Are Reference Desks Dying Out? This question comes up every freakin year and each following year I'm still on my ass at the Reference desk. You can text from your cell phone or your Blackberry or get the information to the patron however the hell you want, but the Reference desk is staying exactly where it is. Reason: librarians need a base of operations and even Superman, who can be anywhere on the planet he wants, still has the Fortress of Solitude.
What am I supposed to tell my inhouse patrons? I can't help you unless you get on your cellphone and call/text me?
These 2.0 librarians seem to be afraid to get down in the trenches with the great unwashed like they've given up on the information have-nots that we were told to care about ten years ago. But I still work for every poor bastard who wants help: I write the answer down with a pencil and paper; I call them on the phone; I fax; I chat; I email text, pictures and pdfs. I get the information to my patron any damn way I need to. Don't try to convince me that one group of patrons is more important than another because one group is wired and the other isn't.
Did you see this story? See next post.
