[Publib] 50 things...

[Louise Alcorn]

>I sometimes wonder too where the wisdom is in saying never point. 

This reminds me of a piece I read many years ago on why flight
attendants always point out the exits with two or three fingers, not
one.  One finger says "You! Go there!" while a full hand can sometimes
be inprecise as to direction or intent, whereas 2 or 3 finger pointing
gives direction but less urgency.  That may be apocryphal (it was a
filler piece somewhere or other), but it has always interested me in how
people respond to pointing.  I tend to talk with my hands, so I try to
be aware of what message I'm sending when I point someone somewhere.  

And yes, I do point.  As Shannon said, sometimes you have to in order to
take care of everyone in front of you.  I always follow with "please
come find me if you cannot find what you're looking for" or similar and
follow up when I can to see if they're wandering lost in the stacks.  

>...I'm always leery of absolutes when helping people. 
>... Yes, we can do things to improve customer service, but one size
fits all advice is almost never right for everyone.

Well said.  It's also important to read body language.  My former boss
always used to stand up whenever anyone approached the reference desk.
But she was a tiny person physically (though great in every other way).
If I stand up, some people may think I'm looming, so I simply sit
forward and give them my full attention, and stand up when I need to
take them to something.  

And I don't really want to walk everyone to the bathroom.  That I point
to.  

Louise E. Alcorn
Reference Technology Librarian
West Des Moines Public Library
4000 Mills Civic Pkwy
West Des Moines IA 50265
(515) 222-3573      louise.alcorn at wdm-ia.com
http://www.wdmlibrary.org