Tiny Little Librarian

... musings of a too-short girl in the high-stacks world of librarianship

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The librarian is out

Sunday, 4 May 2008 12:00 A GMT-08
I'm off on vacation, yay! See you in a week!

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Old refgrunt

Sunday, 4 May 2008 12:00 A GMT-08

This is from a few Saturdays ago, the same day as the various bathroom charmers.

One of our more eccentric patrons who always wants to chat about politics starts comparing the US presidential race (I think?) to decades-ago politics in Rwanda (I think?). I usually just say nonsensical things like "Mmm hmmm" and nod lots and he goes away happy. He's a nice man, I just rarely understand what he's talking about. Actually, today he thought I was just being diplomatic "I see you're carefully not saying anything...I understand, you're a librarian." I went with it.

Songbook by Nick Hornby is in the 782's, it's nonfiction. Yes, he normally does write fiction, you're right. 
 
Given that you put in 6 extra numbers, that would be why your PIN didn't work.
 
A lovely older Scottish lady wants a hold on Monkeewrench, one of my all-time fave books! So we have a nice chat about PJ Tracy. Those are the good librarianly moments.
 
All she knows is that it's a kid's book called Cool and her son needs it for his homework due Monday. There's no book with just that title in the catalogue and without an author or any other info, a single word doesn't help much on Amazon.
 
A confusing situation over placing holds on Spiderwick books. The series doesn't go up to #7 yet and he can only figure out which ones he wants to read by seeing their covers on Amazon.
 
One of my teen volunteers has started a book club at her school, which rocks my socks, and wants to know if we have any more copies of the Nora Roberts book they're going to read.
 
I annoy a mother who wants to read a paperback during storytime. She is not pleased to hear that everyone, parents included, has to participate, that I am not TV (she looks a bit shocked and offended when I say that). But she actually listens and ends up singing along and doing the actions with every song.
 

No, we don't have that Pokemon book but two others are on their way here for you, they'll be here next week.
 
A woman needs to know who the MP and MLA are for her area, as well as what exactly each one does. Sounds like she has an issue she wants them to take to the government for her.
 
A woman is digusted by our library's lack on information on printing or papermaking. The books she wants are all 10 minutes away at our reference library, which is why they're not here at the sad little underfunded library. (Not that there are any books at all on what she specifically wants, operating a small press.)
 
Books on cats are over here, cute little girl.
 
Yet another charmer grumbles loudly about having to go up the f-in' stairs when circ tells him that's where the bathroom is.
 
That Naruto book is still on order and there are 49 people waiting for it, so the only way to get it is to put your name on the list.
 
If we have any Pregnant Pop Tart 101 (oh, sorry, that's Zoey 101), they'll be in the series section under Z.
 
Books on Brazil are over here.
 
Books on Australia are over here. I sense a social studies project due on Monday - way to come into the library 15 minutes before closing, boys.
 
"A world atlas with Australia in it." Bit unclear on the meaning of the word "world" are we?

Comments (3-0)

Bathroom charmer #2

Saturday, 3 May 2008 9:07 A GMT-08

On that same day...

 

Ah lovely, one of these assholes. An grumpy guy with a cane wants the "handicapped bathroom" key.  The handicapped bathroom is accessible by the elevator upstairs, both my colleague and I tell him. The downstairs one is not a handicapped bathroom, the door is too heavy and it's not big enough. "For wheelchairs maybe, but I have a cane!" I try one more time but then agree to give him the key, telling him that it's the children's bathroom. "It doesn't say that." I tell him it's for families (and in actual fact the sign does very clearly say For Children and Families Only, I checked afterwards). "That doesn't mean you have to have children." So, in typical asshole style, he's gotten his way but is still complaining. I tell him to come around to my side of the desk to give me ID for the key. He comes around but doesn't get out any ID. I repeat myself. He grumbles that I've got to be kidding, he's a library patron, he has a cane. Yeah, and you're an asshole, so stop complaining about the policy, you're getting your way. I tell him we ask for ID from every adult who uses the bathroom key. And as he lumbers off, grumbling, I imagine giving him a mighty fine walloping with his cane. Because it's been that kind of week.

 

Comments (1-0)

Only in Children's Services...

Friday, 18 April 2008 8:24 A GMT-08
. . . do you ask your co-worker, "Do you know where the teddy bear's underpants are?" and then proceed to have an actual discussion about who used the pants last and where they might be.

Comments (3-0)

Bathroom charmers #1 and 3

Saturday, 12 April 2008 9:34 A GMT-08

From last Saturday...

1) A rough-looking woman woman rushes into the library, panting dramatically at the top of her lungs, exclaiming that she really needs to pee badly.  Thanks for sharing. She later asks my colleague for books on Jeffrey Dahmer.

3) As I'm coming down from storytime, my colleague has 911 on the phone for a piece of work whose nose is bleeding and who claims she was assaulted. Apparently earlier she'd been in wanting to use the bathroom, started cursing up a disgusting storm (and it takes a lot to shock our staff) when the guard was on his break and therefore couldn't let her in, and then after my colleague had let her in and she went away with a friend, she came back a while later, having been attacked and kicked in the face by several people (apparently because she was slashing one's boyfriend or something). And she seemed to have such a lovely personality, it's hard to believe.

 

Comments (2-0)