[Publib] Yes, but...

[Christopher F. Bowen]

Sorry, ranting about the reference interview distracted me from the rest
of the question. The short answer is yes, as a director I would
certainly want to know if one of my staff had done such a thing. It does
put Jennifer in an awkward situation, particularly if she might want to
be considered for employment at that library in the future. In general I
would urge Jennifer to talk to someone that she is comfortable speaking
to. It might be the director, it might be the head of the department, or
it might be another reference librarian. I would also urge her to be
somewhat tactful. I suggest approaching this as a question -- this is
what I observed, and it doesn't seem to fit with what I have learned in
school about children's access to information. Also, Jennifer should not
be surprised if the director thanks her for talking to her, explains
that this is not how staff are expected to deal with patrons (I hope!),
and that she will definitely look into it -- then Jennifer never hears
any more about it. This is a personnel issue, and the director should
not discuss any sanctions or disciplinary action with anyone else,
including the person who made the complaint. 

Christopher Bowen
Downers Grove Public Library 

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No one has spoken to my followup question:    should Jennifer (the LIS
student who observed the transaction) report the
librarian's behavior to the library director?    Why or why not?
 
 
Nann
@the library in Zion, Illinois