Today, we're taking our final pictures of our #askacurator curated museums. In this project, students used Google Cardboard to experience a virtual museum. The Dali, The Peacock Room, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery were all displayed in 360 degree awesomeness. Students, especially students with limited English, were floored by being able to explore while sitting in the library. After questioning the curators over twitter about their choices and thoughts in choosing pieces, settings, and technology for the virtual tour, the students set out to make a virtual museum of their own. Choosing classic pieces, the students decided on a theme, a presentation, seating, colors, etc. and erected a temporary display of art and captions to attract viewers. We then photographed them in 360 to publish their work. (See below). But, here's where it went wrong for me. You see, sometimes I panic when things don't work the first time.
Our Ricoh Theta S was just being difficult and refused to connect to my cell phone so that I could take the photographs without being IN them. I had about an hour left before the class was starting and I hadn't anticipated this hurdle. Pretty soon, I was so upset that I'd forgotten the password, the network, how to change the settings on my own danged phone and was wondering who's number to call so that I could cry while someone figured out how to do it. In my distress, I forgot that I have all the power of the interwebs, if I could just take a deep breath and do it.
Of course I did and of course it worked, otherwise this would be a lame story about a horrible librarian. Hooray for online user manuals, right? While relieved, this little 10 minute panic attack helped me remember that students and teachers freak out, too and sometimes it's hard to remember the obvious things. As a librarian, it's not always about putting the right resources out there. It's making sure that the resources are in the right place at the right time and our patrons know how to use them. When we think about sending out those giant spreadsheets of databases or resources, they can be overwhelming - especially if a patron is just missing a small piece of information and needs it right now. There's a time to teach searching and there's a time to just fork over the information post haste. While we're busy trying to teach them "research skills" what we might actually be teaching them is that the library isn't really all that helpful after all.
While this may be deep thinking over a tiny anxiety attack this morning, it is a reminder to me as well that I can't always depend on others to fix my problems. Avoid the "shut down" at all costs. Ask the right questions, offer the right resource, and sometimes just hand over the chocolate. Creating an atmosphere in the library that is low pressure and low anxiety is an important foundation for exploration, for failing up, for taking risks and for feeling good about learning.
I feel silly now for nearly bursting into tears over a bluetooth connection; but a bit glad because it set me back on my heels for a moment and was a little reminder that sometimes I need to look at the library and the resources and the skills from the other side of the circulation desk.