Ramblings on Librarianship, Technology, and Academia

My experience from working with engineers and scientists is that being available via email, phone and in the office when they are likely to need help will, over time (and my role model in this had been doing it for over 25 years) cause them to believe that even though they can find things, it's far easier to throw themselves on the librarian's mercy and thus get Instant Gratification, which see.

Given that the publishing world makes the online Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game look simple, people who use complex resources routinely can be taught to ask for help if you can get them once or twice.

But them, my target population was over 50 and thus grew up with the idea that there was probably 'some woman over there' who could help them and thus avoid wasting their valuable time.