One of the core competencies that a librarian must possess is an understanding of how people search. For me this is difficult since I have often played the role of placer versus seeker.

While I have not logged many hours at the reference desk, I have helped faculty, staff, and students navigate sophisticated, complex computer systems. In particular I am thinking of the popular journal and IR platform Digital Commons as well as the research information management system by Symplectic Elements.

It’s been interesting helping people learn how to use these systems and watching them try out what I’ve taught them. Some users just want you to give them some pointers and then leave them alone to input their data. They might consider it intrusive if you watched over their shoulders as they types. Others clearly preferred that I stay with them every step of the way while they entered their data.