A Handshake is a Quiet Applause

This semester we have had students working at the reference desk to answer the routine questions. So far this has worked out well, since the students call out the librarians when there is a research question. Today I was consulted by a question for African American mathematicians. I checked the catalog under the keywords above. I found there was a subject heading women and minorities in mathematics. There was one book that really had the information this student needed. We also searched under Afro American Scientists and Mathematicians Biography. I showed him how to search MatchSciNet and Academic Search Premier under those subjects. Once he identified specific mathematicians, he could do a search under those names. This student was very appreciative of the help I gave him and shook my hand as we finished the reference transaction. A handshake is a quiet applause.