[LINK] Looking for a real book in a library

[Ash Nallawalla]

Counter example from NZ.

On Tuesday 4/1 we were driving through NZ on an top-to-bottom journey
(http://www.capereingatobluff.com) and were passing through Shannon, north
of Wellington. It was a holiday because NZ also gets a holiday on the day
after New Year and both fell on a weekend. The library door was open and we
walked in and asked about a particular historian who used to live there. The
librarian could see we were not locals and briefly explained that they were
closed but were pulling down an exhibit, but fired up the computer and found
a book of interest and gave us a URL to explore further. Several others who
tried to come in were turned away.

Even that little library had more computer-equipped desks than plain reading
ones.

Ash


> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au [mailto:link-
> bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Tom Worthington
> Sent: Monday, 24 January 2011 08:58
> To: Link list
> Subject: [LINK] Looking for a real book in a library
> 
> While on holiday I got a message to say that a book I had requested was
> ready for collection from the library. Back from holidays I went to the
library
> and asked at the front desk for the book. But was told that because I had
> taken so long the book was no longer there.
> 
> What I found somewhat perplexing was that the person at the desk seemed
> to have no way to find out where the item was now, nor any interest in
> helping me find it. After some time standing there waiting for them to
tell me
> where the book was, I asked them if they knew where it was. The response
> what as my book request had expired all record of it had been deleted from
> the computer. I assumed the staff would then look up the location of the
> book in another system and stood there a little longer.
> But getting no response I said "perhaps I will look in the catalogue?".
> 
> The catalogue said the item was on the shelf. So I went looking for it.
> As with many modern libraries there are no books on the main floor, just
> computers. The books are hidden in the basement and on the upper floors.
> Finding a sign which indicated these books were in the basement, I entered
> the lift and pressed the button for the lowest level. Nothing happened.
Then
> I noticed a sign against that level saying "staff only".
> So I went to the information desk and asked how I got books out of the
> basement. The staff member looked at me like I was an idiot and said:
> "use the stairs".
> 
> After finding the stairs to the basement I was confronted by a row of
> shelving which seemed to stretch to the far distance. There were one or
two
> people down there who looked like they had not seen daylight for some
> time. In the place where I expected to find my book on e-records, there
> were books in Thai. So looked in another section, then on the sorting
> shelves, then on the upper levels of the building.
> 
> Giving up in frustration, I went back to my desk and sent a query to "Ask
a
> Librarian", which Australian libraries seem to have standardised on. I
asked
> "Is there somewhere else I should be looking?" and commented "I realise
> that it is a somewhat old fashioned concept, but it might be useful to
have
> some staff in the library to help people find books." Ten minutes later
there
> was email from the library. I thought "that was quick". But the message
was
> telling me another unrelated book had arrived.
> 
> When I collected that book the next day I found the one I had been looking
> for also waiting for me. Then an apology arrived by email, then another
> apology from someone else at the library and another.
> 
> It turned out that the people I had asked where the stairs were was the
> reference desk for the library and I could have asked for help finding the
> book there. But the desk was labelled something like "iHelp" and was
> stocked with pamphlets for computer courses, so I assumed this was just
for
> help with computer use.
> 
> Perhaps I should see this as success with the process of turning libraries
into
> online information centres, but it is a little sad to see the passing of
the era
> when libraries were about books (that is "paper"
> books).
> 
> 
> --
> Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t:
> 0419496150 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia
> http://www.tomw.net.au Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Computer
> Science, The Australian National University
> http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
> Visiting Scientist, CSIRO ICT Centre: http://bit.ly/csiro_ict_canberra
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