Working in the university library is no small task, especially when you're expected to have all the answers. Sometimes those questions are easy, and sometimes those questions are impossible. Either way, every student worker tends to discover the same truths about their job. Here are just seven truths every student who works in the library knows:
1. The decades-long war with the printers will never end.
Whether they're jamming, not recognizing your ID card, or running out of ink, the printers always find ways to rebel. Sometimes it's an easy fix, and other times the battles rage on for weeks. Despite the library ultimately winning, the printers are steadfast in their rebellions, with no surrender in sight.
2. The bathroom is over there.
It's no surprise that the question student workers are most familiar with is "where's the bathroom?" If you work the desk and don't know where the bathroom is, you'll learn soon enough.
3. We don't have every book in the universe (and we're disappointed, too).
We can always try to get you the book your looking for through InterLibrary Loan, but that doesn't mean we have it in our catalog. Don't worry, we are always just as sad as you when we can't locate the book you need for class.
4. If we don't know the answer to your question, you should probably ask IT.
We can tell you how to print. We can tell you what username and passcode will get you into the desktop computers. We can even tell you how to connect your phone to the Wi-Fi. Beyond that, you're better off asking IT for assistance.
5. We don't need to know what your whole paper is about.
We think it's really cool that you're talking about avant-garde fashions that use a blend of 16th and 17th century styles in comparison to modern interpretations of medieval dress, but we know as much about how to look up articles in the database as you do. So if your question is about resources for your final paper, just ask for the Reference desk instead.
6. No matter how many signs you post, no one ever reads them.
From "Free Snacks! Please take one" to "Emergency Egress Only," nobody ever actually bothers to read the signs. We put them up anyways, but that doesn't stop students from walking up to the desk and asking questions that our fancy signs technically answer.
7. You could probably do our job.
While there are a lot of things to learn, half of what we use to help you is straight off the library website. How cool is that? You could book a study room, look up a textbook, find scholarly articles, and put items on hold without any human interaction! But, of course, we're here for everyone who doesn't do that.
Next time you walk into your university's library, make sure you read all the signs that are posted and you have a really important question for the student workers. It's not that we don't love you and want to help you; it's just that we know the answers to some of your questions before you're even done asking them.
