Rich vs. Poor

Prompt Greeting?

Eye Contact?

Smile?

Tone?

Completeness of Answer?

Salutation?

This morning I went to the library. Briefly, I dressed as I do for interviews, and hopefully I appear professional.

I walked into the library and approached the front desk. There was no one else in line, and the workers were discussing some work issue behind the counter. When I approached the front of the desk, a worker approached me immediately and said "Can I ehlp you?" She did not smile, although her demeanor was welcoming and her tone was soft, quiet, but certainly not off-putting. She did not treat me special, but was very professional with me.

I asked, "Do you have computers with internet access?"

She replied, "Yes, we do, but you need a library card to use them."

She grabbed a three-ring binder from the desk and flipped it open and began paging through it. She asked me if I lived in the area and I replied yes and gave her my address.

I'm not sure what she was doing, but it seemed to me she was looking something up, maybe my name and address. I told her that I would try back later and thanked her. She returned a thank-you and I exited the library.

Let me say, as a humanities person, I understand the value of the local library, and I use it quite often actually, but I just give my wife a list of books I want, she requests and picks them up for me. My wife is a librarian for St Louis County so she acts as a liasion of sorts.

I realize that my choice of fieldsite might affect my research. The Belleville library is located one block south of main street, and is literally surrounded by dozens of lawyers' offices. It is not uncommon to see men and women in business suits strolled down Jackson or High streets. Overall, downtown attracts a wide variety of folk, every age and SES. I assume the librarians are accustomed to serving a wide variety of patrons.

Moreover, I asked for "a computer with internet access." I'm sure that I speak with a certain assurance when speaking about technology because I am very comfortable with it. Certainly, this is expected from a professional, but I wonder, if I phrase and speak in the same manner when highlighting as a poor person, whether my ruse might be blown. The digital divide separates those in the know from the digitally uninitiated. If I change my question, and ask, "Do you have computers with the web on them," terminology that might indicate unknowingness, this will certainly be more in character, but will it somehow taint my methodology?

Don't know. I'll think about this.