The Nordstrom Approach

The business of library media demands customer service. I call it the Nordstrom approach. "Can I help you?" propels us through our day and is the media specialist's raison d'être. Like Nordstrom, media specialists want to meet the requests and deliver the goods. Today, a tall young man came into the high school media center. His teacher's assignment involved exploring poetry. He began his request tentatively, "Do you have any sports poems? I mean I don't really know about poetry, but I like sports." We walked over to the stacks and I showed him books of basketball poems. It was my turn to be tentative, "Do you like basketball?" He grinned, "That's my sport." He reached over me and picked up Hoop Queens by Charles R. Jr Smith, "And, I coach a girls' basketball team." Holding the book with a look of amazement on his face he muttered, "Se-weet!" Another satisfied customer. I love this job!