[WEB4LIB] Re: Google Answers questions

[Patricia F Anderson]

Dan, I am more with you than you would ever know!! A large number of my
patrons cannot tell the difference between myself (the head librarian)
and my administrative assistant who is only at the Circulation Desk in
emergency situations, since that is not her job. :-) Creates ...
interesting challenges.

This does depend in part on the library, though. My library is extremely
small, and supports a relatively small patron base, so most folks know me.
It is just that my assistant is roughly the same size, shape, gender, age,
color, hairstyle, etc. Not really, but folks sure think so. So patrons DO
put a name to the person "helping" them, and the name is mine, whether or
not it was me. :-)

My point about accountability, however, was directed a bit differently
than it was taken. Librarians, at least when I was in school (15 yrs ago),
took courses in which they were trained in core reference skills and
issues, ie. people skills, question negotiation, reading between the
lines. If a student tried to get a librarian to do the homework for them,
ideally the librarian would think, ah, this might be an assignment. :-)
Now, I have faculty who say they don't MIND if I do the required database
search for the student, since the student learns who to ask when stuck.
Faculty choice. In health, my area, there are huge issues with what
question the patient asks, and what they really want to know.
Misunderstanding the question can be life-threatening. Not that it doesn't
happen with medical librarians, but at least they are trained to THINK
about this issue. Staff, ie. clerical staff, at medical libraries are
usually told to refer questions up the chain and give out the real
librarian's business card. I know my staff are told to do so. Ideally, a
tricky health question will come to the person best qualified to negotiate
the sensitive issues with the patient or patient advocate.

So who are the Google Answerers, answering questions on mixing medications
and life expectancy and best docs etc.? Browse the answers, and you see
the same folks answering questions about street drugs and mixing meds as
answer questions about how to do your taxes. They don't seem to be
specialists in a topic area. That combined with the lack of names ...
concerns me. Yes, they have a nice disclaimer. Does being legally not
accountable mean they are ethically not accountable?

My soapbox. :-)

Patricia Anderson, pfa at umich.edu

On Wed, 22 May 2002, Dan Ream wrote:

> I think Patricia's point about accountability is an interesting one, but would
> add that few library patrons--if they had a gun held to their head--could name
> the reference librarian who helped them a few minutes ago--even if they EVER knew
> who they were talking to.
>
> We in libraries are among the most anonymous service workers I've ever dealt
> with. Even the cashier at 7-11 wears a nametag , but rarely do I encounter a
> librarian's or library staff member's name without asking.
>
> Our accountability and perhaps our image might be much improved by putting our
> names out there a little more.
>
> Think about that the next time you're sitting at a reference desk--how can the
> next user who walks up tell who you are and whether or not you're qualified to
> give an authoritative answer!
>
> Off my soapbox now! ;-)
>
> --Dan Ream