Customer Friendly Libraries in a High Tech Age

If the old librarian cliché centered around the image of a little aged bespectacled lady in a bun who said "shhh" every time a kid cut loose with an armpit fart, the new cliché is even worse: a befuddled, slightly p.o.ed, hankering-for-a-union civil servant glowering at a 7-year-old with a mouse who can boldly go where no reference librarian has gone before. Welcome to the coming new millennium, Reader's Advisory fans. Redefining the librarian's role in the ‘high tech age' is the quintessential task facing libraries today and this new training tape offers a few pointers for wrangling terminal hogs and gently guiding card catalog neophytes. Four skits are interwoven with interviews from working librarians, examining such (now) commonplace concerns as adequate staff training on new technology, the importance of clear guidelines regarding terminal use (I especially liked the idea of giving terminal users a 2-minute warning), working with patrons at terminals and handling technology complaints (not porn, but claims returns). Although a mite pricey for a short staff training video without much in the way of supplementary materials (a video sleeve discussion guide is included), this program--while covering some already familiar ground--could still be a good investment for larger libraries wishing to kick-start a rousing staff discussion. Recommended, with reservations. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)