To be shocked the librarian was so poorly read?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

In the library recently reserving some books for dd. Librarian had not heard of A Handmaid’s Tale and did not know that As you Like It was written by Shakespeare.

These are not exactly obscure books!

AIBU?

[quote ChoChoCrazyCat]@tigger1001 I'm not particularly interested in Shakespeare either and have only read/seen a few of the plays. But I'm still aware of the names of the major ones at least. I also have no interest in football but know the names of major footballers. Ditto famous composers, politicians, actors, artists etc. None of those are things I'm specifically "into", but if you consume any media and pay attention to the world then surely you'd have a knowledge base beyond your immediate interests.
I'd be embarrassed if I wasn't familiar with my own country's cultural heritage. [/quote]
@ChoChoCrazyCat this argument doesn’t make any sense. Shakey wrote 38 plays, how many would it be acceptable for a person to know? If she knew 10 others would that be okay by your standards? And how many Dickens? And are we required to know all the football players on the England squad or is a handle enough to meet your requirements? As you like it isn’t that well known as you’re claiming, you’re argument is baseless and arrogant, just because ‘Shakespeare’

@Iamthewombat

I am curious if the people on here who are all "but it won the Booker prize in 1986" can tell me (without googling it) what the winners were in 85 and 87. 1986 is 35 years ago. Some of the library staff/volunteers are younger than 35.

Yes, I could. I was 13 in 1985 but I still know which book won the Booker prize. I’m not an English literature teacher: it’s general knowledge.

It really isn't! It's specialist knowledge for people who are interested in literary prizes

My father is an assistant in a library and probably knows what books they have better than the librarian. He reshelves them so he even knows exactly where they are as well. He probably hasn't read them himself though unless it's history

@snackmonster

I work in a library and I am training to be a librarian - just a few months left of my Masters. Most libraries are staffed by library assistants although in most public libraries they are called 'customer service assistants' - AKA they should provide good customer service but a knowledge of all books ever written is not necessary! It would be fabulous if local councils took libraries a bit more seriously but sadly they are quite low on the agenda.

Same! Doing my MA by distance learning.

I have to say, if someone asked me about great swathes of reasonably popular literature, I'd have no idea. The whole of fantasy and most of sci fi and dystopia are completely lost on me. Just not my thing.

I was looking at an ad for a library assistant job. This is what it's asking for... there's nothing about reading at all.

1. Customer Service: What skills and experience do you have that would enable you to carry out a variety of routine tasks whilst delivering a high standard of customer service?
2. Commercial Awareness: Tell us how you have promoted a product or service and contributed to targets for income and key performance indicators.
3. Organisation: Tell us how you have organised and prioritised tasks and been methodical both individually and as part of the team, and how you have used initiative and problem-solving skills to resolve issues.
4. IT Skills:Tell us about your use of Microsoft Office, the Internet, social media and devices such as tablets, laptops and PCs, and how you have helped others use technology.
5. Teamwork: Please tell us how you have been a reliable, flexible and supportive team worker and how you have work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve aims and objectives.

They're not librarians in a lot of county outlets; they're volunteers or low level employees paid to check books in and out and put them away.

Modern public libraries are rarely staffed by qualified librarians. Our local authority got rid of most of the qualified staff in the early 90s.

Things got worse recently, and they are volunteer run now. There are only a handful of paid staff across the whole service. It isn't a popular volunteer role either, they struggle to recruit and many library "staff" are actually prisoners on day release.

The customer service stuff is really important because

• Customer A has forgotten his eBay password and thinks you may be able to find it for him.
• Customer B is having increasing problems with dementia and tells you a long story about how she needs advice about how to buy a wheelchair.
• Customer C has bad body odour and/or the shakes and/or talks under their breath, Customer D who is on the next computer wants to change to another computer but there are none free.
• Customer E wants to print something out, but they have forgotten their ticket and they don't want to provide any proof of ID because after all they pay their council tax and aren't libraries a public service - and they want to see the 'manager' now to complain! They are swearing and you have to ask them to calm down. because there are small children who are looking alarmed.

While you are dealing with all this the appropriately named Customer F is getting very narked because you don't immediately recall who wrote 'A Handmaid's Tale.'

Not being funny, but I'm guessing you were wearing a mask so are you sure the library assistant could understand what you said? It's 17 pages and counting of the poor assistant being gently shredded for assumed ignorance and it could just be a slight misunderstanding because you mumble or they're a bit deaf.

I used to work in a library and haven't read a book in years.

@JennieLee

The customer service stuff is really important because

• Customer A has forgotten his eBay password and thinks you may be able to find it for him.
• Customer B is having increasing problems with dementia and tells you a long story about how she needs advice about how to buy a wheelchair.
• Customer C has bad body odour and/or the shakes and/or talks under their breath, Customer D who is on the next computer wants to change to another computer but there are none free.
• Customer E wants to print something out, but they have forgotten their ticket and they don't want to provide any proof of ID because after all they pay their council tax and aren't libraries a public service - and they want to see the 'manager' now to complain! They are swearing and you have to ask them to calm down. because there are small children who are looking alarmed.

While you are dealing with all this the appropriately named Customer F is getting very narked because you don't immediately recall who wrote 'A Handmaid's Tale.'

This reminds me of a booked called "Reading Allowed" by Chris Paling, about someone who works in a public library, and needs customer service skills for all of the above reasons.

It's really not about books at all!

(I recommend it btw for anyone wanting an insight into what the job is actually like!)

@Pretenditsaplan

Or we could not gate keep both jobs (especially right now) and reading???

what does that mean?

E-book licences, they vary hugely title by title. We have varying requirements depending on the subject they pertain to. Databases purchasing access according to our needs. Being part of APUC who tender on behalf of most of the Scottish Universities. Copyright licences and digitisation. Teaching basic search skills, teaching how to analyse sources effectively, developing reading lists. Developing tutorials on varying topics, ensuring all our work meets accessibility standards. Purchasing from various vendors, filling in paperwork, budgeting, analysing our stock and continually developing our collection. Working with others in the institution to provide study support tools. Answering a myriad of queries, often helping with IT issues. Doing personal development plans and managing library assistant leave, rotas etc. This is just off the top of my head. I've been doing my job for so long I forget parts that I do as I auto pilot. Eg shelving!

This conversation really seems to have touched a nerve with some people. Whatever happened to acknowledging one's own ignorance without being all defensive about it?
I think you've really missed the point of my posts.

I've repeatedly said that many people will have different banks of knowledge about a range of topics, and most people won't know every topic in detail. It's precisely because I think this that I find the faux-shocked "how on earth did they not know..." attitude to be rather unpleasant.

People who are content with their own knowledge base and aware of the limits of their knowledge have no need or desire to look down on others for order to feel good.

It's not defensive to take a dislike to people looking down on others for not having an identical knowledge base, which is exactly what "I can't believe someone didn't know who wrote this book / I can't believe someone hasn't heard of this album" etc is.

@poppycat10 I don't retain every fact I ever learn and my memory isn't exceptional. I don't know why people keep talking about knowing everything, clearly it's not about that.
I have no particular interest in Shakespeare or Margaret Atwood but still know the titles mentioned, without making any conscious effort to remember then. They are hardly obscure.

Having just checked it seems The Handmaid's Tale was NOT the winner of the 1986 Booker prize as said earlier on this thread and despite someone else saying they knew the winners from every year.
Interesting

@StyleAndLasers

I was in WH Smith the other day and two people who worked there were discussing this weird woman who had come in and asked for "Some book about a cat who walks? By Mr Kipling?" They were expressing their bafflement about how the "cake man" might have written any books, and laughing at the woman who obviously had "got it wrong".

I know WH Smith doesn't only sell books but I find it a bit gobsmacking that they haven't heard of Rudyard Kipling.

just a guess but i should think that the vast majority of the population, say 85%, would not have heard of him. this reminds me of the question time show, where one youngish man honestly believed most people earned about 70K.

@LolaSmiles

This conversation really seems to have touched a nerve with some people. Whatever happened to acknowledging one's own ignorance without being all defensive about it? I think you've really missed the point of my posts.

I've repeatedly said that many people will have different banks of knowledge about a range of topics, and most people won't know every topic in detail. It's precisely because I think this that I find the faux-shocked "how on earth did they not know..." attitude to be rather unpleasant.

People who are content with their own knowledge base and aware of the limits of their knowledge have no need or desire to look down on others for order to feel good.

It's not defensive to take a dislike to people looking down on others for not having an identical knowledge base, which is exactly what "I can't believe someone didn't know who wrote this book / I can't believe someone hasn't heard of this album" etc is.

Totally agree!

Quick 'culture' test.
What is the name of the book series that inspired HBOs Game Of Thrones?
Name a George RR Martin novel not in said series?
Name a Margaret Atwood novel other than The Handmaid's Tale?
Name two JK Rowling books where the proceeds went to charity?
What's Frankenstein's monster called?
Which Marlowe play does Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice plagerise?
What's the second adventure of Lewis Carol's Alice called?

That an English graduate and others couldn't get 100% is kind of my point. I'm an English graduate and these are my niche specialist subjects.
However, if you asked me to name a character in Conrad or what on earth A Clockwork Orange is about I'd do less well, because of interests and all.
Shakespeare isn't the be all and end all of the Early Modern Period either. Most literature courses expand put from it.

People are allowed to read what they like, and not know about things they aren't interested in

Exactly. My DH takes the mickey out of me because I read chick lit but I have an academic job and reading easy-going entertainment is fun. I do read "intelligent" stuff too, but not intelligent fiction.

For example, one of the last books I read was a history of Germany between 1870 and 1918 by Katja Hoyer. Educational but not highbrow fiction.

I know WH Smith doesn't only sell books but I find it a bit gobsmacking that they haven't heard of Rudyard Kipling

They needed to have watched one of Michael Portillo's latest railway journeys. He went to his house.

@StyleAndLasers

I worked in WH Smith's when I was in high school. It was the closest thing to a book shop my town had. They really dont care about the books. Some of them will be better than others, but they order what's on a list from head office, with no input from staff. They dont have anyone charged with reading The Bookseller or the reviews in the paper or checking out obscure publishers etc. They really arent booksellers, in that sense.

When I moved to the city, I started working in one of the big bookshops and it was totally different. Staff encouraged to read The Bookseller, encouraged to write recommendations to add to the shelves, and order in books (or add to an order list if they dont have those permissions with their login level) which they think would be enjoyed or popular. We had people spend a day going through reviews in the papers or puplar blogs and getting those books, chatting to smaller publishers etc. Totally different.

@TinaYouFatLard

It’s THE Handmaid’s Tale.

…glass houses eh?!

Some of these replies are funny. Made me think of Alan Partridge getting annoyed that someone working at Curry’s didn’t have a basic grasp of Latin.

But was “As you like it” written by Shakespeare? Surely that is the question! (Waves to all the Baconians and Oxfordians)