Deer in the Headlights

I have recently begun working the reference desk 3 hours a week, as a second, or backup, person.

Last night, I found myself alone there as my co-worker was off helping someone find an article on Ebsco. A patron walked up to the desk. I was hoping for an easy question, perhaps along the lines of "Where are your books on puppies?" No, I instead got "I am writing a paper on Milton. I need some books on the philosophical background of mythology, specifically regarding Apollo and Dionysus."

So, I found our way to the mythology section-not what she wanted. Tried again, got to the critical writing section of mythology; again, not what she wanted. Then she mentions Nietzsche. Now, being ignorant, I would pronounce this "Neet-she" but the way she said it (which I'm sure was correct) it sounded like "Niche", or a sneeze, and I felt like saying "Gesundheit!" Instead, I prayed that my strong spelling background would come in handy, steered her toward the proper area, sat on the floor with her a bit, and 35 minutes after the initial transaction, she left with 3 books that she thought would prove useful--AND she thanked me!

The whole time, I felt like I was taking too long (back to the how long to spend with a patron debate) but I didn't want to ditch her. I also didn't want to hover. My role in her personal searching was a gray area for me once I led her to the areas I had discovered. In retrospect, I think it went pretty well. For me, that was a pretty tough question and I felt we resolved it as best as we could.

Back at the desk tomorrow!