Why Librarianship Endures
Will Manley
Mon, 08/30/2010 - 23:00
Gentle Readers will always need Gentle Guidance
PrintOnce when I was working the reference desk, a seemingly normal community college student (no exposed underwear, multiple tongue piercings, neck tattoos, or a message shaven into his hair) asked why so many Civil War battles were fought in national parks. He wanted information on the subject because he had decided to write a research paper about it. He felt it was very unfortunate that the army had trespassed on these national parks because in his words, “They are environmental treasures that should always be kept clean and safe. Plus, cannon shots might start forest fires.”
As someone who is very interested in reducing my own ecological footprint, I was quite impressed with his passion for Planet Earth. I was not as impressed with his grasp of history. Working through the problem together, we pretty much decided that wooded and mountainous areas might provide a strategic military advantage to one side or the other. We then went through the historical timeline and discovered that voila the Civil War was fought in the 1860s and the national parks were established in 1916. Then we moved on to some conclusions about Civil War battles and national parks.
While I had some initial concerns that someone so clueless could enter a community college, I quickly supplanted my concern with complacency. Some people are very skeptical about the future viability of librarianship in a high-tech world. My answer to that? Our patrons keep us in business.
Here’s an interesting fact: Dictionary.com lists 22 synonyms for “moron.” For its listed antonym of “moron”—“brain”—there are a mere 13 synonyms. What does it say about English-speakers that we’re nearly twice as effective at describing stupidity as intelligence? The reason for that, I am sure, is that there are far more stupid people in the world than smart ones—and I don’t think that’s changing. In fact, you might even conclude that the smarter machines get, the less people have to use their own personal brains, and we all know that brains atrophy when they are underused. As a result, librarians will be around for a long, long time.
Here’s what I’m afraid of: Scientists and engineers might come up with a “smart” chip or a “stupid” vaccine.
A woman who lives across the street from me just had a very expensive, high-tech pacemaker put into her heart. She says it will keep her alive for at least 20 more years. She’s 80. “Do you really want to live that long?” I asked.
Her answer was interesting. “Yes, because in 20 years, they’ll come up with an even better pacemaker that will keep me alive for another 20 years.”
“That would make you 120,” I said. She just smiled.
You’d be surprised at the number of people walking around with man-made body parts. It’s just a matter of time before we become completely robotic. It’s inevitable that some biomedical research company will come up with a “brain enhancement” insert, and it’s just as inevitable that the federal government will mandate that these inserts be surgically implanted into the brains of people with average to low IQs. Then—and only then—will I worry about the future of our proud and noble profession.
So … keep the reference questions coming, folks! And librarians, instead of complaining about clueless patrons, embrace them. They are your future.
Will Manley has furnished provocative commentary on librarianship for over 30 years and in nine books on the lighter side of library science. He blogs at Will Unwound.
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Comments
C'mon, it was funny...and true
I applaud everyone willing to stand up in moral outrage for the dignity of the common patron, but really, have you ever worked at a reference desk? I once had a gentleman complain because the "color copy" button on the copier did not add any color to his black and whilte resume when he copied it. Being able to address these situations, with a straight face and professional demeanor is the important thing. You have to be able to see the humorous side of it later, or you’d burn out pretty quickly.
Shame on you, Mr. Manley.
Shame on you, Mr. Manley. Describing our patrons as "clueless," "morons," and in need of "a smart chip or a stupid vaccine" is NOT funny nor acceptable.
The first few paragraphs of this column were great - they pointed out an all too scary reality of our under-performing educational system and also demonstrated how a librarian (you) helped one individual begin to bridge the gap it has created. Wonderful!
Then you chose to instead attack the very people who are not just our future but also our present - the people who use our libraries, make them possible through their taxes, and keep us relevant by asking us questions and telling us what they need.
So "what does it says about English-speakers that we’re nearly twice as effective at describing stupidity as intelligence?" I think, as your article demonstrates, it shows that we are quick to judge, love to be insulting, and are always looking for ways to be nasty instead of complimentary.
Sad.
I think Will is absolutely
I think Will is absolutely right about there always being a need for library services. A college student once brought me a book and asked if I could check the computer and see when it was published?
As for the neighbor hoping to live to 100 and well beyond - I think that is kind of sweet. We could probably use more of such optimism in this world.
If brain implants making
If brain implants making people smarter are invented, the government will not mandate its implant in the general public. Elected officials rely too heavily on the ability to hoodwink people. They WANT a stupid majority.
Morons or mines?
I agree that people are undereducated, especially in the U.S. Rather than viewing people as morons, I prefer to "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom." Education is the anti-"stupid vaccine" - however our current system is failing to innoculate our citizenry from stupidity. Librarians can serve as guides who will help people discover the intelligence latent within themselves. So I applaud Will for the way he described his interaction with the inquiring mind - instead of openly belittling his ignorance, Will worked "through the problem" with the student. As long as people need to make sense of information, we’ll still have meaningful work.
The Tech age you speak of
As I read your page, I’m thinking, "Did this person read the book I just read?!!" The book is The Last Christian by David Gregory. (Fic, Sci-fi). Our minds can go soaring when we thinkg what might await us in the future of advanced technology. Hope I’ve pricked your curiosity for the book..it is one good read!
Questions at National Parks
The question asked by the student is not that uncommon at National Parks, and similar ones are shown in my book on reenacting on page 32 at:
http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=42010
In other parks, common questions are "Now, how old does a deer have to be before it changes into an elk?" and "What sort of timer do you have that turns on the geyser so accurately?"
Hilarious
As a public librarian grappling with seemingly unending budget woes year after year, I find that I need to laugh on a regular basis just to stay sane. This column helped me meet that need. Keep them coming…
"Our patrons keep
"Our patrons keep us in business."
Yes, patrons like this who are curious to find answers, accept that the answers are not what they expected and willing to ask a librarian for help.
Of course running patrons down as ‘stupid’ might be counter productive to encouraging them to ask a librarian…and that by itself is enough to make librarians irrelevant.
I neither intend to sign on to the "embrace a clueless patron" campaign nor to abide this kind of ‘provocative commentary.’
Just do it better Will.
Replacement parts
I just got a new knee — total knee replacement, they call it. Titanium and plastic.
So now I am a bionic teletubby.
The process has begun and I look forward to insurance buying me a whole new skeleton.
Maybe I’ll drive my Roman Tank to the local National Park and watch the Civil War.
Librarianship
Yes, work will continue because there’s a moron born every minute.
The most similar type of
The most similar type of question in my public library experience was asked to a colleague: What kind of tanks were used in the Roman wars?
That question doesn’t strike
That question doesn’t strike me as ironically misguided in the same way. The question discussed in the article misses a connection that is already there, namely that those national parks exist to commemorate the battles.
Maybe more to the point, the question about Roman tanks opens up a huge field of inquiry about military history. The Romans had siege engines, the turtle (an infantry formation entirely surrounded by shields), and chariots. They faced forces with elephants. Which of these technologies are "like tanks", and how? A detailed compare and contrast could keep a student — and a history teacher (or librarian) — busy for quite a while.
Working together
The part I like most about Will’s article is "Working through the problem together" - - What a great librarian! Talk about using a teachable moment to do just that.
Yes, what a great
Yes, what a great librarian…to have so thoughtfully mocked his patron in print rather than to his face.Thank you, Will, for your witty factoid on the term ‘moron’. Any moron with even the vaguest comprehension of our broken education system would acknowledge how insufficiently prepared high-school students are for continuing education in this country. Said moron would also surely be aware that the sad philosophy behind community college is little more than the provision of a bare bones curriculum for those who can’t afford to purchase their name on parchment from a more prestigious institution. Whose responsibility is it, then, to pick up the pieces? You’ve hit the nail on the head. But will librarianship endure? By setting a terrible example of irrelevant superiority, you’ve done nothing to reassure me.