Desk as Wall

In my experience, at times the reference desk becomes a barrier between user and librarian. Something happened to confirm that impression this week. I was waiting to ask a question at the information desk and the librarian was talking to a colleague in a very social way a little distance behind the desk. I waited and waited. I became slightly annoyed as it was clear I was waiting and that this conversation was anecdotal and social rather than important business. I felt ignored and a bit silly waiting for a librarian who refused to see me. Eventually the conversation broke up and the librarian slowly returned to the desk area, moving around in a desultory way in the behind the desk area, refusing to make eye contact, rearranging books and papers. After a significant time the librarian sat down and barely looking at me asked me in a disinterested tone what I wanted. What struck me in all of this was how she refused to look at me properly at any stage. There was absolutely no eye contact or acknowledgement of my presence. Her tone of voice was flat and disinterested. Her manner was very much that she would rather be anywhere else. Everything was grim – the desk was cluttered. The whole situation drab. I would have preferred to be somewere else too. I asked my question - which was simple enough and easily answered as it related to the time and location of a library event but I felt I had endured alot to get such a paltry piece of information. It did not seem worth my time in the end. I felt that the desk and the space behind it had been used against me, that it had been abused in a way by a librarian with very little interest in the needs of library users. And I feel the desk model can suffer in this regard, can act as a very effective wall. Again I felt I had walked into a sort of throwback to the bad old days of reference desk service. It demonstrates to me how much libraries are in transition – forward-looking in some respects but still with one foot in the past in certain respects – particularly in relation to service in the physical library space.