Awareness

Saturday I stood a reference counter shift at the Library.

A lady approached me in the afternoon. She told me that she had been here at the library for the past 3 months. Saturday was her last day. She'd found a few things of note during her visit. She had wanted to find out more, but time had run out, she needed to get home.

She told me that she had recently learned to ask people at the reference counter for help. Now that she was going out the door, she asked for my help in evaluating her data and what she should do next.

I was astounded as I began to make suggestions for further study.

THREE MONTHS!

During that time she talked with other library patrons, and volunteers, but she didn't bother to approach the paid staff at the reference counters.

She wasn't using a computer to help organize her information, either. We have all the tools on over 200 computers in the Library, and she hadn't tried to use those tools to her advantage. I gave her the information on how to download a free copy of PAF. In the THREE MONTHS she had been here, she could have attended the 8-class course in using that program at least 4 times.

Unfortunately, I find that all too often I am just as blind to the obvious opportunities that stare me in the face.

What am I missing?

Gotta open my eyes.