As I wrote about my health and beauty products experiments, I decided to share a couple tips I've found particularly helpful to me.
The most important thing to tell you is:
Ask the experts
What most people don't know is that librarians really love to help answer questions. We don't think most questions are stupid, and we don't tell you even if we think it's stupid. We want you to have the right information. We've been trained on identifying sources. We have advanced search techniques. Chances are, the librarian you're talking to is sitting there because they like the challenge of finding information.
Likewise, ask sales associates or other employees if you can't find what you want in a store. I had to ask to find green clay. I should have asked to save myself time finding glycerin. Recently I had to ask a co-op employee to help me when I wanted to taste a goji berry to check if I had an allergy (I do). By asking the employee the last time, I was just given two little berries to try and I didn't waste money or product with something I wouldn't, couldn't, or shouldn't eat.
The best lesson I learned at library school was that it's totally okay to say "I don't know". Follow it up with "let me find that answer" or "let me ask a colleague" or "let me look around and get back to you". The liberation I now have knowing "I don't know" is a completely appropriate and acceptable answer is something I can't even explain. I wish I could tell teenage me.
The other tip I can share is use Google drive or cloud storage. This is especially good if you have a smart device. I have an ipod touch and an Android phone. My phone is designed to work with Google, but I know iphones aren't. Still, here's my tip.
Create quick reference documents or spreadsheets on Google drive. When I went to get ingredients from the co-op, I ended up in a weird headspace due to my car not working. I had all the recipes I wanted to try in a document online so I didn't forget something (like guar gum).
I love this option because I can access all my drive documents on a computer or my phone. I type up shopping lists in drive on my computer, then read the list on my phone when I'm at the store. Using drive also allows me to change those lists from work, home, or the store. If I want to use it on my ipod, I just make sure I pull the document up before I leave an internet connection so it's there when I'm not online.
I know neither of these are ground-breaking pieces of information. It's just a reminder of what you probably know. There is no reason to make your life harder than it has to be.
The most important thing to tell you is:
Ask the experts
What most people don't know is that librarians really love to help answer questions. We don't think most questions are stupid, and we don't tell you even if we think it's stupid. We want you to have the right information. We've been trained on identifying sources. We have advanced search techniques. Chances are, the librarian you're talking to is sitting there because they like the challenge of finding information.
Likewise, ask sales associates or other employees if you can't find what you want in a store. I had to ask to find green clay. I should have asked to save myself time finding glycerin. Recently I had to ask a co-op employee to help me when I wanted to taste a goji berry to check if I had an allergy (I do). By asking the employee the last time, I was just given two little berries to try and I didn't waste money or product with something I wouldn't, couldn't, or shouldn't eat.
The best lesson I learned at library school was that it's totally okay to say "I don't know". Follow it up with "let me find that answer" or "let me ask a colleague" or "let me look around and get back to you". The liberation I now have knowing "I don't know" is a completely appropriate and acceptable answer is something I can't even explain. I wish I could tell teenage me.
The other tip I can share is use Google drive or cloud storage. This is especially good if you have a smart device. I have an ipod touch and an Android phone. My phone is designed to work with Google, but I know iphones aren't. Still, here's my tip.
Create quick reference documents or spreadsheets on Google drive. When I went to get ingredients from the co-op, I ended up in a weird headspace due to my car not working. I had all the recipes I wanted to try in a document online so I didn't forget something (like guar gum).
I love this option because I can access all my drive documents on a computer or my phone. I type up shopping lists in drive on my computer, then read the list on my phone when I'm at the store. Using drive also allows me to change those lists from work, home, or the store. If I want to use it on my ipod, I just make sure I pull the document up before I leave an internet connection so it's there when I'm not online.
I know neither of these are ground-breaking pieces of information. It's just a reminder of what you probably know. There is no reason to make your life harder than it has to be.
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