Why is it that parents don't make their children do their own research anymore? Are their kids too busy playing video games, playing sports or playing an instrument? Are their schedules too jam-packed to make time to come to the library and research their own homework assignments?
The parents always seem to show up 30 minutes before closing needing some reference sources for junior's term paper that is due tomorrow. When you try and engage them in a reference interview to find out what the child needs they can never answer your questions and the kids either aren't there or are in another department looking at graphic novels or dvds.
The most annoying encounter that I had with a mother occurred several years ago late on a Sunday afternoon. She came to the Ref Desk demanding access to medical journals (which we don't have) for her son's paper that was due the next day. Turns out the son was a college-age student at a reputable out-of-state university. I asked her why he wasn't there doing the research and she said that he was busy and couldn't make it to his university's library to do the research himself. Give me a break! Was she going to take his exams for him too?
Kids are just as bad. A boy and his father came to the Ref Desk and the father did all the talking while the son stood there looking totally bored. The father followed me to the shelves to retrieve the items and was doing all the browsing for the kids book report while the kid played on his ipod. When I told the son to make photocopies of the reference books that could not circulate, he said "You'll have to show HIM how to do it because he can't work a photocopy machine." The father said nothing. While I on the other hand wanted to reach across the Ref Desk and spank the kid for being so disrespectful and rude to his dad.
