I can't believe this semester is almost over. Time flies so quickly now. I have learned a lot about myself in this class and in doing the wiki project. It makes you think about yourself and how you learn and how others learn when you are designing a product for the public to actually use. It's hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes especially when it comes to technology. Everyone has different experiences with learning and we all bring those with us when we are learning something new.
I read statistics once in Library Journal that stated that the average library patron has a 7th grade reading level. I was actually surprised it was that high. The library I work at serves one county of around 72,000 give or take and I don't think that the average patron here has a reading level that high. We very often have to simplify things like getting a library card even more for an adult than we would for a child. I actually get asked to spell words for adults more often than I do for children.
Sometimes it is frustrating to have to stop and think "How can I make it any easier?" but then you have to imagine what it's like for the person to stop and ask you, someone who may be 20 years younger, how to do a very simple task or how to spell a word. I think the Golden Rule has to be taken very seriously in these situations as corny as it may sound, "How would you want someone to treat you?", if the shoe was on the other foot, that question can be very eye-opening for someone. I hope that when I help someone I never put them in a position of feeling inferior. I certainly would not do it intentionally. Ever.
I have a younger brother with special needs. When I see adults come in this library who have special needs, whether it be physical or mental I see my brother. If someone treated him like he was less than a person I promise you I would take that person's head off. I think this thought has allowed me to have more patience with helping patrons and has actually helped me gain more respect from my co workers. Sometimes if they feel like they are uncomfortable in a situation they will ask me to step in and take over helping someone. I really don't mind it and I understand that they are not used to doing that but sooner or later I think they need to drop the insecurities and just do their best because it is a part of our job and in a public library you deal with people from all walks of life. If everyone was the same and we all knew how to operate every new technology the world would be a boring place for librarians.
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Sometimes it is not even the younger patrons or the disabled that need extra help but the older patrons. We seem to overlook them at times. A lot of them are just now coming to the library to use the computer in order to email loved ones or surf the web. We have to remember that basic things like "what an icon is" is completely lost on them as is how to click on the icon. Like you, when older patrons came into the library requesting help on the computers, I always imagined it was my own grandmother. I would want someone to have kindness and patience towards her because she is not an idiot. She is just someone who lacks a certain skill set but is willing to learn.
ReplyDeleteI think it is also important to be careful not to assume that every young person, or every elderly person, or every disabled person, etc. is going to be in desperate need of our help. While I agree that many do, it can be easy to get into the position of thinking "oh you're ____, let me help."...to jump in just before they even ask us to. While there is an average, there is always naturally an above average, and it important to remember them too.
ReplyDeleteI think the willingness to learn is key. There are patrons, regardless of age, who know nothing about the computer, the copier, the express check who are happy to hear instructions and learn how to use the machines designed to make their life "better". (For example, it's "better" to check your books out yourself than wait for three people in front of you to fill out library card applications.) Then there are patrons, regardless of age, who stand in front of the copier and shout across the desk "Isn't someone going to come and work this thing for me?"
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I'm qualified as a librarian simply because I can spell. It's amazing how many times I've helped people find things just by correcting their spelling!
ReplyDeleteI spent several years working with adults with developmental disabilities in residential settings. Yes, it tested my patience... but I hope it also made me a more patient and understanding person. I did this during and just after college; I think I learned as much from people with disabilities as I did from my college professors.
Patience and courtesy are basics for any public service job. I think you're a natural for working with the public and will be able to help people ease in to using technology.
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