So far today, I was only at the reference desk during the second hour of operation. We have been blessed with the patrons who talk to someone only they can see. I know that this is a serious mental problem, my paternal grandmother suffered from it.
What makes today odd, is that there is more than one person who suffers from this particular illness sitting on either side of the reference desk. On first glance, the assumption is that the person is on the telephone. The second glance causes you to examine the situation a little better, then you realize there is more than one person talking and they are not talking to each other. Sitting at the reference desk makes you feel as if you are in a wind tunnel and all of the noises are passing by you.
Add to this the odd reference questions of which you can't get a clear picture of what the patron is looking for. It takes a couple of seconds and then you realize that the patron doesn't have a clear picture of what they are looking for either. You then need to mix in the true reference questions.
I still have two more scheduled hours at the reference desk, later this afternoon. I am hoping that the climate has changed. I have a feeling that it will just be new faces, but the same type of patrons.
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