Finding libraries.

If an English-speaking library visitor needs to find other libraries at Tha Prachan or other campuses of Thammasat University, explaining how to get there can be complicated. Let us imagine that a farang ajarn or student from the Faculty of Law looks up a book on Koha, for example Blackstone’s EC Legislation. According to the entry on Koha, the current location for this book is Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit Campus General Stacks and Sanya Dharmasakti Library General Stacks. Although the TU Libraries own two copies of this book and both are available for loan, the library visitor does not know where the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit Campus or the Sanya Dharmasakti Library are. The visitor may ask:

Where are these libraries?

or

Are these libraries on campus?

The most useful reply would be the shortest. We could explain:

The Sanya Library is here at Tha Prachan. It is the Faculty of Law Library. It is at the entrance to the university near Sanam Luang.

Note that short sentences help us to avoid confusion in giving out information. If we try to explain too much all at once, constructing long sentences in our heads can take too much time and effort. Maybe our visitor does not know what Sanam Luang is or where it is located, and will ask:

Where is Sanam Luang?

or

Where is that? 

We could answer:

It is in front of the Royal Palace.

It is likely that even a new visitor will have seen the Royal Palace and have an idea where that is. Suppose our visitor does not want to go to the Sanya Dharmasakti Library, but prefers to get the book at the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit Campus. The library user may ask us:

Where is the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit Campus?

To be helpful, we do not have to give exact geographical indications of where Rangsit campus is. Instead, a general idea will be most useful to the visitor. We could say:

It is another campus. Rangsit is quite far, about one hour by shuttle.

If you order the book, we can have it delivered here by tomorrow.

This is the most important information for the library user, that although the book is not nearby, it can be delivered in 24 hours. Be prepared for visitors to be confused about some things. For example, as all TU Library staff know, there is a Puey Ungphakorn Library at Rangsit Campus, a general or main library for that campus, and also a Puey Ungphakorn Library at the Faculty of Economics, Tha Prachan. Visitors may find it confusing that two different libraries are named after the same ajarn. If we are giving directions from the Pridi Banomyong Library, we might explain:

The Puey Ungphakorn Library is at the Faculty of Economics here at Tha Prachan. It is inside the Faculty of Economics building. That building is next to the entrance of this library.

Remember that many farangs find Thai names difficult to understand and remember, especially if they are spoken quickly. It is easier for visitors if we just say Faculty of Economics Library or Faculty of Law Library. It is even possible be save more time and just say

Economics Library

Law Library

Journalism Library.

It is much faster and easier to say Journalism Library instead of Faculty of Journalism & Mass Communication Library. Since speaking English can be difficult, it is important to try to choose easy alternatives whenever possible, that allow us to get a message across without taking much time or effort. If a visitor to the Pridi Banomyong Library asks where the Journalism Library is, we can reply:

Just go outside the library and cross the street. It around the corner from the Language Institute. It is next to the football field.

As we know, campus maps of Tha Prachan are not always easy to understand, especially for foreign visitors who do not read Thai language. In the sentences above, we have given some useful advice to the library user. They will know to cross the street outside the entrance to the Pridi Banomyong Library. They will know they must find the Language Institute, possibly by asking someone on campus. Once they have located the Language Institute, they know that the Faculty of Journalism & Mass Communication Library is located around the corner from this building. Or they can ask someone else on campus where the football field is. With all this information, library users should be able to get where they need to go to consult books in the TU Libraries collection.

What floor is it on? 

Some faculty libraries are conveniently located on the ground floor, like the Faculty of Journalism or Faculty of Law libraries. Other libraries are on different floors of faculties, and visitors will not know in advance where they are. It is polite to let them know where in faculty buildings libraries are found, since no faculty building has signs or posters in English explaining what floors the libraries are located on. Instead of just saying:

This book is at the Faculty of Political Science library. Just go outside and to the left. 

It is more helpful to say:

This book is at the Faculty of Political Science library. Just go outside and to the left. The library is on the top floor of the building.

Notice that we say top floor, because the other way we could tell the library user where the Faculty of Political Science library would be to say:

It is on the fifth floor.

Some English words involving numbers may be difficult to pronounce, especially a word like fifth. To make things especially clear for visitors, we can hold out five fingers of our hand to make it understood we mean the number five. It is quicker and eaiser to say the top floor, because anyone entering the elevator in the Faculty of Political Science will know to go to the top floor, so it does not matter what the floor number is.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)