A typical afternoon:
Are you having trouble with the catalog? I am just trying to get back to it!
Is math tutoring full? Yes, sorry.
Consult with a coworker about a display we are working on together.
Do you have a notary? No, sorry. But I (i.e. my librarian coworker) can give you some suggestions about where to go.
Help with the printer.
More help with the printer.
Can you actually bring a lunch to the lunchtime book club?
Dysgraphia Guy: Can you give me one cent? I have nine but it costs ten to print.
Me: YES I will override the printer for you. But more importantly, I need to talk to you about speech and language pathology.
Coworker calls: The person with the bag of books is on hold, she wants to know if we can keep them for her until tomorrow morning. The person who originally dealt with her has left for the day so I make an arbitrary decision that we can.
Make a list for Dysgraphia guy of speech therapists in the area. (Thanks, Molly! You are the best.)
Gang of boys approach with grandpa. Oldest brother: “We need books appropriate to our lexile score.” Yikes. Fortunately they ‘can find them themselves’ if I can just tell them how to get on to a computer. Grandpa confides that he doesn’t know what a lexile score is either.
It turns out Lexile Grandpa’s card is from the pre-public computer era so he doesn’t have computer access. I get on that whole lexile score thing on my own computer and find Bunnicla for one of the boys. LG makes them shake my hand to say thank you.
Someone has every single Franklin book checked out. Every. Single. One.
Books about Egypt.
Accost a teenager who is standing in an empty patch of floor looking around in immense confusion.
Me: Can I help you?
Teenager: No, I’m just trying to print something from a computer here.
M: Oh, all right.
T: Am I supposed to be reserved or something?
M: Did you make a reservation?
T: No.
M: Well, do you have a library card?
T: Ohhhh…..no.
M: Do you have some kind of ID with you?
T: Yeah, a driver’s license.
M: And do you live in [Our City]?
T: No….
M: Well then I’m sorry, but there’s not much I can do.
T: I went to [Local High School].
Me: Sorry.
Books on CD. Not exactly self-help. Just about LIFE.
If you had any DVDs for sale would they be up there? Yes.
What do computers do? (Homework assignment). Well, what do you use computers for, little girl? To play games…to look up words on Google…There you go, all set!
You seem to be finding a lot of humor and satisfaction in your work, despite the frustrations that inevitably crop up. Go you!
ReplyDeleteThank you. In terms of what I do, my job is kind of the very best. Is it great to be a part-time paraprofessional? No. But it is great to help tiny old men apply for veterans' benefits.
DeleteHey, did you notice that you're commenting with a name? Have you always done that? I assume you want to be as anonymous as is reasonable.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did. It is, technically, a pseudonym.
DeleteI'm so excited that Dysgraphia Guy returned!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome for the suggestion; I'm glad you finally got to pass it along to him. Also I was checking your blog to pass the time while my article for class printed. The topic: Dysgraphia.
Molly