Today's Google doodle is all about Komodo dragons. It's a quiz. (which I failed. How did you do?)
It reminded me of one library I worked at in the 1990s. A library where parents did the homework for their kids because their kids were "too busy to do it." A mom came in and demanded books on dragons. I took her to the Fairy tale section and showed her some dragon books.
"No, not that one. No not that one. Dragons! Can't you understand?"
So I dragged out some picture books about dragons. She was furious. Tongue lashed me up one side and down the other.
(Did I tell you that these homework-doing parents treated the library staff like very dumb servants? The men were often even worse because they thought they had the power to fire us.)
Eventually, through much discussion, I figured out that the lady was 1) doing a child's homework assignment that she herself didn't quite understand. And 2) that what she actually wanted was a nonfiction book on Komodo dragons. At that point the library didn't own any books all about that particular reptile but you can be sure that I immediately requested that we purchase some.
She was 'barely' satisfied when I found her subject in a general book about types of lizards.
It reminded me of one library I worked at in the 1990s. A library where parents did the homework for their kids because their kids were "too busy to do it." A mom came in and demanded books on dragons. I took her to the Fairy tale section and showed her some dragon books.
"No, not that one. No not that one. Dragons! Can't you understand?"
So I dragged out some picture books about dragons. She was furious. Tongue lashed me up one side and down the other.
(Did I tell you that these homework-doing parents treated the library staff like very dumb servants? The men were often even worse because they thought they had the power to fire us.)
Eventually, through much discussion, I figured out that the lady was 1) doing a child's homework assignment that she herself didn't quite understand. And 2) that what she actually wanted was a nonfiction book on Komodo dragons. At that point the library didn't own any books all about that particular reptile but you can be sure that I immediately requested that we purchase some.
She was 'barely' satisfied when I found her subject in a general book about types of lizards.
