Swanson, T. (2012). The coolest thing I did on the job last week. Blog entry, accessed at http://tametheweb.com/2012/09/17/the-coolest-thing-i-did-on-the-job-last-week-by-ttw-contributor-troy-swanson/comment-page-1/#comment-72318.
Although Troy Swanson is a reference librarian in a community college library, not a K-12 library, the experience he tells in his blog post resonated with me. He was working at the reference desk and a student came up to him, looking stressed out, with a necktie in his hand. He asked if Swanson could help him get his tie tied for a job interview. Swanson taught him how to do it, and the kid was noticeably relieved. What a great, practical experience he had at the reference desk--and he certainly filled an information need.
I try to be available for all types of information needs when I'm working at my middle school (and even with my friends--ha!!). I think that these types of interactions, which seem so simple and practical, are part of what builds trust with our patrons. Especially in a school setting, I am in a unique position as a the teacher librarian to get to know lots and lots of kids and to become an adult who they can trust. The little things make a big difference!
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