FROM: Frank G. Houdek
As a sports trivia aficionado (who else has their office filled with Wheaties
boxes and stadium cups), AALL's public relations coordinator, and the
perpetrator of the "teachable moment in legal research" query (and still
looking for your responses), I feel it my duty to comment on Mary Whisner's
characterization of her trivia contests in the UW Law Library Newsletter.
I second Mary's point that using a trivia contest to give students the idea
that the library staff is "friendly and fun" is a good public relations ploy.
More than that, anything which "humanizes" librarians in the eyes of patrons
serves a very useful purpose, paving the way for more effective relationships
between library staff and users. As to whether this is a "teachable moment," I
say sure--any time you find a patron with a raised incentive level (whether
it's because they are about to start new summer jobs or because they want to
win the trivia contest), they are ripe for REALLY learning about research.
Thanks for the ideas Mary.---fgh
Frank G. Houdek, Law Library Director************(618) 453-8788
School of Law Library**********************FAX: (618) 453-8728
Southern Illinois University************Bitnet: HOUDEK@SIUCVMB
Carbondale, IL 62901*********Internet: HOUDEK@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU
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