Patrons/Computers@the Public Library

Thankfully, I left work @ 3:00 p.m. this past Thursday and I won't return until Wednesday November 12th.

A brother man approached me at the reference desk and said, "I reserved the computer for 2 o'clock, and it won't allow me to log-in."

I said, while looking at the time on my computer, "You need to wait....." He cut me off and said, "IT'S AFTER 2 p.m., AND THE COMPUTER WON'T LET ME LOG ON!"

I followed him to the computer terminal that he was complaining about. Low and behold, the internet was up and I told him, "All you need to do is click the start icon."

He sat down at the computer, turned to me and said, "It must have just been slow."

I turned and walked away, thinking,"Didn't I say that you needed to wait."

10 minutes later, brother man approached me again. He said, "I am trying to apply for a job online and it's saying that it doesn't recognize my address."

Once again, I followed him back to his terminal. He explained to me that he had just input his address and it's not being recognized. I looked at the screen, and saw that he had put too much information in line 1 of the address (He had typed his complete address in line 1 and continued to type everything else in the appropriate boxes.)

I told him to try removing the extra information from line 1. He did so. A message appeared. It said that he had already submitted an application and he couldn't submit another one until 11/16/2008.

I returned to the desk.

Another 5 minutes pass and brother man approached the desk again, but this time he goes over to my co-worker and whispers what happened each time he asked me for help. He told my co-worker that he didnt' understand why I didnt' stay over there and wait for him to finish. I had already told my co-worker what happened each time I went back there to help him.

My co-worker told the patron, "It isn't our job to assist you with whatever you are working on. We can help you if there is a problem with the computer, but we are supposed to be available for desk reference questions. One on one computer assistance is not something that librarians are allowed to do.

He then asks her if she will help him and says loudly, "I JUST DON'T WANT HER HELPING ME AGAIN." As they are walking toward the computer terminal, he said, "I am not computer illiterate!"

When my co-worker returned to the desk, she said, "He wanted to know why he couldn't access a web page. He didn't add .com in the address bar."

I told her, "Yet, he said that he wasn't computer illiterate!"