Success?
I just got a call that has me totally flabbergasted. The patron asked what percentage of people in the world are successful. Talk about an unanswerable question. Where do I even start with the reference interview on a question like that? She added that she had heard that it is a low number. I asked her what she meant by successful, but she just replied that she meant successful. Okay... I asked her about a source, to which she replied that was why she was calling us. I must have phrased the question badly. She added something like "you know, only so many people in the world are millionaires". Aha! So, I asked her if she was defining success as wealth. She replied (in a very exasperated tone) that she was. I was floored! I can't even conceive of equating success with wealth only. Guess that's why I am very happy and consider myself successful in a public service job! :-)
I finally found an online newsletter in which the author stated list 3% rule and opined that 3% of the people control 97% of the world's wealth. I read that to her and emphasized that the author did not list a source and that it was just an online newsletter. Her response? A very perky "I thought so. Thank you." But, but... I wanted to tell her it wasn't necessarily a reliable source. So, I guess in library terms the reference transaction was a success because the patron was satisfied. Sometimes my job is so weird!
I finally found an online newsletter in which the author stated list 3% rule and opined that 3% of the people control 97% of the world's wealth. I read that to her and emphasized that the author did not list a source and that it was just an online newsletter. Her response? A very perky "I thought so. Thank you." But, but... I wanted to tell her it wasn't necessarily a reliable source. So, I guess in library terms the reference transaction was a success because the patron was satisfied. Sometimes my job is so weird!