Where is the bathroom?

I came across an article that so accurately articulates a common bugbear for library staff at service desks: information/directional queries. The types of questions I get asked most often are "where are the printers", "where can I put money on my print/photocopy card?", "how do I print?" - you get the gist...

Yes, I do get grumpy with students. Yes, it's often an effort to put on my smiley face and keep reminding myself that the person asking won't know that thirty other students might have asked me those same questions in that very hour. So I make the choice every hour, as Lorraine Pellack says in her RUSQ editorial "...either stop working at a public help desk or take the challenge to rejuvenate your patron interactions and become a positive face for your library". You choose.

Web Science

There is much talk of the state of Library and Information Science education in South Africa, particularly regarding the necessary revamp of course content in keeping with electronic publishing and the wide variety of information dissemination modes. Could 'Web Science' be a subject to consider? Even if not, it could make for interesting coursework...

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/New-Group-Encourages-Colleges/8885/