Great Moment As A Librarian

On my second year here in my current place of work, I was given the extra responsibility of manning the computer room as per client request or use. My main responsibility was in the technical section. We only had two computers then and they were not connected to the internet. The references the students could get from it were from two encyclopedias, some cds from FAO, and the TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library).

Some students who requested the service do not know how to use the computer so it was up to me to give them a little instruction or to actually do the research myself but still teach them the use of the computer at the same time. A student one day requested the use of the Britannica. He knows how to use it already he said, so I left him alone and did my own exploring of the encyclopedia. After a little while he requested to have his research printed.

The next day, the same thing happened. Then the next day. Confused, I asked him why he is researching the same topic and printing them for the third time. It turned out he was doing research for his classmates who still did not know how to use the computer. Really annoyed I pointed out to him that one of the services offered was a tutorial and besides his attitude is not helping his classmates at all, it was in fact making them get stuck in their ignorance of the use of the computer. Instead of researching for his classmates he might as well teach them how to operate a computer. I told him that if he had no legitimate requests, he can't use the computers anymore. After a few days, the same student came back, with two classmates in tow. So I ended up teaching one and him the other, of the basic use of the computer. This went on for several days, with him bringing along two friends, one for me to teach the other for him. Suddenly it stopped, he must by then discovered he had ten hours free internet use at the university cafe.

He was freshman when this happened. Then I was transferred to the circulation unit and I noticed him as a regular library goer and borrower. He absolutely availed of all the regular services that could be had. Including the not regular ones like asking us if some marine biology books have been purchased recently but yet to be brought out to the circulation unit. And to request first chance at them.

Not only did he borrow reference books for his major, he was also reading literature. He discovered one Vonnegut in the literature section. Interested he checked the card catalog but found nothing else. It was a good thing he was the way he was because he asked if there were other Vonneguts in the library. Two of our Vonneguts are classified under fiction. Unfortunately some of them are not represented in the card catalog, especially the older ones. When he was done reading the last Vonnegut in our library and if I remember right it was Dead Eyed Dick, he voiced his sadness over our lack of good books. I disagreed with him of course, I gave him names of authors he might enjoy reading, he said he'll check them out. When he said there were no more good books, he probably also meant at that time, of our loss of the third book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, our having not acquired the latest Harry Potter book. Whatever he meant, I offered him my own Vonneguts, my own copy of the Return of the King and the latest HP book which actually was my nephew's.

Then years passed. He was the same pushy kid and I was the same stressed librarian but we had an easy and rare librarian and library client relationship. All too quickly he was processing his graduation clearance and I reminded him our first encounter and had a quiet laugh over it.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, we at the library were listening to the radio broadcast of commencement exercise as always, and I was surprised to hear he graduated Magna cum laude. It was a proud moment for me, realizing I have helped him with his pursuit of knowledge even just a little.

I still try to recommend books and authors to a few students borrowing literature, but most of them just goggled at me. It's also sad to be looked at like the ignorant librarian recommending newer edition of the zoology book when the instructor specifically say this edition in his syllabus. It's my nature to kibitz and my profession to recommend books and authors so I'll just have to deal with the odd looks--like I lost my mind--some students are giving me when I do this.