Odd session at lunchtime today. Odd in every sense I can think of.

I'd be invited to speak to the math department staff at one of their lunchtime sessions. Unfortunately, the academic organizing it has gone off long term sick. So come the morning I wasn't even sure where I was supposed to be.

The thought occurred to me that their might be a website that gave the information (doh! there must be given that another academic had wanted me to do some training at the same time and I'd not been able to change the math faculty session because they'd already advertised and 'put it on the web' I'd been told). So I found a room number and was about to head that way when fortunately I had a conversation with a math academic who, when I mentioned where I was going, told me that no, it was in another building entirely. Glad I checked.

Got there to find a very young lady who didn't seem to be either an academic or a researcher. I presume she was admin staff but asking if that was the case didn't seem to elicit any response either. Maybe we were having communication difficulties as I did establish that she was German and was very patient with stumbling attempts to be friendly in her own language. I was spared further effort by the arrival of the first academic. But as I went off to make sure the computer I was using was logged on and set up properly, I noticed that his behavior in talking to the German was most odd. Almost bordering on autistic or something. Perhaps it's just math lecturers.

Anyway, eventually the grand total of about half a dozen staff turned up - some with their sack lunches in-tow as promised. I did my very best to fulfil the brief of introducing myself and my background, explaining my role in the faculty and offering what services I could. I felt it went as well as it might and the questions were mostly ok. But again, it just seemed very energy sucking rather than energizing as such 'performances' often seem to me. Not entirely sure why.

One question that stupidly I wasn't prepared for, came from the Dean of the Department. He wanted statistics on how many maths students use the library (not possible currently - but might be after the swipe card access is installed after the extension opening settles in), how many books they borrow and so on. I could have brought such figures with me but hadn't quite thought it was the time or the place. Doh! They were math lecturers, of course they'd want that. Not to worry, he seemed happy enough that I could post them later.