Satellite Observation(s)

I observed a few sessions at the library a week and a half ago, and I also led three sessions in the same day (this post will focus on the former).

The library is a different world from Bessey Hall. Not just the needs and writing process stages of the clients but also the atmosphere—there's anxiety, there's tension, and there's a looming deadline slowly crushing souls and Word docs.

These fears are made evident in the high-strung behaviors of clients, who need to outline at least an idea or a place to start with their paper or project. The enormity of the library and the workload it implies seems to almost suffocate some students, who can't even locate a starting point in an assignment. The consultants I observed helped with strategy, optimism, and a calming exterior. Although these characteristics are important in any writing center environment, the satellite of the library is even more important of a place to exude these traits. Prompting questions — a less directive approach — guided the session toward a favorable endpoint, and it seemed success was measured in whether or not a solid direction was established and partially developed. I believed this to be a significant strength in the library consultants; even if the client had finished a paper and just needed polishing, there was always some kind of urgency or deadline. Tackling HOCs was, as the acronym implies, the number-one priority.

I soaked in these skills as much as possible and hopefully demonstrated them in my own sessions. I reveled in the practically palpable energy of this writing center satellite — I liked the people coming and going, I liked the fluidity of a paper and how it or its direction could change in an instant. Everything was malleable, everything was subject to discussion and revision, and desperation almost always seemed to transform to hope. I probably sound like a fiction writer right now, but that's how I interpret the scenarios retrospectively. I would break down each consultant's specific techniques, but 30 minutes only allows for so much of the consultant's ways to shine through. The tendencies I described were shared among them, and it seemed logical to discuss them as a whole.

I like the library.