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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 Help and John the 24/7 librarian are always there By Sarri Gilman Herald Columnist Remember how annoying it was when we first got hooked up to our computers, and there were all kinds of hiccups when you tried to turn it on? And if you called for tech help, you had to take the day off from work, sit on hold for three hours while you cooked a turkey, and then spoke to someone who was less than understanding. And when the call ended and your lifeline to the only source of help was gone, you wondered if you made a huge mistake by purchasing this thing. My personal solution to computer problems has been to work with my tech-savvy husband. He does software development and the only thing I can do at this point is understand what that means. I haven't really come very far up the yellow brick tech road, but at my own pace, I have learned the basics, mostly from him. There is only so much tutoring that I will take, then my mind goes fuzzy, and I start looking for my knitting. Recently, I made an incredible and truly accidental discovery online that I want to share with Herald readers. My local Sno-Isle library has a big banner they hang outside once or twice a year that says something like, "Got homework? We can help!" I imagined a high school student struggling with chemistry walking into the library saying, "I can't figure out my chemistry," then the librarian hands her a stack of great books on chemistry. That's the kind of help I found at my library when I was a kid. That was a million years ago and homework help is not what you are imagining. I didn't even need to pretend that I was a little kid to test the new tech homework help. I actually was working on an assignment for a magazine and ran into a glitch. I needed a word history for a phrase. It was late in the evening, my library was closed, and the online sources I was searching were of no use. I wandered over to the online Sno-Isle library -- open all night. I wondered if the online homework helpers could help. I wondered if I should pretend to be in third grade, but I decided to just be myself and see what happened. I typed in my question to the little online box. I shouted to my husband in the next room, "I don't think anything is happening." My husband waltzed in and looked over my shoulder and said, "Something is happening -- see the little spinning thing -- just wait. This will be cool." Then Mister Know-it-all left the room. About three minutes passed. Suddenly a little window opened on my computer and telling me that "John, the 24/7 librarian," has joined the session. John the 24/7 librarian? He explained that he was looking at my question and there are some subscription sites that the library could use to answer my question. Then, like magic, my computer screen suddenly split into different views. John the 24/7 librarian was opening Web pages on my computer without me touching a thing. I could read whatever he wanted me to see. My computer was completely highjacked by the 24/7 librarian. He was the pilot and I was the passenger. I got the answer to my question, but that question was minor compared to the experience I was having with John. He was definitely a real person. He wasn't communicating with me like he was a machine. I was certain there really was a John. We worked together for about 30 minutes. John, where are you? He explained that he worked from home backing up the library. John, where is home? Wisconsin. Apparently, the homework help online resource at my local Langley Sno-Isle library can connect me to a person to help me anywhere in the country and that person can work online with me on my screen. This is when help is truly helpful. I highly recommend this free resource for kids needing help with homework. Online help has certainly come a long way. Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column on living with meaning and purpose runs every other Tuesday in The Herald. She is a therapist, a wife and a mother, and has founded two nonprofit organizations to serve homeless children. You can e-mail her at features@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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