Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Most of this course will concentrate on how and where to locate the information our users ask for. To do the best job possible, we also need patience, kindness, courtesy and helpfulness. No matter how clever we are in finding an answer, or how sophisticated, complete and accurate the information we finally give, the patron isn't likely to be very pleased or to come back if getting that information was an unpleasant experience. In fact, if we don't have a sympathetic attitude, we may never find out what our customers want in the first place.
Many people are afraid of libraries and librarians.
They may hesitate to ask for help at all, and when they do, they may have trouble describing what they need. It's important to make questioners feel comfortable and at ease, and let them know you are really trying to help. You can express this from the very first contact with the patron. However, it's a little difficult to say that phrase pleasantly. Once you let the patrons know you are going to try to help no matter what the question is, the next step is to find out exactly what is needed.