Super Service

I originally sought help for a Historical Fiction book on Friday, February 5th. Arriving at the library right after opening allowed me to do work for another class and view the art featured in the annual Meet the Artist exhibit. I went up to the fiction section and asked the person at the desk for help with finding a book. She was the only person at the desk. Instead of beginning with a computer search, she selected a book from the ready reference shelf in back of the desk, Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre by Johnson (I did not write the first name but a web search indicates that the author is Sarah L. Johnson). I browsed the book while she did a computer search. She then went to a public computer station and showed me NoveList and remarked that I could access the resource from home. By this time, I had found a selection in the genre book, Until that Good Day. She in turn went and found the book on the shelf which was great, because the shelving at this particular library can be somewhat confusing.

I am not sure that she was a librarian ( I have seen and talked to her before and am pretty sure that she is a librarian) but she was extremely helpful. Although I did not read this book, I appreciated her willingness to help.

After scanning some of the secret shopper posts and the e-mail concerning the project, I decided to visit another library to see if I would have a different experience. I am happy to say that again, excellent service was rendered.

This time I arrived prior to opening (Friday, April 2nd) and had to wait for the gate to be lifted. I was not alone as there were several other anxious patrons. I returned some books and then went to the reference desk. I asked the person (again, not sure that the person was a librarian as she did not have a visible badge) at the desk for help in finding a Literary Fiction book. She asked about the content of this type of book. I described literary fiction as usually darker with a slower pace (Saricks, 127). She then asked about the characters. I explained that Toni Morrison writes in the literary style. At this point, she did a computer search. She asked if I liked James Baldwin or Their Eyes Were Watching God. She also asked if I was okay with a children’s book to which I responded that I preferred not to have a juvenile book. She further explained that the book was not a children’s book.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor was her suggestion. The lady assisting me seemed very enthused about this book and author commenting that the author had written excellent books. I was pleased with this selection as I have not read the book and plan on reading for this and another class. She went to retrieve the book from the shelf. I asked her how she found the book to match my inquiry. She responded that she had used Amazon.com and the section that suggests additional books and authors if you like such and such. In this case, she used Toni Morrison as I mentioned early in the Reader’s Advisory interview. She suggested that I use websites that have .lib or .org as they are more authoritative.

Finally, I asked about Elizabeth Berg. A classmate recently presented one of her books as a similar read and I am interested in reading her work. She was familiar with the Berg. She suggested that I use the computer catalog to search for Bergs work (I told her that I would just go to the fiction section and search) since all the books might have the same call number. This was not necessarily part of the secret shopper experience but I felt comfortable in asking and confident in her ability to assist.