Come Again?

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS OH MY!!!
To some this heading may appear silly and random, but with the evening I’ve had it is fitting. Since my shift began at 4p, working at the Undergraduate Library has been quite the experience. Here are the top questions that I’ve been asked this evening that left me somewhat perplexed:

1. I have an interview and I am looking for room 1600. My mom is trying to park the car, where can she park?
When the patron asked the first part of her question I directed her to room 1600. However, the second part of her question was met with some confusion. First, I had no clue where her mother was on campus. Next, my mind froze and I couldn’t think of any visiting parking structures off the top of my head. The patron ended up walking away, appearing unsatisfied with the help that was offered.
Final Thoughts: I could’ve suggested the meters as possible parking spots but again everything related to parking went out of my mind when asked on the spot.

2. I’m looking for books on authenticity, do you have any here?
I checked the catalog and indeed found some books on that subject matter for this patron. Of course, when he discovered that many of the titles we owned were located at Purdy-Kresge he became disinterested. He expressed a desire to only view books here at the UGL, and even complained about having books from other libraries on campus appear in the results. The patron’s complaining was interesting considering he didn’t request to find books only at the UGL originally. I ended up finding three books here for the patron that he decided to check out.
Final Thoughts: Purdy-Kresge is less than five minutes away from the Undergraduate Library. Perhaps the patron could’ve found better materials suited for his assignment there vs. at the UGL…either way it was his decision.

3. I’m looking for scholarly sources from articles?
This question left me positively STUMPED!! I couldn’t understand her question and that increased my inability to answer the question. Eventually, the patron walked off, irritated at my confusion to answering her question.
Final Thoughts: If the patron came with a better understanding of what she wanted/needed maybe I could’ve helped her more. I could’ve done a better job asking her open-ended questions to ascertain what she may have needed.

4. Can homeless people use this library?
I replied yes to this question and stated that as long as patrons who appear to be homeless aren’t bothering people (i.e. students, or staff) they are not prohibited from using our library or its services.
Final Thoughts: All WSU libraries have rules and policies that openly embrace “community users.” Regardless, if it turns off certain patrons’, members of the community have a right to access all the services our libraries may offer.