All things to all people
Posted by: Barbara Bibel
People come into the library in search of information about anything that one can imagine. Often what they really want is advice. Of course as librarians, we cannot always provide it. This can be especially tricky when a patron wants medical, legal, or financial information. They want to know whether they should take a medication prescribed by a physician, if the herb in the infomercial will make those 50 extra pounds disappear, if the investment offer that came in the mail is the answer to their financial woes. We have to walk a fine line and provide information with no recommendations. We can get them information about the drug and tell them to discuss it with their physician, explaining that we are M.L.S., not M.D. We can empower them by telling them that they are their physician’s employer and that they are entitled to explanations that they understand and to a second opinion. We can tell patrons to read those direct mail offers carefully, contact the Better Business Bureau, and to remember that if it sounds too go to be true, it probably is. Most of them understand and are grateful for the help. It’s all part of the day’s work and it makes our desk shifts more interesting.
