Me, answering phone: Thank you for calling Walnut Bluff Library, this is Emma, how may I help you?
Old guy who likes to call and request obscure old movies: Emma! This is Mr. Mars. I've talked to you the last three times I called! How are you doing?
Me: I'm good, thanks. How are you, sir?
Patron: I'm going to Vegas if my luck is this good!
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Storytime
Our children's librarian quit and I covered the program for about a month while we hired someone new. The funniest part to me is interacting with the kids after we've finished the readalouds, rhymes, etc. because we have them do a little 'craft.' Most of our attendees are really too little for crafts, but the adults like the idea, and practicing holding crayons, glue sticks, etc. is still good for developing motor skills, so we do them anyway. I get overwhelmed by trying to pick activities when it's wide open, so I try to do a craft that's related to one of the books we read the same week.
We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar so the craft that week was gluing a series of green ovals (with a red one for the head) onto a piece of paper to make a caterpillar, then decorating with crayons. I tried to win over one little girl by telling her "nice caterpillar," and she gave me the most frustrated sigh and said "it's a spider." Oh, sorry!
The day after Halloween we read a book called Hello My Name is Tiger that features a kid who goes to school dressed in a tiger costume, and 'corrects' his name tag to say 'tiger' instead of his name, so I gave the kids each a piece of paper with a blank name tag and told them to draw themselves as their favorite animal and then have their grown-up fill in the name tag with the name of the animal. All but three kids just ignored the paper or scribbled unidentifiably on it. Of the other three, one drew a giraffe and two drew themselves as monsters, and happily told me that 'monster' was their favorite animal.
The biggest failure was when we read books about colors, so I gave each kid a color wheel and a bunch of stuff they could glue to it--pieces of pipe cleaners, feathers, sequins, etc. Not only did the kids totally fail to grasp the idea of gluing red things to the red section, green things to the green section, etc., but it was choking hazard city. I'm just glad I didn't have to perform the Heimlich Maneuver during that one.
We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar so the craft that week was gluing a series of green ovals (with a red one for the head) onto a piece of paper to make a caterpillar, then decorating with crayons. I tried to win over one little girl by telling her "nice caterpillar," and she gave me the most frustrated sigh and said "it's a spider." Oh, sorry!
The day after Halloween we read a book called Hello My Name is Tiger that features a kid who goes to school dressed in a tiger costume, and 'corrects' his name tag to say 'tiger' instead of his name, so I gave the kids each a piece of paper with a blank name tag and told them to draw themselves as their favorite animal and then have their grown-up fill in the name tag with the name of the animal. All but three kids just ignored the paper or scribbled unidentifiably on it. Of the other three, one drew a giraffe and two drew themselves as monsters, and happily told me that 'monster' was their favorite animal.
The biggest failure was when we read books about colors, so I gave each kid a color wheel and a bunch of stuff they could glue to it--pieces of pipe cleaners, feathers, sequins, etc. Not only did the kids totally fail to grasp the idea of gluing red things to the red section, green things to the green section, etc., but it was choking hazard city. I'm just glad I didn't have to perform the Heimlich Maneuver during that one.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Seems fitting
Caller: Hi, I got a call from you that I returned a DVD case without the DVD inside it?
Me: I'm sorry to hear that. How can I help you?
Caller: Was it 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'
Me: Yes, it looks like that's what the note on your account says. Don't worry, you have plenty of time to look for it before we charge you for anything, we just like to let people know as soon as--
Caller: Oh, I know where it is. It's stuck inside our DVD player. We have a pet rabbit and he chewed through the cord and now it won't open.
Me: Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! Well, I don't know if that's fixable, but is there anything I can do to help?
Caller: Nah, it's okay. I'm gonna take it apart.
Me: Okay, thanks for calling! All the best to your rabbit!
Me: I'm sorry to hear that. How can I help you?
Caller: Was it 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'
Me: Yes, it looks like that's what the note on your account says. Don't worry, you have plenty of time to look for it before we charge you for anything, we just like to let people know as soon as--
Caller: Oh, I know where it is. It's stuck inside our DVD player. We have a pet rabbit and he chewed through the cord and now it won't open.
Me: Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! Well, I don't know if that's fixable, but is there anything I can do to help?
Caller: Nah, it's okay. I'm gonna take it apart.
Me: Okay, thanks for calling! All the best to your rabbit!
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Kids at outreach
We set up a table at a nearby elementary school's "Literacy Night" recently to talk to families about the public library. The kids were given some sort of literacy-based scavenger hunt to do for the evening, plus a bunch of sugary foods.
A pack of tween girls run at full tilt past the table. The girl in the back of the pack is complaining: "I didn't mean run literally!"
"Are you here all the time?"
Six-year-old apparently all alone, no parent and no ID: "Hello. I'd like to sign up for the library, please."
Different kid: Can I have a library card?
Me: If your mom or dad comes to tell me it's okay and answers a few questions--
Kid: No, I know I can't sign up for an account by myself. I just want one of the plastic cards even if it's not connected to anything. They look cool.
"Wow! I saw you before! You got me some movies!"
A young boy walks back and forth past my table a few times, each time very carefully balancing a styrofoam cup of cocoa. Then I see him skip past a little bit later, and he says, happily, "I finished my hot chocolate, so now I can run free!"
A pack of tween girls run at full tilt past the table. The girl in the back of the pack is complaining: "I didn't mean run literally!"
"Are you here all the time?"
Six-year-old apparently all alone, no parent and no ID: "Hello. I'd like to sign up for the library, please."
Different kid: Can I have a library card?
Me: If your mom or dad comes to tell me it's okay and answers a few questions--
Kid: No, I know I can't sign up for an account by myself. I just want one of the plastic cards even if it's not connected to anything. They look cool.
"Wow! I saw you before! You got me some movies!"
A young boy walks back and forth past my table a few times, each time very carefully balancing a styrofoam cup of cocoa. Then I see him skip past a little bit later, and he says, happily, "I finished my hot chocolate, so now I can run free!"
Monday, October 21, 2019
Some frustrations
A patron wants the contact information for "Adjacent County's Chamber of Commerce" and will not accept the fact, no matter how I rephrase it, that the various cities in Adjacent County have their own chambers of commerce but that there is not a county-wide one. She just keeps saying, "And I do NOT want the black chamber. I already tried to call them and no one answered!" After about 5 minutes, I finally give up and pick the biggest city in the county and give her their phone number.
A nonverbal adult brings me a newspaper and a pile of miscellaneous flyers from our flyer rack. Then he shows me his Autozone discount card. Sorry, sir, do you want to check these out? Do you have a question about one of these flyers? Do you just...want to show me how you're in with Autozone? Sorry, I don't know what I can to do help you.
I am covering storytime this week. We use egg shakers for a few of the songs, and I make the mistake of asking everyone who is ready to sing with me to shake their shaker to show me they are ready. It takes literally minutes for the most excited toddler to stop shaking wildly. My "storytime assistant" rolls her eyes as if to say--"What an amateur! [Children's Librarian] never would have done that!"
Two staff members get into a heated debate about whether or not to weed our ancient juvenile nonfiction books about each country. It's eventually settled by one of them pulling out a book on Sudan that predates South Sudan's existence as a separate country.
A nonverbal adult brings me a newspaper and a pile of miscellaneous flyers from our flyer rack. Then he shows me his Autozone discount card. Sorry, sir, do you want to check these out? Do you have a question about one of these flyers? Do you just...want to show me how you're in with Autozone? Sorry, I don't know what I can to do help you.
I am covering storytime this week. We use egg shakers for a few of the songs, and I make the mistake of asking everyone who is ready to sing with me to shake their shaker to show me they are ready. It takes literally minutes for the most excited toddler to stop shaking wildly. My "storytime assistant" rolls her eyes as if to say--"What an amateur! [Children's Librarian] never would have done that!"
Two staff members get into a heated debate about whether or not to weed our ancient juvenile nonfiction books about each country. It's eventually settled by one of them pulling out a book on Sudan that predates South Sudan's existence as a separate country.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Two different approaches
Me: ....So, since we're going to be having this big event here, the director and some other people from library administration will be here that day, so just a heads up.
Staff member #1: So you're saying, clean up the library and all the trash in the parking lot that morning right before they get here?
Me: Well, actually, maybe if they see the library how it normally is they will understand why we keep telling them we need more custodial service...
Staff member #2: So you're saying, keep all the trash I normally pick up in the parking lot, and dump it all out the morning before they get here?
Me: Um, well...
Staff member #1: Nooooooo!
Staff member #1: So you're saying, clean up the library and all the trash in the parking lot that morning right before they get here?
Me: Well, actually, maybe if they see the library how it normally is they will understand why we keep telling them we need more custodial service...
Staff member #2: So you're saying, keep all the trash I normally pick up in the parking lot, and dump it all out the morning before they get here?
Me: Um, well...
Staff member #1: Nooooooo!
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Patrons lately
Patrons lately:
Patron:Can I talk to someone who speaks better Spanish than you?
Me (out loud): Yes, ma'am, one moment.
Me (in my head): Yes, but she's still going to tell you the same rules I just told you.
Patron: Can I sign up for a library card? I need some kind of ID to prove to T-Mobile that I'm me.
Me: I'd be happy to sign you up for a library card, but I don't think the phone company will accept it as ID. It just looks like this [shows her a new library card] and you can sign the back.
Patron: Couldn't you just, like, print out a picture of me and tape it to the card?
Me: It doesn't work like that, sorry.
Patron: Who do I report a building problem to?
Me: I'm the branch manager. I'd be happy to hear about your issue. If I can't fix it, I can pass it on to the facilities team and they can.
Patron: One of your bushes outside is dead. You should get that fixed right away!
Patron: Do you have, like, a copy machine, but instead of making, you know, a copy, it makes a copy on the computer?
Me: Yes! It's called a scanner, let me show you how it works.
Patron: Oh, wow! That's great! How much does it cost to make a computer copy?
Patron who I had to ban last week for repeatedly coming into the library drunk: *tries to come in the building when I open the doors at 9:00 a.m. sharp*
Me: Mr. Gomez, you can't come back to the library until November! Remember, the police came last week and talked to you? I was there?
Patron: *stares at me with a total lack of recognition for a few seconds and then shuffles away in resignation*
Me: Have a nice day, sir!
Patron: I'm looking for a list of Chicano authors active in the 1970s. Is there a way I can do that better than just searching the library catalog?
Me: Oooh, let me tell you about the internet!
Patron:Can I talk to someone who speaks better Spanish than you?
Me (out loud): Yes, ma'am, one moment.
Me (in my head): Yes, but she's still going to tell you the same rules I just told you.
Patron: Can I sign up for a library card? I need some kind of ID to prove to T-Mobile that I'm me.
Me: I'd be happy to sign you up for a library card, but I don't think the phone company will accept it as ID. It just looks like this [shows her a new library card] and you can sign the back.
Patron: Couldn't you just, like, print out a picture of me and tape it to the card?
Me: It doesn't work like that, sorry.
Patron: Who do I report a building problem to?
Me: I'm the branch manager. I'd be happy to hear about your issue. If I can't fix it, I can pass it on to the facilities team and they can.
Patron: One of your bushes outside is dead. You should get that fixed right away!
Patron: Do you have, like, a copy machine, but instead of making, you know, a copy, it makes a copy on the computer?
Me: Yes! It's called a scanner, let me show you how it works.
Patron: Oh, wow! That's great! How much does it cost to make a computer copy?
Patron who I had to ban last week for repeatedly coming into the library drunk: *tries to come in the building when I open the doors at 9:00 a.m. sharp*
Me: Mr. Gomez, you can't come back to the library until November! Remember, the police came last week and talked to you? I was there?
Patron: *stares at me with a total lack of recognition for a few seconds and then shuffles away in resignation*
Me: Have a nice day, sir!
Patron: I'm looking for a list of Chicano authors active in the 1970s. Is there a way I can do that better than just searching the library catalog?
Me: Oooh, let me tell you about the internet!
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Reinventing the wheel(ed rules)
Here's an interesting manager issue I had lately:
We have a lot of people who are homeless who use our library and some of them take their stuff around the neighborhood in stolen shopping carts. We have a problem with people leaving their carts right by the front door so that they are in line of sight from inside the building. I get why people want to do that, but it blocks the front doors, and there's a risk of them running into the parking lot RIGHT by where our book drop is and colliding with someone's car. For this story, it's also important to note that our library has a handful of bike locks that we lend to patrons so they can lock their bikes to our bike rack outside if they don't have their own lock.
Me in a staff meeting yesterday: Anyone noticing any patterns of issues with the building?
Same coworker who wanted to know if I wanted to see 'something related to the building which will make you feel stressed and discouraged': I've noticed a lot of people leaving shopping carts by the front door lately.
Me: Yeah, that's a problem. Please keep moving them out of the way.
Coworker: But where should we put them?
Me: I guess by the bike rack? Since that's where we have people put bikes and scooters and anything else with wheels?
Coworker: People don't like putting their bikes there because they can't see it from inside. I bet the same think will happen with the shopping carts...if someone asks me for a bike lock to lock their shopping cart to the bike rack, what should I say?
Me: Give it to them.
Coworker: But those carts are technically stolen, right? That's illegal!
Me: [Coworker], pick your battles.
We have a lot of people who are homeless who use our library and some of them take their stuff around the neighborhood in stolen shopping carts. We have a problem with people leaving their carts right by the front door so that they are in line of sight from inside the building. I get why people want to do that, but it blocks the front doors, and there's a risk of them running into the parking lot RIGHT by where our book drop is and colliding with someone's car. For this story, it's also important to note that our library has a handful of bike locks that we lend to patrons so they can lock their bikes to our bike rack outside if they don't have their own lock.
Me in a staff meeting yesterday: Anyone noticing any patterns of issues with the building?
Same coworker who wanted to know if I wanted to see 'something related to the building which will make you feel stressed and discouraged': I've noticed a lot of people leaving shopping carts by the front door lately.
Me: Yeah, that's a problem. Please keep moving them out of the way.
Coworker: But where should we put them?
Me: I guess by the bike rack? Since that's where we have people put bikes and scooters and anything else with wheels?
Coworker: People don't like putting their bikes there because they can't see it from inside. I bet the same think will happen with the shopping carts...if someone asks me for a bike lock to lock their shopping cart to the bike rack, what should I say?
Me: Give it to them.
Coworker: But those carts are technically stolen, right? That's illegal!
Me: [Coworker], pick your battles.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Evil manager aspirations
Things I daydream about forcing on my staff when I am at the end of my rope:
- If you say something to a coworker in a tone of voice you wouldn't use with a patron or using words you wouldn't use with a patron, you owe them a public apology.
- You are now required to read any Google or Yelp review that mentions you, positive or negative.
- Every week I place 5 index cards with your name on them in commonly-ignored places in the library (display stands that don't get refilled, items on the request list that are a tiny bit hard to find and therefore left on the list for days at a time, etc.). If you don't find all 5 of yours throughout the week, you're fired.
- One of those bathroom checking logs like gas stations have--sorry, but I don't believe you're checking them every hour. The level of mess when I check them gives it away.
- For every document you pre-print that you are supposed to print on demand for patrons from the library website to avoid wasting paper, you are docked a dollar of pay.
- Everyone is randomly assigned a new desk every 3 months, because apparently we need A) practice adjusting to change and B) bigger incentives not to be hoarders.
- Anyone who is STILL habitually putting things on the wrong place on the reshelving carts must go to storytime like a toddler until you can prove to me you can follow the alphabet.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Labor Day weekend patrons
A patron with a stack of DVDs to return: Oh, I thought y'all would be closed today...since you're not, can I get more movies?
Mom and toddler approach the desk. Mom to toddler: go on, ask her.
Toddler: I need to do some work on the computer. Can you please help me?
Mom (quietly): He wants you to put in the password so he can play on the little kid's computer.
Me: Of course! Let me come around and put in the password for you.
Mom and toddler, one more seriously than the other: Thank you!
The phone rings during this exchange and I hear my coworker having half of a looooong conversation: "Well, it looks like it would really depend on the kind of condition the coin is in, sir...does it have a year on it?...I'm seeing as little as 24 dollars and as much as about 300...of course you're welcome to bring it in, and we'd be happy to show you the websites I've been looking at, but as far as me looking at the coin, I'm not an expert, I mean, I haven't had any kind of special...no, I'm afraid I won't be in tomorrow, but really you could talk to any of my coworkers, because they will know just as much about coins as I do...all right, sir, I'll see you next week." [big sigh]
Can you help me find a book like this, but in English?
Can you help me find a book like this, but in Spanish?
Our branch is scheduled for a minor renovation to the entryway of the building, which means temporarily removing the security gates so that the workers can pull up the carpet, etc. It really shouldn't be a big deal, but a couple of people on staff are convinced it's going to be a huge headache. One of them returns from her lunch hour via the public entrance, sees that the security gates are gone, and says darkly "And so it begins!"
Lots of hang up phone calls, which I suspect are people trying to figure out if we are open or not. I can't decide if that's more or less annoying than them asking "Hi, are you open?"
Coworker: Did you already tell those kids they couldn't play with their gliders in the children's area?
Me (braced for frustration and eye rolling): Um...no...actually I told them they had to move over there from the 900s, but that they could play with them in the kid's area if it wasn't bothering anyone else.
Coworker: ...Oh, okay, good, me too.
Mom and toddler approach the desk. Mom to toddler: go on, ask her.
Toddler: I need to do some work on the computer. Can you please help me?
Mom (quietly): He wants you to put in the password so he can play on the little kid's computer.
Me: Of course! Let me come around and put in the password for you.
Mom and toddler, one more seriously than the other: Thank you!
The phone rings during this exchange and I hear my coworker having half of a looooong conversation: "Well, it looks like it would really depend on the kind of condition the coin is in, sir...does it have a year on it?...I'm seeing as little as 24 dollars and as much as about 300...of course you're welcome to bring it in, and we'd be happy to show you the websites I've been looking at, but as far as me looking at the coin, I'm not an expert, I mean, I haven't had any kind of special...no, I'm afraid I won't be in tomorrow, but really you could talk to any of my coworkers, because they will know just as much about coins as I do...all right, sir, I'll see you next week." [big sigh]
Can you help me find a book like this, but in English?
Can you help me find a book like this, but in Spanish?
Our branch is scheduled for a minor renovation to the entryway of the building, which means temporarily removing the security gates so that the workers can pull up the carpet, etc. It really shouldn't be a big deal, but a couple of people on staff are convinced it's going to be a huge headache. One of them returns from her lunch hour via the public entrance, sees that the security gates are gone, and says darkly "And so it begins!"
Lots of hang up phone calls, which I suspect are people trying to figure out if we are open or not. I can't decide if that's more or less annoying than them asking "Hi, are you open?"
Coworker: Did you already tell those kids they couldn't play with their gliders in the children's area?
Me (braced for frustration and eye rolling): Um...no...actually I told them they had to move over there from the 900s, but that they could play with them in the kid's area if it wasn't bothering anyone else.
Coworker: ...Oh, okay, good, me too.
Friday, August 30, 2019
They're getting the hang of me
One of my staff members, leaning into the open door of my office: "Do you want to see something related to the building which will make you feel stressed and discouraged?
Patron of the month
A great conversation in Spanish I had this week: My library offers a class to help people study for the U.S. citizenship test (like most large cities in Texas, we have a large legal immigrant population), so when a man came in and asked for the text of the Pledge of Allegiance, and made it clear that he just wanted the text, not any historical information or context, I asked him if he was studying for the exam, thinking he might be interested in the class we offer. Instead, he said, "No, I already passed the test! My ceremony is in a few weeks and I want to practice saying it in English!"
Needless to say, I printed him a copy of the text for free.
Needless to say, I printed him a copy of the text for free.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
I guess it worked out
Me answering the phone yesterday evening: Walnut Bluff Library, this is Emma, how can I help you?
Patron: Hello…you just called me?
Me: I’m sorry, I’m not the person you spoke to. Do you remember who called?
Patron: I didn’t talk to anyone, I just saw this number had called and I called back.
Me: Okay, did they leave a message?
Patron: No, I just called back. Do I owe y’all money?
Me: I doubt it. My best guess is that something is
here and ready for you to come and get it. Let me just look up your
account and see.
Patron: [tells me her name]
Me: Um, you don’t owe us any money, and you don’t
have anything checked out. I don’t see any requests on your account
either. Maybe we have something in our lost and found that belongs to
you. Have you been to the library recently?
Patron: No, not in ages.
Me: Well, I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know why we would have called you.
Patron: I guess just to remind me that you are still there.
Me: Again, I’m sorry for disturbing your evening.
Thanks for calling us back. As long as I have you on the phone, is there
anything we can do for you?
Patron: Actually, can you request “Sybil” with Sally Field?
Me: Yes, ma’am!
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Minimal overlap
Things I have to say to patrons:
"Excuse me, sir, is that your saw blade?"
"It doesn't matter if that's you in the picture, it's still not okay to look at pictures of naked people on the library computers."
"I'm sorry, but if I have to ask you to put your shoes back on again, I am going to have to ask you to leave the library for the day."
"Is that your son trying to run out the front door?"
"I'm sorry, you really can't go in the restroom right now. I promise the plumbers are working on it."
"Sorry, I'm not going to ask kids to leave the library because they are laughing. This is the children's area."
"I'm just trying to do my job."
Things I have to say to staff:
"No, please don't 'introduce termites' onto the dead tree outside as a solution. I'm sure the city will come cut it down soon."
"I know that email looks like a scam, but I swear it really is from I.T. and you really do have to do that cybersecurity training. Yes, I know it's ironic."
"If this graphic novel makes you uncomfortable, you can fill out the same complaint form a patron would fill out. Please don't just hide it at your desk without checking it out."
"Sorry, you can't have book cart races."
"The library will be FINE. Please, just go home and take some cold medicine."
"I'm just trying to do my job."
"Excuse me, sir, is that your saw blade?"
"It doesn't matter if that's you in the picture, it's still not okay to look at pictures of naked people on the library computers."
"I'm sorry, but if I have to ask you to put your shoes back on again, I am going to have to ask you to leave the library for the day."
"Is that your son trying to run out the front door?"
"I'm sorry, you really can't go in the restroom right now. I promise the plumbers are working on it."
"Sorry, I'm not going to ask kids to leave the library because they are laughing. This is the children's area."
"I'm just trying to do my job."
Things I have to say to staff:
"No, please don't 'introduce termites' onto the dead tree outside as a solution. I'm sure the city will come cut it down soon."
"I know that email looks like a scam, but I swear it really is from I.T. and you really do have to do that cybersecurity training. Yes, I know it's ironic."
"If this graphic novel makes you uncomfortable, you can fill out the same complaint form a patron would fill out. Please don't just hide it at your desk without checking it out."
"Sorry, you can't have book cart races."
"The library will be FINE. Please, just go home and take some cold medicine."
"I'm just trying to do my job."
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Spanish-speaking
About half of Walnut Bluff's patrons speak Spanish at home, so I've been getting a LOT of practice ever since I transferred up here. One of my proudest moments this month was Chatty Security Guard telling me that I don't have an accent. However, I've recently begun to realize how silly I sound now that my accent has so far surpassed my vocabulary. I now sound like a friendly but somewhat mentally-impaired person who maybe doesn't have very good verbal comprehension. The long pauses while I slowly process everything the other person says don't help. With English-speaking patrons, I can chat while doing routine tasks, but I can't really say more than "hello," "please" and "thank you" in Spanish without having to devote the majority of my attention to it.
These are the kinds of conversations I have when one of my bilingual coworkers isn't on the desk with me:
Me: Ready?
Patron: Yes, I'd like to check these out please.
Me: One moment...[long, awkward silence]..okay, the day you needs to bring these back is the 5th of July. Would you like a receipt?
Patron: Yes, please. [takes books and walks away]
Me: Okay! Thank you for going to the library!
Patron: I need the form to reserve a meeting room, please.
Me: Nice to meet you. [inappropriately long pause] Do you have your ID?
Patron: [hands it over patiently]
Me: Thank you, is this the address where you live today?
Patron: Yes.
Me: Thank you...okay, please to fill out this paper.
Patron: Sure, can I borrow a pen?
Me:...Sorry, say that again please?
Patron [patiently, pointing]: Can I borrow a pen, please?
Me: Yes, here it be, I am sorry!
Me (making an announcement over the PA system): [English] Good afternoon, everyone. At this time we'd just like to remind you that we have a science activity for children starting in the program room at 2 p.m. All kids are welcome to join us. [Spanish] Good afternoon. Kids, if you want to do a science project, they can come to the program room in justsome minutes. Thank you!
These are the kinds of conversations I have when one of my bilingual coworkers isn't on the desk with me:
Me: Ready?
Patron: Yes, I'd like to check these out please.
Me: One moment...[long, awkward silence]..okay, the day you needs to bring these back is the 5th of July. Would you like a receipt?
Patron: Yes, please. [takes books and walks away]
Me: Okay! Thank you for going to the library!
Patron: I need the form to reserve a meeting room, please.
Me: Nice to meet you. [inappropriately long pause] Do you have your ID?
Patron: [hands it over patiently]
Me: Thank you, is this the address where you live today?
Patron: Yes.
Me: Thank you...okay, please to fill out this paper.
Patron: Sure, can I borrow a pen?
Me:...Sorry, say that again please?
Patron [patiently, pointing]: Can I borrow a pen, please?
Me: Yes, here it be, I am sorry!
Me (making an announcement over the PA system): [English] Good afternoon, everyone. At this time we'd just like to remind you that we have a science activity for children starting in the program room at 2 p.m. All kids are welcome to join us. [Spanish] Good afternoon. Kids, if you want to do a science project, they can come to the program room in justsome minutes. Thank you!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Toddlers vs. libraries
Walnut Bluff has an AWE-brand "early learning station," a.k.a. a computer designed for young kids with educational games on it. Ours is password-protected because there is sometimes some...inter-generational tension over whether to read books or play on the computer. Toddler A is sitting on the computer randomly pounding on the keyboard, but of course it's not doing anything because it's on the lock screen.
Coworker to toddler's mom: Do you need the password?
Mom: Oh, thanks. I don't know, let me check.
She walks over to her son, leans down, and has a short exchange with him. Then she laughs.
Mom to coworker: No, thank you! He says he's 'hacking.'
Toddler B crying during a kids' craft activity where they are coloring a monster mask.
Me to family: Hi, are you guys okay?
Grandma: Don't worry, we'll be fine. He wanted me to hold his mask up in front of my face so he could see what he drew, but then he got scared.
Toddler C to dad as dad is at the front desk checking out their books: Dad, I want a grilled cheese sandwich!
Dad: Jacob, this is a library! They don't have those here!
Coworker to toddler's mom: Do you need the password?
Mom: Oh, thanks. I don't know, let me check.
She walks over to her son, leans down, and has a short exchange with him. Then she laughs.
Mom to coworker: No, thank you! He says he's 'hacking.'
Toddler B crying during a kids' craft activity where they are coloring a monster mask.
Me to family: Hi, are you guys okay?
Grandma: Don't worry, we'll be fine. He wanted me to hold his mask up in front of my face so he could see what he drew, but then he got scared.
Toddler C to dad as dad is at the front desk checking out their books: Dad, I want a grilled cheese sandwich!
Dad: Jacob, this is a library! They don't have those here!
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Surprised
New patron: I see a sign over there that says 'Movies." Does that mean I can take those home and they will just play in my regular DVD player!? Wow!
Monday, June 10, 2019
I see the logic
Like a lot of libraries/rec centers/etc. in working-class communities, my library participates in a program where we serve lunch to kids during the summer. The idea is to help out families who rely on free/reduced school lunch during the year and might have a rough time feeding their school-aged kids over break. These programs are funded by the department of agriculture and they have a ton of rules. In Texas, one of those rules in that the kid has to eat the lunch in the room you serve it in and can only take fruit and whole grains with them. As you can imagine, this confuses the heck out of six- and seven-year-olds. I served my first 'summer lunch' last week and had this conversation:
Kid: Can I take my cheese with me? Can I take my milk with me?
Me: Sorry, I know these rules don't make a lot of sense, but you can only take your apples with you.
Kid: Why?
Me: Well, we get our food from the government and they have a lot of rules that we have to follow.
Kid (thinks for a minute): Well, that makes sense. Milk makes a mess. If you took it with you, you might spill it on the government's stuff, and they wouldn't want that.
Me: Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
Kid: Can I take my cheese with me? Can I take my milk with me?
Me: Sorry, I know these rules don't make a lot of sense, but you can only take your apples with you.
Kid: Why?
Me: Well, we get our food from the government and they have a lot of rules that we have to follow.
Kid (thinks for a minute): Well, that makes sense. Milk makes a mess. If you took it with you, you might spill it on the government's stuff, and they wouldn't want that.
Me: Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
A patron wandered up to the desk and announced "I need to save a document on my drive." Seeing as she was holding a flash drive in her hand, I walked her back to her computer and guided her through plugging the drive in and locating the "save" function on Microsoft Word. When we finally got to the correct folder to save it in she said that she wanted to change the document's name from the default. I showed her how to do that. She typed "[Patron] resume" and then: "What year is it?...Oh, right, 2019...What month is it?" I just said "It's May, ma'am. Good luck with your job search!"
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Library mode
I was passing through the front desk area and saw that a patron with a small stack of books was standing there looking frustrated while both my colleagues were helping other people, so I approached her and said "Hi, ma'am, is there anything I can help you with?" The patron responded, "No, you can't help me. Every time I ask you a question, you just go into library mode and I can't understand. You people need to understand that other people aren't in that mode."
Me: "I'm so sorry about that, are you sure I can't try to help you?"
Patron (continuing as though she hasn't heard me): Everywhere I go, they go into grocery store mode, or bank mode, or library mode...it's no good, I am not in that mode.
Me:...
Patron: [leaves her stuff on the counter and walks out of the building, still muttering in frustration.]
Me to coworker: Did you help that lady? Do you know what she was upset about?
Coworker: Yeah, she said she wanted to take those books home so I said 'Okay, you want to check them out? I can help you with that in just a minute' and that's when she got mad.
Apparently "check out" was too jargon-y for this patron.
Me: "I'm so sorry about that, are you sure I can't try to help you?"
Patron (continuing as though she hasn't heard me): Everywhere I go, they go into grocery store mode, or bank mode, or library mode...it's no good, I am not in that mode.
Me:...
Patron: [leaves her stuff on the counter and walks out of the building, still muttering in frustration.]
Me to coworker: Did you help that lady? Do you know what she was upset about?
Coworker: Yeah, she said she wanted to take those books home so I said 'Okay, you want to check them out? I can help you with that in just a minute' and that's when she got mad.
Apparently "check out" was too jargon-y for this patron.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Whale of a dream
The same patron who wanted to know if Mike Wazowski blinks or winks stopped by the desk to tell me he hasn't been in lately because he's had a cold and it's taking him a long time to recover, maybe because he doesn't want to take medicine: "I don't want to take Nyquil, I don't like the weird dreams it gives me...[in an absolutely horrified tone of voice] I had a dream I was making friends with a baby whale. A whale!"
Friday, May 17, 2019
I thought about it all day
Patron on his way out of the library: Have you seen the movie "Monsters, Inc."?
Me: Yes.
Patron: I have an important question for you. Can Mike Wazowski wink?
Me: ...
Me: Yes.
Patron: I have an important question for you. Can Mike Wazowski wink?
Me: ...
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Plumbing the depths of bad patron behavior
It was a long week at Walnut Bluff this week. Our sewage system backed up twice, spewing gross contaminated water into both public bathrooms and the staff bathroom. The city plumbers were out working on it for a long time. When they finally got it working again, they insisted that I come outside and see what they had pulled out of the plumbing: It was a pair of pants!
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Good (well, decent) Friday patrons
I'm not even supposed to be on the desk this hour. I came out to talk to a crabby patron who wanted to dispute a fine and then got trapped. The patron is mad because we charged her for extensive highlighting and underlining--the book was so bad when it was returned that we took pictures and then withdrew it on the spot. She keeps saying "But you have the book! How are you still charging me if I gave the book back!?"
Are you going to be closed tomorrow?
Can I ask you a wishy-washy question? What do you personally think the phrase "capture the narrative" means?
Kids: We found the Easter eggs you hid. Don’t worry, we hid ‘em again in new spots.
I wanna return these 10 movies, then I'm gonna get 10 more.
How do I print, x3.
How do I get on a computer, x10.
How old do you have to be to get a library card? Can I sign my sister up for one or does my mom have to come?
Can you help me request these books? I wanted the whole series but I only got two because the computer didn’t like me.
Is it possible for me to use a phone anywhere around here?!
Oh, gotta go. I think I just spotted our security guard walking Not a Service Dog past the front door. Boundaries, SG! Boundaries!
Monday, April 15, 2019
I own this library
This weekend I finally had to ban one of our regulars from the library, not for one egregious incident but for a bunch of little things that just weren't getting better despite constant warnings from staff and one-day 'bans.' I felt kind of bad going to do it because she definitely has something aytpical going on mentally, and I don't know how much she really understands what we're saying to her. Here's how the conversation went:
Security guard: So you need to leave this library, and you won't be allowed to come back here for three months. Do you understand?
Patron: I'll be back next week.
Security guard: What?...But, the manager and I will be here and we will know you are not allowed.
Patron: Oh, you won't be here anymore. I own this library, and I will replace you. I just need a week to bring on some new people.
After we escorted her out, I found that she had glued a bunch of random objects to one of our wooden tables with a huge glob of super glue, so I didn't end up feeling too bad for her.
Security guard: So you need to leave this library, and you won't be allowed to come back here for three months. Do you understand?
Patron: I'll be back next week.
Security guard: What?...But, the manager and I will be here and we will know you are not allowed.
Patron: Oh, you won't be here anymore. I own this library, and I will replace you. I just need a week to bring on some new people.
After we escorted her out, I found that she had glued a bunch of random objects to one of our wooden tables with a huge glob of super glue, so I didn't end up feeling too bad for her.
Friday, April 12, 2019
Great week
Chatty security guard: Hello, Emma! How are you today?!
Me: Fine, thanks. How are you?
CSG: I'm great! This is a great week! Do you want to know why?
Me: Why?
CSG: Because the police and the EMTs have not been here a single day this week!
Me: Fine, thanks. How are you?
CSG: I'm great! This is a great week! Do you want to know why?
Me: Why?
CSG: Because the police and the EMTs have not been here a single day this week!
Friday, March 29, 2019
Patron of the week (and streets)
A patron called in and self-identified as an old lady. She asked about
our book club and then said "And do you have any other activities that
would help keep me off the streets?"
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Why did you come in, then?
Today a patron came in to 'sign up for a library card,' but when we checked her name in our system it turned out that she used to have a card a long time ago and owed us about $50 for lost books, so we couldn't issue her a new card until she paid her fine down most of the way. I was helping someone else so I didn't hear most of her discussion with my coworker. All I knew was that a couple minutes later, she stomped past my desk muttering angrily "I didn't want to read anyway!"
Friday, March 15, 2019
Not Thursday
Today at Walnut Bluff:
A man needs to print off some paystubs and doesn't speak any English at all. 20 minutes of help conducted entirely in Spanish, which goes better after I get him to write down "talones de cheque" so I can Google the translation and finally figure out what he is asking for. He and his dad are very patient, and Dad insists on introducing himself and getting my name on the way out.
Middle-aged patron: Is there a card catalog computer where I can look up books for myself?
Spend half an hour moving tables and chairs around for a program, no one comes.
I wear a button on my ID badge lanyard that says "My preferred pronouns: She/her/hers." I'm a cis woman who wears skirts to work, so I don't think it's really needed to help people figure out how to refer to me--it's more for trans or non-binary patrons who can see a signal that I'm probably not going to be awful to them. I was helping a teenager print a PDF that was causing them problems for some reason and they saw my button and asked where I got it. They thought it was so awesome that my library system had issued it to me. Then they asked me about an LGBTQ event that our neighboring branch is hosting next month, then they gave me a fist bump on the way out. Patron of the week for sure.
Do you have any books about BPD? Or general mental health, that would be good too.
While on the desk, I spend a lull running circulation reports, and then another lull trying to translate some of our flyers into Spanish.
Our heating is still out and our heating/cooling system is just a bunch of fans spread around the library. One of my coworkers goes to snap at a patron who reaches out to adjust one, I jump in and say "Go ahead, ma'am." I love being the manager today.
Man: I am here for the English class.
Coworker: I'm sorry, that class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Man: It not Thursday now?!
A kid wants The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey--I love those books.
Do my half-hourly walk around, picking up trash and refilling the toilet paper in the bathrooms. I wonder what our annual toilet paper expenditures are.
Children's librarian needs to talk to me about summer reading. "These people say they will come for free, but I've heard they are really unreliable. If it's okay with you, I'm going to put in a funding request to get someone else."
Sorry, sir, you need to leave your Uber scooter outside. Those things have been causing us enough trouble lately as it is.
A man needs to print off some paystubs and doesn't speak any English at all. 20 minutes of help conducted entirely in Spanish, which goes better after I get him to write down "talones de cheque" so I can Google the translation and finally figure out what he is asking for. He and his dad are very patient, and Dad insists on introducing himself and getting my name on the way out.
Middle-aged patron: Is there a card catalog computer where I can look up books for myself?
Spend half an hour moving tables and chairs around for a program, no one comes.
I wear a button on my ID badge lanyard that says "My preferred pronouns: She/her/hers." I'm a cis woman who wears skirts to work, so I don't think it's really needed to help people figure out how to refer to me--it's more for trans or non-binary patrons who can see a signal that I'm probably not going to be awful to them. I was helping a teenager print a PDF that was causing them problems for some reason and they saw my button and asked where I got it. They thought it was so awesome that my library system had issued it to me. Then they asked me about an LGBTQ event that our neighboring branch is hosting next month, then they gave me a fist bump on the way out. Patron of the week for sure.
Do you have any books about BPD? Or general mental health, that would be good too.
While on the desk, I spend a lull running circulation reports, and then another lull trying to translate some of our flyers into Spanish.
Our heating is still out and our heating/cooling system is just a bunch of fans spread around the library. One of my coworkers goes to snap at a patron who reaches out to adjust one, I jump in and say "Go ahead, ma'am." I love being the manager today.
Man: I am here for the English class.
Coworker: I'm sorry, that class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Man: It not Thursday now?!
A kid wants The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey--I love those books.
Do my half-hourly walk around, picking up trash and refilling the toilet paper in the bathrooms. I wonder what our annual toilet paper expenditures are.
Children's librarian needs to talk to me about summer reading. "These people say they will come for free, but I've heard they are really unreliable. If it's okay with you, I'm going to put in a funding request to get someone else."
Sorry, sir, you need to leave your Uber scooter outside. Those things have been causing us enough trouble lately as it is.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
The last straw
My most laid-back coworker (the one who gave me a Sandra Boynton board book about dinosaurs when I was having a stressful day) comes from a long career in food service so he's seen it all and normally doesn't bat an eye when patrons are awful to him or to the library. However, today he was walking across the parking lot to his car after a long shift and spotted a half-empty bottle of Coca Cola sitting by itself in an empty parking space. He walked over, seemed to take a deep breath, clenched his fists, looked up at the sky, and shouted "Motherf*****! People are animals!" before picking it up and stomping over to the dumpster to fling it inside.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Food rules
My library, like many public libraries, is a city department, and one of the things that means in this case is that we have to follow a lot of health/safety-related rules in our programs. One of them is that we can only serve pre-packaged food at library programs. That's usually not an issue since we never have money to buy food, so normally we don't serve food at all. However, we have a craft program that is run by a volunteer, who loves to buy food with her own money and bring it in. It's very nice of her, but I am constantly in a battle with her about following the pre-packaged rule and other food ordinances. To be honest I'd probably let it go in other circumstances, but she and the people who attend her program always leave a huge food mess behind, so this is part of my strategy in trying to make bringing food so inconvenient that she will stop and then my staff and I won't have to clean up after the program anymore.
Last week I was wiping down the tables in the program room where her craft program takes place and saw that someone had put a banana in the trash can. My coworker was in there setting up for the next event and so I rolled my eyes and said "[Coworker], the craft volunteer brought in bananas this week!" Without looking up from what she was doing, my coworker just shrugged and said "Would you say a banana is 'pre-packaged,' at least?"
Last week I was wiping down the tables in the program room where her craft program takes place and saw that someone had put a banana in the trash can. My coworker was in there setting up for the next event and so I rolled my eyes and said "[Coworker], the craft volunteer brought in bananas this week!" Without looking up from what she was doing, my coworker just shrugged and said "Would you say a banana is 'pre-packaged,' at least?"
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Other duties as assigned, part 2
I've mentioned before that something I love about my job is how varied the work is. I was a little worried that when I became a manager I would lose that, but it turns out that the duties I've lost are more than made up for by the new things I have gained. Here are some ways I spent work time this week:
- Helping little kids play "Pin the Hat on the Cat" during a Dr. Seuss birthday celebration (3/4 of them cheated, kids are weird)
- Attending training on how to do storytime (Less so I can do it and more because I was worried that if I wasn't in the room certain staff members I had assigned to attend would not take it seriously)
- Helping a patron who is trying to make a DACA case and wants to see if we can provide proof that he has a library card
- Counting the total number of each kind of chair we have in out building, as step 1 in a plan to convince Administration to buy us more
- Creating a little training quiz about library policies that my staff can use to meet a system requirement for "continuing learning"
- Writing a thank you note to a local business that donated a prize for us to give out during a recent program (made me feel important)
- Posting to social media about a library program we have coming up. No matter how carefully I try to make sure I include the name of the library and the address and the date and the time and the phone number and the intended age range and that no registration is required and that the program is free, it never fails that I miss one of those pieces of information and immediately someone posts a question asking about the missing piece and I feel like an idiot.
- Counting out 837 Goldfish crackers to put in a guessing jar for the Dr. Seuss program. Embarrassed that I never before considered and appreciated the work done by guessing jar creators.
- Helping a patron who heard from everybody at church that it was essential she have a LinkedIn profile for her job search, but who had no clue what LinkedIn was
Monday, March 4, 2019
More bad signs
Like many American public libraries, we have a green road sign out on the nearest main road that points to the library. It looks like of like this:
But of course ours is attached to a metal pole. I don't drive by it on my way to work. This week two different patrons came in to tell us that someone had turned the arrow around so that it pointed the other way, away from the library. I ended up having to spend an hour on the phone with the city's Streets department while they decided whose job it was to come out and flip it back around.
Every time I start thinking maybe I've seen all the major variations of facilities issues, something like this happens.
 |
| Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library-road-sign.jpg |
But of course ours is attached to a metal pole. I don't drive by it on my way to work. This week two different patrons came in to tell us that someone had turned the arrow around so that it pointed the other way, away from the library. I ended up having to spend an hour on the phone with the city's Streets department while they decided whose job it was to come out and flip it back around.
Every time I start thinking maybe I've seen all the major variations of facilities issues, something like this happens.
Monday, February 25, 2019
The Trouble Brothers, 15 years later
One of the blog tags is "Trouble Brothers" for a pair of kids who used to come into my original library and cause chaos. Since I don't work at that library anymore I thought maybe I could re-use the tag for two adults who I think are related and who take trouble to the next level. Hopefully this will be the only instance of the resurrected tag though, since I had to ban them...
There are two men about my age who I think are related (maybe they aren't actually brothers, but they do look alike) who have been coming in lately and have kind of taken over one of the alcoves with tables in it (who designs a public library with alcoves!? aargh!). They seem to be maybe schizophrenic, or otherwise unwell in a paranoid sort of way. I know that mental illness is really tough to deal with, especially in a state like Texas where there is basically no social safety net, so I've really been trying to give them every chance, but they've been bothering other patrons on a pretty regular basis. The problem is that since they are paranoid, other people's perfectly normal behavior, like walking past their table more than once, or browsing the shelves near them, or looking at them because they are constantly muttering fearfully is interpreted as 'stalking' them or 'staring' at them or 'harassing' them.
Today, one of our teen volunteers went to sit at a nearby table and play on his phone while he waited for his ride after his volunteer shift had ended. About 30 seconds later, he came back looking afraid and was like "There are two guys over there who say I am trying to start something with them! They were getting in my face!" I went over there and told the brothers that they were making other patrons uncomfortable and they needed to stop doing things that made other people afraid to be in the same space as them. Of course, instead of apologizing and changing their behavior, they got defensive and insisted that our teen volunteer, who is like 15 years old and about as intimidating as a rabbit, had been hassling them. I ended up having to call the police to make them leave. The entire time I was trying to hustle them out the door they were insisting that the teen volunteer had been stalking them for weeks and was part of a conspiracy against them--they only finally left when I told them that if they weren't gone by the time the police arrived, I would ask the police to cite them for trespassing since they were banned from the library.
After they finally left I went back to the teen volunteer to make sure he was okay. Fortunately he is tougher than he looks and he was fine. I asked if he had had trouble with them in the library before or maybe elsewhere in the neighborhood, since they had been claiming that he followed them around at the grocery store, and had thrown stuff at them out of his car (he doesn't drive) so I was worried maybe they had been a problem for him in the neighborhood too. He looked at me in confusion and said "I have literally never seen those guys before in my life."
There are two men about my age who I think are related (maybe they aren't actually brothers, but they do look alike) who have been coming in lately and have kind of taken over one of the alcoves with tables in it (who designs a public library with alcoves!? aargh!). They seem to be maybe schizophrenic, or otherwise unwell in a paranoid sort of way. I know that mental illness is really tough to deal with, especially in a state like Texas where there is basically no social safety net, so I've really been trying to give them every chance, but they've been bothering other patrons on a pretty regular basis. The problem is that since they are paranoid, other people's perfectly normal behavior, like walking past their table more than once, or browsing the shelves near them, or looking at them because they are constantly muttering fearfully is interpreted as 'stalking' them or 'staring' at them or 'harassing' them.
Today, one of our teen volunteers went to sit at a nearby table and play on his phone while he waited for his ride after his volunteer shift had ended. About 30 seconds later, he came back looking afraid and was like "There are two guys over there who say I am trying to start something with them! They were getting in my face!" I went over there and told the brothers that they were making other patrons uncomfortable and they needed to stop doing things that made other people afraid to be in the same space as them. Of course, instead of apologizing and changing their behavior, they got defensive and insisted that our teen volunteer, who is like 15 years old and about as intimidating as a rabbit, had been hassling them. I ended up having to call the police to make them leave. The entire time I was trying to hustle them out the door they were insisting that the teen volunteer had been stalking them for weeks and was part of a conspiracy against them--they only finally left when I told them that if they weren't gone by the time the police arrived, I would ask the police to cite them for trespassing since they were banned from the library.
After they finally left I went back to the teen volunteer to make sure he was okay. Fortunately he is tougher than he looks and he was fine. I asked if he had had trouble with them in the library before or maybe elsewhere in the neighborhood, since they had been claiming that he followed them around at the grocery store, and had thrown stuff at them out of his car (he doesn't drive) so I was worried maybe they had been a problem for him in the neighborhood too. He looked at me in confusion and said "I have literally never seen those guys before in my life."
Monday, February 18, 2019
Even faster than I thought
A very generous relative sent me a gift card to an office supply store to buy stuff for Walnut Bluff. We had a program this Saturday that I knew was going to be big, and we only have custodial service Monday-Friday, once a day, and it's just not enough to keep our bathrooms non-gross on busy days. Our biggest problems are that the little trash cans overflow with paper towels and right now, because of our HVAC troubles, ventilation isn't very good. So I spent some of the gift card money on cans of spray air freshener and boxes of tissues (figuring people might be using bulky paper towels to blow their noses), and put one of each in both the men's and women's bathrooms.
The office supply store sold both tissues and air freshener in big office-sized multipacks, and a little starry-eyed part of me was like "These aren't very expensive. Maybe people won't steal them very often and I can actually make this a permanent thing!"
I put the tissues and air freshener out at about 10 a.m. on Saturday. At 4:00 p.m. Sunday, I specifically went to look at see what was still there. Only one of the four items remained. I told a coworker, who rolled her eyes and said "This is why we can't have nice things!"
The office supply store sold both tissues and air freshener in big office-sized multipacks, and a little starry-eyed part of me was like "These aren't very expensive. Maybe people won't steal them very often and I can actually make this a permanent thing!"
I put the tissues and air freshener out at about 10 a.m. on Saturday. At 4:00 p.m. Sunday, I specifically went to look at see what was still there. Only one of the four items remained. I told a coworker, who rolled her eyes and said "This is why we can't have nice things!"
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
A long bathroom break
The staff entrance to my library is set in a sort of alcove the opens off the alley that runs behind our building. Unfortunately, like with most libraries, it seems like the architecture firm that designed our building didn't think about how people really behave, and made this a nice little semi-enclosed area that offers the illusion of privacy and safety. Until recently, the library had a lot of trouble with people sleeping back there, peeing on the wall, or just dumping trash. One of my first acts as a new manager was to lobby library administration to spend the money to add an extra security camera to cover that area, and I am grateful that they chose to do so. Since then, the problems have stopped. Mostly.
At around 11:00 one of my coworkers arrived at work (she is on the evening shift) and reported that someone had left a shopping cart full of stuff in the alcove. We looked around the library property to see if we could find the owner, and then looked through the library, too, even though people who are homeless who want to use the library generally leave their stuff by the front entrance, not at the back. We didn't have any luck finding the person who the cart belonged to, so I decided we'd wait an hour to see if someone came back for it. No one did, so I put on some latex gloves and my best psychological armor and took some trash bags out to start bagging up everything in the cart and throwing it in our dumpster.
I have a very sensitive gag reflex and this person had a lot of smelly fabrics. It was probably the most miserable 45 minutes I've spent at work, at least since I escaped retail. I also felt super-guilty that I was throwing away all of someone's worldly goods, and was dreading when they would inevitably come back and yell at me.However, we can't have people just dumping things on city property, and it's not like the person had made an effort to contact us and enlist us as allies. Sometimes we have people who will be like "I know I have too much stuff, but I really need to come in and charge my phone--is it okay if I leave it outside the front door?" and we say yes, make sure it's not in the way of other patrons, and ensure they take it with them when they leave. No big deal, but they have to tell us.
I finally finished bagging up everything, but our dumpster was full and there was a bunch of scrap metal in the cart that wouldn't fit in the dumpster, so I left a couple of bags of stuff and the metal outside while I went inside to call someone for advice on what to do about getting the cart and the metal picked up, and to see if we could get sanitation to come do an extra pickup of trash.
While I was on the phone, the 'owner' of the cart came back, but not to get it! Instead, she came back and left new trash! One of my coworkers was leaving for lunch and caught her doing it, so she hurried back in to get me. The two of us ran back outside to see the patron rearranging the trash I had bagged up back onto her shopping cart. "Ma'am," I said, "I'm sorry, but you cannot leave your stuff here, especially if then you leave library property."
The woman rolled her eyes at me and said "I just left for a minute to go to the bathroom! Fine! I will take it away!" and she rolled away her cart of scrap metal and trash, not saying a word to us about the fact that 75% of her stuff had disappeared into the dumpster.
I checked the security cameras later, and they showed that the woman had been gone for a total of two and a half hours.
At around 11:00 one of my coworkers arrived at work (she is on the evening shift) and reported that someone had left a shopping cart full of stuff in the alcove. We looked around the library property to see if we could find the owner, and then looked through the library, too, even though people who are homeless who want to use the library generally leave their stuff by the front entrance, not at the back. We didn't have any luck finding the person who the cart belonged to, so I decided we'd wait an hour to see if someone came back for it. No one did, so I put on some latex gloves and my best psychological armor and took some trash bags out to start bagging up everything in the cart and throwing it in our dumpster.
I have a very sensitive gag reflex and this person had a lot of smelly fabrics. It was probably the most miserable 45 minutes I've spent at work, at least since I escaped retail. I also felt super-guilty that I was throwing away all of someone's worldly goods, and was dreading when they would inevitably come back and yell at me.However, we can't have people just dumping things on city property, and it's not like the person had made an effort to contact us and enlist us as allies. Sometimes we have people who will be like "I know I have too much stuff, but I really need to come in and charge my phone--is it okay if I leave it outside the front door?" and we say yes, make sure it's not in the way of other patrons, and ensure they take it with them when they leave. No big deal, but they have to tell us.
I finally finished bagging up everything, but our dumpster was full and there was a bunch of scrap metal in the cart that wouldn't fit in the dumpster, so I left a couple of bags of stuff and the metal outside while I went inside to call someone for advice on what to do about getting the cart and the metal picked up, and to see if we could get sanitation to come do an extra pickup of trash.
While I was on the phone, the 'owner' of the cart came back, but not to get it! Instead, she came back and left new trash! One of my coworkers was leaving for lunch and caught her doing it, so she hurried back in to get me. The two of us ran back outside to see the patron rearranging the trash I had bagged up back onto her shopping cart. "Ma'am," I said, "I'm sorry, but you cannot leave your stuff here, especially if then you leave library property."
The woman rolled her eyes at me and said "I just left for a minute to go to the bathroom! Fine! I will take it away!" and she rolled away her cart of scrap metal and trash, not saying a word to us about the fact that 75% of her stuff had disappeared into the dumpster.
I checked the security cameras later, and they showed that the woman had been gone for a total of two and a half hours.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
In better news
Some good/funny things happened at Walnut Bluff this week too:
We recently got a new paper towel dispenser in our women's bathroom--the lock broke on the old one and people kept stealing the roll of towels out of it. Our custodian normally refills the towels and toilet paper as the last thing she does in the morning before she leaves for the day. The first day with the new dispenser, she came to get me and said she could not for the life of her figure out how to put towels in the new dispenser--well, when I say "said," it was mostly communicated by gestures since she doesn't speak very much English and I don't speak very much Spanish that isn't library-specific. I went to take a look at it and, despite the pictorial instructions, was equally stumped. Finally we had to go get a third person, who doesn't speak any English, and he spent about 15 minutes wrestling with it, with the custodian and me looking over his shoulder and offering suggestions in two languages. As we triumphantly came back to the desk, the librarian who was waiting for patrons to come in raised her eyebrow and said "How many librarians does it take to change a lightbulb?"
I was pretty obviously having a rough day one day this week and was in my office working on something. One of my favorite coworkers knocked, handed me a Sandra Boynton board book called Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!, said "I bought this from the donations for you, you seemed like you could use it" and walked back out without another word.
Someone left their cake behind in the library. We kept it in the lost and found for the rest of the day, but no one came back for it. A fierce debate raged about whether to toss it or eat it, but in the end cautious, sensible heads prevailed and we threw it out untouched.
We recently got a new paper towel dispenser in our women's bathroom--the lock broke on the old one and people kept stealing the roll of towels out of it. Our custodian normally refills the towels and toilet paper as the last thing she does in the morning before she leaves for the day. The first day with the new dispenser, she came to get me and said she could not for the life of her figure out how to put towels in the new dispenser--well, when I say "said," it was mostly communicated by gestures since she doesn't speak very much English and I don't speak very much Spanish that isn't library-specific. I went to take a look at it and, despite the pictorial instructions, was equally stumped. Finally we had to go get a third person, who doesn't speak any English, and he spent about 15 minutes wrestling with it, with the custodian and me looking over his shoulder and offering suggestions in two languages. As we triumphantly came back to the desk, the librarian who was waiting for patrons to come in raised her eyebrow and said "How many librarians does it take to change a lightbulb?"
I was pretty obviously having a rough day one day this week and was in my office working on something. One of my favorite coworkers knocked, handed me a Sandra Boynton board book called Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!, said "I bought this from the donations for you, you seemed like you could use it" and walked back out without another word.
Someone left their cake behind in the library. We kept it in the lost and found for the rest of the day, but no one came back for it. A fierce debate raged about whether to toss it or eat it, but in the end cautious, sensible heads prevailed and we threw it out untouched.
February weirdness
I am originally from a much colder climate than Texas, and my mother used to celebrate getting through February, which always felt miserable in the wintry north. I was thinking that now I live in Texas I should have a similar celebration at the end of August, but if this month continues on the current course, I'm going to have to keep celebrating surviving February:
A volunteer who, despite being repeatedly offered the chance to lock her purse in the staff area, insists on keeping it with her while shelving, came to us distraught and asking us to call the police because, you guessed it, someone stole her purse. Fortunately, its absence was noted almost immediately, apparently before the person who took it had a chance to get away, and our security guard found it abandoned on a bottom shelf in the stacks. Not until police had already been called, though, and they were crabby when they arrived.
Our storytime has moved into our program room from the children's area because it's too big. The children's librarian likes to leave the door open to welcome the many families that come in fashionably late, so I am posted at the door for an hour as 'storytime assistant' and I spend 90% of my time redirecting a crabby toddler who keeps trying to escape into the rest of the library (I'm only free the last 10% of the time because his caregiver snaps and buckles him into his stroller for the last part of the program).
Instead of weeding damaged or outdated books, I swear all the other branches are sending them to us to "float" into our collection.
Our heating system has had some sort of catastrophic failure. While we wait for the replacement part to arrive, the library is heated by a series of loud, obnoxious fans that facilities services seems to have placed in order to maximize the number of patrons that their cables and noise will disrupt. Also, when I ask the facilities services techs if we can leave the system running at night, they say "Well, it will be cold in the morning. But better a library that's cold but still there than one that's burned down." So now it's 60 degrees when we arrive each morning, and the hour we have before patrons arrive is NOT long enough for things to heat up enough to keep them from complaining.
Everyone's kids have the flu, so I work a couple of 9-9 shifts to cover people who are out sick. That means I have half a day of comp time, and I plan to sleep through aaaaall of it.
We are un/fortunate enough to be hosting free tax help for patrons--it's a great service that people can't get many other places, but WOW is it a staff headache. One of the library assistants warns, "I know this is your first year and I don't want to stress you out, but you should probably know that the two volunteers who are in charge of tax help are enemies. They will always tell you contradictory things about what they need."
A patron cries at the desk because we can't accept the document she brought in as proof of city residency to sign her up for a library card. "I just wanted to get a booooooook!"
A volunteer who, despite being repeatedly offered the chance to lock her purse in the staff area, insists on keeping it with her while shelving, came to us distraught and asking us to call the police because, you guessed it, someone stole her purse. Fortunately, its absence was noted almost immediately, apparently before the person who took it had a chance to get away, and our security guard found it abandoned on a bottom shelf in the stacks. Not until police had already been called, though, and they were crabby when they arrived.
Our storytime has moved into our program room from the children's area because it's too big. The children's librarian likes to leave the door open to welcome the many families that come in fashionably late, so I am posted at the door for an hour as 'storytime assistant' and I spend 90% of my time redirecting a crabby toddler who keeps trying to escape into the rest of the library (I'm only free the last 10% of the time because his caregiver snaps and buckles him into his stroller for the last part of the program).
Instead of weeding damaged or outdated books, I swear all the other branches are sending them to us to "float" into our collection.
Our heating system has had some sort of catastrophic failure. While we wait for the replacement part to arrive, the library is heated by a series of loud, obnoxious fans that facilities services seems to have placed in order to maximize the number of patrons that their cables and noise will disrupt. Also, when I ask the facilities services techs if we can leave the system running at night, they say "Well, it will be cold in the morning. But better a library that's cold but still there than one that's burned down." So now it's 60 degrees when we arrive each morning, and the hour we have before patrons arrive is NOT long enough for things to heat up enough to keep them from complaining.
Everyone's kids have the flu, so I work a couple of 9-9 shifts to cover people who are out sick. That means I have half a day of comp time, and I plan to sleep through aaaaall of it.
We are un/fortunate enough to be hosting free tax help for patrons--it's a great service that people can't get many other places, but WOW is it a staff headache. One of the library assistants warns, "I know this is your first year and I don't want to stress you out, but you should probably know that the two volunteers who are in charge of tax help are enemies. They will always tell you contradictory things about what they need."
A patron cries at the desk because we can't accept the document she brought in as proof of city residency to sign her up for a library card. "I just wanted to get a booooooook!"
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Mystery of the lost scooters
Before we open in the morning someone has to go out and put up the U.S. and Texas flags and empty the book drop that is outside the front door of the library. It can be a pain because there are often patrons lurking in the lot trying to get you to help them before the library opens.
I was out emptying the drop this morning and two guys in hi-viz jackets inside a transit van pulled up next to me. The van was just white--no company markings. A pet peeve of mine is that city contractors often show up outside library opening hours and expect to be let in even though we haven't been notified by the city that they are coming, so I mentally rolled my eyes, expecting this to be that. They guys rolled down the window and we had this conversation:
Me: Hi, can I hep you?
Guys: Hi, we're from Uber and our app says there should be two Uber scooters here.
Me: Okay. We don't open until ten o'clock, but when people bring scooters we usually ask them to leave them on the bike rack right over there.
Guys: *Just stare at me from their truck*
Me: *Walks over to check the bike rack, hoping they'll get the hint* Well, it looks like there aren't any over here...
Guys: Well, our app says they are inside the building.
Me: Well, I don't think so, but you're welcome to come back at ten and check, just in case.
The guys drove away and I went back to emptying the drop. As I was finishing up, I heard someone calling "Miss? Miss? Could you come over here for just a second?" and looked up to see that the guys had parked across the alley, opposite the staff entrance to the library. I walked over there and prepared to tell them firmly that no, I would not let them into the staff area to look for their scooters, but then they pointed at our HVAC room, which has a separate entrance next to the staff door.
Uber guys: The app says the scooters are in there...
Me: I really don't think so. That is our HVAC room and the public isn't allowed in there.
Guys: *Stare at me expectantly*
Me: Later today I can check in there, just in case...on the off-chance that I find one, what do you want me to do with it?
Guys: Just, um, put it outside?
Me: Okay, I'll do that later.
And I stared at them until they finally drove away.
(I kind of kick myself for even doing this, but I really did check the HVAC room for scooters. Unsurprisingly, there weren't any in there.)
I was out emptying the drop this morning and two guys in hi-viz jackets inside a transit van pulled up next to me. The van was just white--no company markings. A pet peeve of mine is that city contractors often show up outside library opening hours and expect to be let in even though we haven't been notified by the city that they are coming, so I mentally rolled my eyes, expecting this to be that. They guys rolled down the window and we had this conversation:
Me: Hi, can I hep you?
Guys: Hi, we're from Uber and our app says there should be two Uber scooters here.
Me: Okay. We don't open until ten o'clock, but when people bring scooters we usually ask them to leave them on the bike rack right over there.
Guys: *Just stare at me from their truck*
Me: *Walks over to check the bike rack, hoping they'll get the hint* Well, it looks like there aren't any over here...
Guys: Well, our app says they are inside the building.
Me: Well, I don't think so, but you're welcome to come back at ten and check, just in case.
The guys drove away and I went back to emptying the drop. As I was finishing up, I heard someone calling "Miss? Miss? Could you come over here for just a second?" and looked up to see that the guys had parked across the alley, opposite the staff entrance to the library. I walked over there and prepared to tell them firmly that no, I would not let them into the staff area to look for their scooters, but then they pointed at our HVAC room, which has a separate entrance next to the staff door.
Uber guys: The app says the scooters are in there...
Me: I really don't think so. That is our HVAC room and the public isn't allowed in there.
Guys: *Stare at me expectantly*
Me: Later today I can check in there, just in case...on the off-chance that I find one, what do you want me to do with it?
Guys: Just, um, put it outside?
Me: Okay, I'll do that later.
And I stared at them until they finally drove away.
(I kind of kick myself for even doing this, but I really did check the HVAC room for scooters. Unsurprisingly, there weren't any in there.)
Saturday, February 2, 2019
In Walnut Bluff, 911 call YOU
We have a charging station behind the checkout desk at Walnut Bluff and we will take your phone and charge it for you while you use the computer or browse for books. I kind of hate that we take responsibility for patrons' phones, but before we had this system people were constantly plugging their phones into random outlets on the public floor, leaving their phones unattended, and then coming and freaking out to us when they got stolen, which happened pretty regularly.
There is supposed to be a whole process where we issue you a claim ticket, but some of our regulars will just kind of fling the phone at staff as they come in and try to skip the 'hassle' of establishing proof of ownership over their phones.
Earlier this week a man came up to one of my colleagues, looking kind of out of it, and shoved a phone in her face. She said, "Did you want me to charge this for you, sir?" and after a moment he said, "No! Talk!" Too surprised to do anything else, she put the phone to her ear. On the other end was a 911 dispatcher asking for the address. She gave them the library's address, helped the patron to an empty chair, and a few minutes later some EMTs arrived, talked to the guy, and took him away in an ambulance.
None of us knew what was wrong with him, but as I was checking with the EMTs to make sure they didn't need anything from the library, I saw another patron talking to the clerk at the front desk and gesturing dramatically in our direction. After everyone left, the clerk said "That patron said he saw the other guy huffing paint thinner outside in the parking lot. Want me to go take a look for the can?"
(I went out, collected the empty can, and threw it away.)
There is supposed to be a whole process where we issue you a claim ticket, but some of our regulars will just kind of fling the phone at staff as they come in and try to skip the 'hassle' of establishing proof of ownership over their phones.
Earlier this week a man came up to one of my colleagues, looking kind of out of it, and shoved a phone in her face. She said, "Did you want me to charge this for you, sir?" and after a moment he said, "No! Talk!" Too surprised to do anything else, she put the phone to her ear. On the other end was a 911 dispatcher asking for the address. She gave them the library's address, helped the patron to an empty chair, and a few minutes later some EMTs arrived, talked to the guy, and took him away in an ambulance.
None of us knew what was wrong with him, but as I was checking with the EMTs to make sure they didn't need anything from the library, I saw another patron talking to the clerk at the front desk and gesturing dramatically in our direction. After everyone left, the clerk said "That patron said he saw the other guy huffing paint thinner outside in the parking lot. Want me to go take a look for the can?"
(I went out, collected the empty can, and threw it away.)
Thursday, January 31, 2019
This week
Bathroom issues: A man wants to permission to use the women's restroom because whoever is in the single stall in the men's room is taking ages. "If you don't let me in, I'm going to pee on myself right here!"
Later the same day a woman complains that another woman threatened her in the bathroom because she thought she was trying to look through the stall at her. The accuser is a known stirrer-upper-of-drama so I offer her the phone to call the police to report the threat. Surprisingly, police come, and speak to and calm down both ladies involved.
When is there going to be tax help at the library? times 20.
While picking up trash outside the library (I failed to escape this responsibility by transferring to Walnut Bluff) I find two empty beer cans and an empty full-size wine bottle. Yikes.
I fill in for a sick coworker at a kids' craft program. I tried bribing my other staff members (most of whom are very afraid of children) by saying that anyone who sat through the program with me as a sort of exposure therapy could go home an hour early, but no one took me up on it.
A kid at the craft program has a stuffed dog in a Superman costume.
Me: Wow, is that Superdog?
Kid: No, it's Dinodog.
Kid's mom: He has dinosaur pajamas on under the Superman outfit. It's complicated.
A Hispanic guy comes in, sees my white self and my black coworker at the desk, and immediately looks away and pretends he doesn't see us.
Me: Hi, how can we help you?
Him: Uh...no English.
Me: Oh, como podemos ayudar a usted? [Oh, how can we help you?]
Him: Whoa...[I need to print something.]
Me: [Yeah, sure, we can do that!]
My colleague spots me as I am dusting the Spanish section--"Are you trying something, or is this a hint?" Kind of both.
Different colleague is trying and failing to pull out the first wipe in a canister of Lysol wipes, but he can't reach in far enough. He says, "I wonder if this is what t-rexs felt like" and I accidentally crack up loud enough that a patron glares at me.
Later the same day a woman complains that another woman threatened her in the bathroom because she thought she was trying to look through the stall at her. The accuser is a known stirrer-upper-of-drama so I offer her the phone to call the police to report the threat. Surprisingly, police come, and speak to and calm down both ladies involved.
When is there going to be tax help at the library? times 20.
While picking up trash outside the library (I failed to escape this responsibility by transferring to Walnut Bluff) I find two empty beer cans and an empty full-size wine bottle. Yikes.
I fill in for a sick coworker at a kids' craft program. I tried bribing my other staff members (most of whom are very afraid of children) by saying that anyone who sat through the program with me as a sort of exposure therapy could go home an hour early, but no one took me up on it.
A kid at the craft program has a stuffed dog in a Superman costume.
Me: Wow, is that Superdog?
Kid: No, it's Dinodog.
Kid's mom: He has dinosaur pajamas on under the Superman outfit. It's complicated.
A Hispanic guy comes in, sees my white self and my black coworker at the desk, and immediately looks away and pretends he doesn't see us.
Me: Hi, how can we help you?
Him: Uh...no English.
Me: Oh, como podemos ayudar a usted? [Oh, how can we help you?]
Him: Whoa...[I need to print something.]
Me: [Yeah, sure, we can do that!]
My colleague spots me as I am dusting the Spanish section--"Are you trying something, or is this a hint?" Kind of both.
Different colleague is trying and failing to pull out the first wipe in a canister of Lysol wipes, but he can't reach in far enough. He says, "I wonder if this is what t-rexs felt like" and I accidentally crack up loud enough that a patron glares at me.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Superstition
I am very far on one end of the superstition spectrum, which I think makes my personal life a bit easier, all things considered, but is actually kind of a problem at work since I often put my foot in my mouth by doing things like commenting on how easy and quiet the day has been, which seems to invariably make one of my coworkers go "Oh no! Why did you say that!? You jinxed it!"
However, my coworkers don't know how lucky they are that I was the one to find a mirror broken into pieces outside our front door this morning.
However, my coworkers don't know how lucky they are that I was the one to find a mirror broken into pieces outside our front door this morning.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Things I've bought for Walnut Bluff
Now that I'm a branch manager, I've finally relaxed my rule of not buying things for the library with my own money. Here's what my library has needed since I started:
-Two bags of peppermint candies for a guessing jar
-20 flyers printed in color from a local print shop
-A light-duty staple gun
-A string of flags from around the world
-Lunch for everyone on staff from a local fast food place
-Two massive cases of Lysol wipes
-Two bags of peppermint candies for a guessing jar
-20 flyers printed in color from a local print shop
-A light-duty staple gun
-A string of flags from around the world
-Lunch for everyone on staff from a local fast food place
-Two massive cases of Lysol wipes
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
She helps herself
We have two shelves for customer requests at my library--the books are out on the public floor and are self-service, but the media is behind the front desk because our media is in locking cases, and patrons used to come pick up their requests, check them out at the self-service checkout, leave without getting them unlocked, and then get mad when they got home and couldn't open them. Recently the staff decided that all book holds for a particular old lady had to be kept behind the counter with the media because she kept grabbing them off the self-service shelf and leaving without checking them out.
I asked one of the old-timers if she was maybe just confused about how holds worked, and the old-timer scowled darkly and said "Oh, believe me, she knows."
I asked one of the old-timers if she was maybe just confused about how holds worked, and the old-timer scowled darkly and said "Oh, believe me, she knows."
Friday, January 18, 2019
Not a service dog
I was working on next month's work schedule in my office when one of the staff members on the desk came to get me and said "I'm sorry to bother you, but a woman has tied her dog up inside the library and I don't know what to do."
Sure enough, I went out to the public floor and saw that there was a large golden retriever tied to a newspaper rack in the little vestibule between our lobby and the actual outside. I looked around and didn't see anyone who was obviously the dog's owner, so I went over to the dog, hoping that whoever was with the dog would notice and come and talk to me. As I was approaching the vestibule, another patron came up to the library doors from the outside, looked nervously at this 75-pound dog, and hesitated. As I was trying to figure out if I could maybe stand between the nervous patron and this dog so that the patron could come in, a woman about my age bustled up to me from inside the library and huffed irritably, as though she was incredibly put-upon: "Don't worry about it! I am taking him outside right now!" She unclipped his leash while giving a massive eye roll and stormed out with her golden retriever, turning to whine over her shoulder, "I was just going to print something really quick!"
Sure enough, I went out to the public floor and saw that there was a large golden retriever tied to a newspaper rack in the little vestibule between our lobby and the actual outside. I looked around and didn't see anyone who was obviously the dog's owner, so I went over to the dog, hoping that whoever was with the dog would notice and come and talk to me. As I was approaching the vestibule, another patron came up to the library doors from the outside, looked nervously at this 75-pound dog, and hesitated. As I was trying to figure out if I could maybe stand between the nervous patron and this dog so that the patron could come in, a woman about my age bustled up to me from inside the library and huffed irritably, as though she was incredibly put-upon: "Don't worry about it! I am taking him outside right now!" She unclipped his leash while giving a massive eye roll and stormed out with her golden retriever, turning to whine over her shoulder, "I was just going to print something really quick!"
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Not fine fines
Reasons patrons have given me for why I should waive their fines (note that at my library system, we only charge overdue fines if someone else has requested the item--if there are no requests for an item that is late the fines are automatically waived):
"It wasn't me who checked out this book! It was my sister!"
"I didn't get the courtesy reminder that they were due!"
"I am a teacher and I left the book in my classroom over winter break."
"That season of TV was missing disc 1 when I checked it out."
"I forgot to unlock the case, so I never got to watch it."
"Your automated reminder emails are too long, so I don't read them."
"It wasn't me who checked out this book! It was my sister!"
"I didn't get the courtesy reminder that they were due!"
"I am a teacher and I left the book in my classroom over winter break."
"That season of TV was missing disc 1 when I checked it out."
"I forgot to unlock the case, so I never got to watch it."
"Your automated reminder emails are too long, so I don't read them."
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Honesty not the most effective policy
Patron: I want to make a complaint! She [points at staff member] was extremely rude to me on the phone! I told her that I wanted blah blah blah...then she said blah blah blah...then I screamed at her...
Me: Sorry, what? Did you just say you screamed at her?
Patron: Well, yes, I screamed at her. She upset me!
Me: Sir, you can't talk to the library staff like that. I'm afraid you need to leave the library for today. You can come back tomorrow after you have had a chance to calm down.
Me: Sorry, what? Did you just say you screamed at her?
Patron: Well, yes, I screamed at her. She upset me!
Me: Sir, you can't talk to the library staff like that. I'm afraid you need to leave the library for today. You can come back tomorrow after you have had a chance to calm down.
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