Secret Shopper

I wasn’t sure what to expect upon approaching the librarian with this type of request.  For one, I’m not the type to ask for this kind of help; I feel like I would be troubling a librarian who had better things to do.  I never realized that these were things that they were expected to do for the public.  I assumed that they would just point a patron in the right direction.  Through the classes I’ve taken over the last two years, I’ve come to realize much more of what the job entails, of course, and what those expectations are.

I approached the reference desk at one of the many branches of the local library system, asking the only person waiting there whether she could help me find a good book.  Even though I felt a little silly asking for something I could easily figure out myself, she didn’t bat an eye – I’m sure she gets similar questions frequently.  She asked if I had a favorite author.  I told her that for fiction I enjoy reading Dan Brown but that I’ve read all of his books, and for nonfiction, I enjoy reading Wayne Dyer but I’ve also read most of his.  She typed a couple things into her computer, and suggested that I try an author by the name of Daniel Silva.  She said that he is quite similar to Dan Brown and that she has heard that Silva is pretty good.  She typed a couple more things into the computer, and said that I might want to try a writer who is similar to Wayne Dyer by the name of Dan Millman.  She walked me over to the 128-291 sections in the nonfiction area that cover the body, the mind, religions, etc., to give me an idea of where to find his books. 
 

I asked her how long she had been a librarian, and she said that she was not a librarian.  She explained that she was some type of hourly paraprofessional.  She said that they usually have one librarian on duty, and he was in the back at the moment.  I thanked her, and she went back to the desk.  I looked around a little bit and picked Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman.  Then, I walked over to fiction, looking for Daniel Silva.  After looking at a few different options, I chose The Secret Servant.  I checked them both out; now, I just hope I have time to read them.
 

She didn’t ask many questions at all, but the question she did ask was key, “What authors do you usually enjoy?”  With that information, she was able to get me two books that look pretty interesting.  She obviously used some type of program to find similar authors, but she didn’t share with me what she was doing.  She could have been using some function of the catalog system or something like NoveList or Literature-Map.  I think she did a great job helping me find what I needed in the most efficient way possible.