A student comes to the library and you observe him wandering confusedly in the library’s section of science books. What is the first thing you should do to help him?
A. Ask the student what his assignment is and what kind of books he is looking for
B. Find an opportunity later on to ask his teacher what the assignment is so that if he has difficulty locating materials the next time he comes to the library, you can help him
C. Send another student from his class over to help him, as they both have the same assignment
D. Tell the student that books are shelved by the author’s last name and let him have the opportunity to use this information to find the books he is looking for
Answer:A
A student comes to the library and you observe him wandering confusedly in the library’s section of science books. What is the first thing you should do to help him?
A. Ask the student what his assignment is and what kind of books he is looking for B. Find an opportunity later on to ask his teacher what the assignment is so that if he has difficulty locating materials the next time he comes to the library, you can help him C. Send another student from his class over to help him, as they both have the same assignment D. Tell the student that books are shelved by the author’s last name and let him have the opportunity to use this information to find the books he is looking for
Explanation: Ask the student what his assignment is and what kind of books he is looking for. Before the librarian can effectively help the student, she must interview him about his needs. If his answer is vague, such as, “Well, I have to write this science paper,” she should ask him a series of questions until she understands his exact need. Then, she can assist him in finding appropriate materials. Answer B assumes that the student knows what book he wants and does not know how to find it. This may not be the case. He may not know what book will help him. Answer C puts the problem off until another time, and the student may have a deadline to complete his assignment. Answer D takes valuable library time away from the student assigned help, and that student will not know as much as the librarian does about available materials.