their mind. Give us a hint. When someone asks, “Where are your bird books?” they really want to know something else. So I ask them a series of questions to find out what they really want: material on endangered condors, how to raise parakeets, or how to identify a hummingbird that has used a neighbor’s birdfeeder. We aren’t being nosy (though a good librarian is always curious yet discreet); we just want to focus on your needs and not just give you the first thing on the shelf.
3. How technical can the material be? Some can use language in foreign languages; others have a good understanding of the subject and don’t need introductory texts.
