours. Do not let them date.
LOL.
Just face it- Generation X is really Gen Lazy-asses.
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