Seems our patrons like to be entertained, and that should be no surprise. I'm learning how to use my voice, stance, and gesture to lead the students' attention. But I'm finding that I can't just show up and expect their attention -- I've got to work for it, assume it, demand it with an off-putting presence and an aura of authority. Gotta muster that aura of authority. Gotta make them wonder -- why's this librarian look so funny / sounds so strange / why's he so into database searching? Why's he know so damn much about Ebsco?
Once they're curious, they're easy to keep on your side, and you can variagate your tone and volume and expression and posture to keep them listening for an hour. I think I've got a lot to learn about this stuff. The 'smartboard' helps, and I need to learn to work it with more elegance than I now do. Sometimes that thing alone is enough to wow them.
Seems to me that when people sit in little desks staring up at a 'teacher' they expect a leader -- and if you play the leader, they'll stay with you. They'll follow and (hopefully) learn. Eye on the ball. The ball? The information the students need access to in order to be excellent.
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