Earning my keep

Today I submitted 3 different incident reports to library administration, talked to 3 different police officers, evicted 5 people from the library, and talked to 2 different patrons who insisted on speaking to the manager.

When finally the building power went out around 5:00 p.m., I really felt it was a sign we should all be allowed to close up shop early.

Thoughts and worries of a new manager

How did I not predict that the most powerful indicator of which staff would be hard to manage would be having his or her 'personal' book cart?

Is it okay for your staff to hug you if they asked permission first and you said yes? Now are they going to be hurt that you never ask permission to hug them? (I mean, not that you hug them without asking permission, but that you neither hug them nor ask to.)

Is it worse if you accidentally startle your staff member when she thinks she is alone in the building and she goes "Wow, you scared the shit out of me!" or is it worse if your staff member accidentally startles you and you say the same thing? Hypothetically, what if both those things happen in your first six weeks?

What is my power level as far as tamping down on rampant Christmasness? How many years do I have to stay here before I can address it without being 'the mean new manager who hates it when we have fun'?

Should I cover up the political bumper stickers on my very-easy-to-identify car? Is it some kind of discrimination if I don't?

Library administration has reminded us at management meetings multiple times that our Employee Assistance Programs is for managers too, not just staff. Is there something I don't know about that I should be more worried about?

Is it a faux pas not to be a 'friend' of the library, in the Facebook sense and/or nonprofit Friends of the Library sense?