lesson #4: sometimes, you can't do it all for them.

Today is my first Sunday shift as Practicum Liz, which is happening strictly because I have to get 120 hours in before May 5, and the math dictates I've got to get more than my 8-hours-a-week in to make it. So, I'm signed up for four Sundays, today being the first, of four hours at the desk.

I've already been here for half my shift, and I cannot believe how quickly it's gone by. When they told me Sundays were fun, they were right -- because it's BUSY! I've been helping several people, especially one undergraduate student who's working on a project wherein he has to find 3-5 citations under a given topic.

What I've discovered with this particular patron is that he's a little frustrated I won't just GIVE him the answer to his questions ... but, c'mon, the point of his assignment is to go through the *process* of research. So, the deliverable (his assignment) is a narrative description of how he picked a topic, developed a search strategy, did an initial search, modified it based on what he found, etc. I know that this is a frustrating thing for people, trying to do the whole research process planning stuff, but it's essential. Once the student finally told me what his research topic was and how he was planning to search, THEN, I was able to help. But when he just said, "the pros and cons of plastic surgery," well, that's not so helpful. I'm not going to do your search for you. Sorry.

I could feel his frustration -- it was palpable. I felt bad for that, and tried to allay his frustration by pointing out that his assignment was the process, not the product. I'm not sure he understands me even now ... but perhaps, when he turns in a killer assignment (assuming he listened to me after the many times I repeated myself, pointing to the assignment all the while), he'll appreciate then the help I gave him today.