Winter 2006 Volume 71, Number 4
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Marian the Librarian (#27)

Do you have a question for Marian?
Send it to the editor, Deanna Briggs, dbriggs@copyright.com to forward to Marian.

Dear Marian,

At the financial services library where I work, we share cubicles. Some of my tasks, especially indexing and abstracting, require lots of concentration. I find it difficult to concentrate with the distractions and interruptions happening around me. Because I use a desktop computer and many books at my desk, moving to a quieter area of the company is not very feasible. My cubicle mate knows when I do this work, I don’t want to be interrupted, but sometimes it’s not always clear when I don’t want to be interrupted and many times other people interrupt me. Is there something I can do to let people know I don’t want to be bothered?

Disturbed

Dear Disturbed,

If you had a door, I’d recommend getting a hotel-style "Do Not Disturb" sign and hanging it on the knob of the closed door, but since you don’t have a door, we’ll have to be more creative to work on a solution. Is there already a signal other coworkers use for when they don’t want to be disturbed? In some shared spaces, for example, some people wear headphones to indicate they need to concentrate (whether or not they’re listening to anything is another matter). If many people do the same thing, it might help reinforce to your coworkers that you don’t want to be disturbed.

Depending on the kind of books and the direction your desk faces, what about building a barrier between yourself and the source of the distraction, like what some elementary school students do with binders? If you stack the books up in a way that blocks people from seeing you as they walk into the cubicle, maybe they’ll understand the visual cue that you’re buried in work.

Have you already tried hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the back of your chair (if you’re facing away from the cubicle entrance) or placing one on your desk? The solution might be that simple. Another option might be to always do this particular work at the same time or on the same day or something like that. It isn’t always easy to consistently schedule our time, but if you can have a schedule, maybe people can get used to not bothering you at certain times or on a certain day.

Good luck,

Marian

Dear Marian,

I saw the film The Devil Wears Prada. My goodness, Marian, Miranda is my manager and Andy is me! How can I break out of that? I don’t want to be Andy forever.

Tired of Being Andy

Dear Tired of Being Andy,

Well, the obvious answer is for you to get another job. That’s not always easy, though. While Miranda may not welcome any feedback about her behavior and your dissatisfaction with the job, trying to talk to her or your coworkers about the situation might be a good start. Gradual changes could be one way to make some improvements. Instead of rushing out to find the final Harry Potter book’s manuscript, try politely explaining to Miranda why that’s a ridiculous request that wastes time and resources. Of course, you might end up fetching the manuscript anyway, but you will at least have had your say in the matter.

Chances are good that if your boss is really as bad as Miranda, other people in the organization might be as dissatisfied as you are. Often, groups of people have more power in situations like yours than people acting on their own. If you can find some people willing to do something about the problems, change might be easier and quicker. In any case, the sooner you start making changes, the better.

Best wishes,

Marian

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