Amy Hale Janeke, San Diego County Public Law Library, and Sharon Blackburn, Texas Tech University School of Law Library, presented this light, but informative program at the AALL Convention. Ms. Janeke and Ms. Blackburn taught useful lessons in a way that could be easily assimilated.
First they introduced the audience to the Bizarre Reference Pyramid, which shows a progression of bizarre patrons:
Interspersed with the program were tips or coping strategies. Two strategies for coping with the bizarre are: the over-the-glasses look and keeping the desk between you and him/her. Ms. Janeke also recommended WHY PEOPLE BELIEVE WEIRD THINGS, by Michael Schermer; it’s available from Amazon.
Anecdotes were generously presented in this program. One that particularly amused was the story of the patron who wanted to copyright his name so that it couldn’t be used on a court document. That way no one could sue him without his permission!!!
The following characteristics help in distinguishing between the sane and the insane:
The program gave three mental health web sites to consult for information:
A full section of the program was also devoted to how to cope with the reference questions of the bizarre. First, treat their questions seriously. Secondly, treat the patron respectfully. Then, clarify their questions. Ask them to tell you more. Tell them, “I’m not sure I understand.” If they appear to be sane, analyze their questions; identify resources; ask follow-up questions.
The program presented two negotiation approaches. The first was Dr. Phil or the bottom line. This approach takes less time. Using it, set out no more than three choices to which there will be four possible responses from the user. These responses are
With this approach, they usually don’t come back.
The second approach is the empathetic or validating approach. Establish an emotional connection with the user. This approach takes more time. It leads to more choices. The patron usually leaves calm and usually comes back.
Two more coping solutions were suggested: one was to treat questions of the bizarre routinely; the other was to tell them the answer is a secret (to be successful with the second suggestion, practice saying the absurd with a straight face is essential).
Ms Janeke and Ms Blackburn presented some reminders: We should never argue about their reality. It’s fruitless and they get angry. It is helpful to repeat, repeat, repeat our limitations and our policies. Don’t forget to call in a colleague for moral support and/or a diversion. Remember boundaries: there are no inappropriate questions; we must do what is necessary to stay on track.
They gave tips to cope with feelings. You must recognize your feelings: guilt, anger, frustration. You must also realize that you can’t help everyone. It is very helpful to recall successes. Finally, look on these experiences as a chance to grow and as the material for GREAT STORIES and email your weird stories to ahale@sdcll.org and sharon.blackburn@ttu.edu. (There was some threat of a reward for stories.) The PowerPoint slides from the presentation are available at www.sdcll.org/presentations/NegBiz/Negotiating%20with%20the%20Bizarre.ppt.
