Truly Ghetto Library Tales

Tagged/Award Recipient.

2012-01-25T23:24:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous Puddin is the cause of this post

Rules for Blog on Fire:Reveal 7 things about yourself. Pass the award onto 10 other deserving bloggersI will reveal the 7 things about myself, but I won't be passing the award on to others. I don't follow enough bloggers to do so.Here it goes:1. Are you currently doing what you want to do in life? There are days when I wonder. I thought this was something that I would enjoy and sometimes I do. Having received my degree from a private university, it was rather expensive. I'll be in this profession a while, so far, I've been doing this for 12 years.2. What is your absolute favorite way to have fun? Going out with friends and catching up on each others lives.3. How many siblings do you have and what birth order are you? I have 2 siblings, brother and sister. I am the youngest.4. What's your fantasy car. I have a few, but the Maybach is one that I don't seen in my near future.5. Where is the last place you vacationed? Silverdale, Washington6. Do you wear jewelry and do you prefer gold or silver! I do wear jewelry, usually yellow or white gold. 7. What's the best thing you've ever eaten? I don't think anything is the best, but what I go back for oftern is the Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice and Spicy Calamari Salad at Lalita Thai8. What colors is your bathroom decorated with? Disclaimer-All of my bathrooms need to be remodeled. The original bathroom is yellow and baby blue ceramic tile, so there's a baby blue rug. The towel colors vary between light blue, dark blue, and grey. The master bathroom has beige ceramic tile surrounding the tub, everything else is white, stainless, or clear. The towels vary stripped, grey, and dark blue.9. How often do you exercise? I walk everyday. I don't spend enough time walking. Some days 40 minutes, some days only 20.10. Do you want children? If you have children do you want more? I don't have any children. I think my time for having them has expired.11. What is your least favorite food? If you had to eat it for 1 month for a million dollars could you? Chitterlings are my least favorite. I don't think that I could eat them for 1 month. It's been so long since I've had pork, it makes me sick to my stomach now.

Two Month Anniversary

2012-01-25T22:55:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my two month anniversary for my new position. I'm still waiting for them to hire a manager for the 2nd branch that I supervise. The only answer I've gotten so far regarding the hiring process is, "It takes time."Meanwhile, I'm in limbo. I'm the manager of the 2nd branch, but not really. Their District Manager works in the branch on Mondays.A patron put up a fuss last week because she had received a notice in the mail regarding overdue books. The patron claims that she and her son returned the books on January 3rd. That was one of the bussiest days for processing returned books. The technician who helped the woman cleared her library record of the charges, because the books were found on the shelves(by her, not us.) That wasn't enough, she insisted on speaking to the Branch Manager, not the woman's supervisor. When I walked out of the staff room and approached the woman, there was a brief momment where I saw shock in her eyes. She managed to snap back real quick. She gave her version of the events. I told her that if she was still unhappy with the service at our branch, she could submit a complaint form. That wasn't enough either, because she told me that she wanted someone to personally follow-up on her complaint. I then said that I would attach a letter to the complaint. The letter would be sent to the District Manager. While the woman completed the complaint form, I sat down to compose the letter. As I was typing, the woman said, "Oh, I don't mean to make such a fuss." I thought, yes you do. You just didn't realize that the Branch Manager is a black woman.This week, I've had my first two experiences with the patron who calls and ask you if a DVD is in your library. After you search for the DVD, she then says that she doesn't want to reserve it. She did that twice today. She did it yesterday, Saturday, and Friday. The staff informed me that this was the patron's pattern in the past. It got so bad that upper management spoke with the patron. She could only visit one branch as a result. I guess she feels that enough time has gone by, she can resume her previous behavior.

The Hood Satelite Branch Library

2012-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday one of the teen girls who attends the afterschool program inside of the Boys&Girls Club stole two teen magazines from their protective covers. Lucky for me and unlucky for her, I have a friend who works with the afterschool program.I told my friend to be on the lookout for two magazines(Word Up & Right On.) I received a text at 7:30 yesterday evening, the magazines had been recovered and the girl lied to the end. Today, 30 minutes after we opened, a woman came into the library with two toddlers and a 9 year old. She said that she was leaving them in the library while she went to Zumba. I explained to her that we aren't babysitters. She said that her 9yr old would be responsible for the two younger girls. The mother also told me that the Zumba instructor announced this morning that children were no longer allowed to "Family Zumba Class." No one thought to call the library, they just told the parents, "Drop your kids off at the library."I went down to the front desk and asked to speak to whoever was in charge. I gave him a copy of the Library Guidelines, and highlighted the sentence that says children under 8 years of age aren't allowed in the library without a parent or another responsible individual.We have 8 chairs for patrons, 2 30-minute computer stations, and two 15-minute computer stations. by 10:40 a.m., all seats were full and there were children standing around. Another parent entered the library with her son and tried to drop him off. I told her that the library was too crowded and there weren't any chairs available. She then asked, "So, you're telling me that we have to leave?" I asked, "Do you plan to stay with your child?" She said no, and I told her that they would have to leave.After she left with her child, another employee of the club approached me in the library. He asked me what could they do so that more children could fit into the library? Could they bring more chairs? I told him no, because more chairs would mean that people wouldn't be able to walk around and it was already crowded.11:30a.m. rolled around and the parents began arriving to pick-up their children. Did they enter the library quietly and retrieve their children......That would be a definite NO! They were half-way to the entrance of the library and began yelling for their children.The Boys & Girls Club Staff tried to reassure that this was the first and only Satruday that this would happen. I am not convinced. The Zumba Class has been free so far, but they said that effective Januray 28th there will be a fee. They expect that the class participation will change drastically, once a fee is in place.

Lots of progress and then......

2012-01-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Right back where we started. I received the outline for my Performace Goals via email today. As I read them, I noticed that these are things that this woman didn't do when she was a branch manager. The open lines of communication with staff is a big one. The portion of my duties that really gets me wondering is the dual branch manager. I have worked in this library system for 10 years, 3 of them part-time. Not once has a new branch manager been assigned 2 branches. This is supposed to be temporary, but so far, they haven't found any takers. I have two district managers, two branch manager reports are due the 2nd week of the month. I don't even want to think about performance plans and evaluations, because I have double of every staff classification.This is my mini update for you. I have to take the time to give a little more about my first month in my new classification.

Last Friday

2011-12-15T00:22:00.000-08:00

I arrived 10 minutes late to open the branch. The Library Tech was still out sick. I had been downtown in meetings at the main library. Who do you ask, would keep me in meetings, knowing that I had to arrive at my branch in time to park my car and open the library on time, GUESS?? I hope you got it right. It was my DISTRICT MANAGER.That's not the worst of it. The library page who was supposed to be there at 1pm, was no where to be found. She arrived after me. Instead of going upstairs to the library, she stopped in the lobby and called anther DISTRICT MANAGER to inform her that I was late. I had opened the libary and was on the telephone speaking with the Library Tech. She was giving me a report on her condition. I asked her where the page's contact information was, because she was late. I pulled her library record and called the number listed. The number was her cell. She said, "Oh you're already in the library?" The patrons who were in the lobby when I arrived, came upstairs with her. One of the patrons said, "Oh, I saw you when you arrived!" As he said that, I was on the telephone with the secretary at the district office. I informed her that I was in the library when the page called them, and it was open.An hour later, my District Manager called and said, "So, what time did you really arrive?" I told her that I arrive at 1:10pm, and the page arrived after me. Instead of coming upstairs, she decided to go by the word of the YMCA staff and call the district office.I now know that I must watch out for that page also, because why do you have the telephone number of a district manager who isn't your district manager, stored in your cell?

Too Good To Be True

2011-12-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

My first week in my new position went well. The second week reminded me why I was hesitant to have the same person as my manager again.****Key Point to this senario: The Library Tech is the backbone to any branch library or any library department***My schedule has me working the first two days of my work week at another branch library. My first day of the week at my branch library is Thursday. On Thursdays, I work at my branch from 9am-12:30pm. I open the branch alone at 10am. The Library Tech arrives at 10:30am. This past Thursday, 10:30am came and went. Finally, at 11:30am, I called the Tech at home. She informed me that she had been home sick since Monday afternoon. She said that she left work Monday afternoon and went to the emergency room. She also tells me that the District Manager is supposed to cover for her. This means that the District Manager will be at the branch by 12:30pm, when I was scheduled to leave. After speaking with the Tech, I called the District Manager and left a message. By 12noon, I still hadn't heard from the District Manager, so I sent her an email, because she may not have been in the office. I called the other branch where I was scheduled to be at 2:00pm.I told them the situation, and they said not to worry, just get there whenever. I hadn't heard anything by 1pm, when the Page arrived. 2 minutes after 1, the District Manager calls, "Oh, I didnt go to work today, my daughter is sick. You should have called the office for coverage." The part-time adult librarian was scheduled to arrive at 2:30pm, so I told the the district manager that I would stay until she arrived.The other librarian arrived early, so I left. At 5:30pm, I received a call from the district office; the timecards were due. The Library Tech normally handles this, but she had been out sick all week. I asked if I could turn them in on Friday to Payroll, becuase that was the actual deadline.At 6pm(when my day is over,) I caught the bus back to my branch. When I arrived, the pt.Adult Librarian informed me that the district manager was down the hall at the Friends Of The Library meeting. She told them to tell me that she was available to help with the timesheets, if I needed it(she didn't do the timesheets when I worked with her, she didn't know how.)30 minutes later, I finished the timesheets and went down the hall to meet the Friends Of The Library group. I wasn't able to print the timesheets. The District Manager told me not to worry about it, since I emailled them to her, she would print them out, sign them and turn them in to payroll. I had something for her though. I not only emailed them to her, I emailled them to all of the payroll clerks that need copies. I didn't want her to try and take credit for my overtime. I was able to print out a timesheet for the pages, but the program wasn't working for one person. I had to pencil in the correct information.The District Manager didn't turn in the timesheets on Friday morning. Friday afternoon, after our meeting, she asked me to make the same manual changes that I did the day before.

I forgot to add

2011-11-20T20:47:00.001-08:00

I start the new gig on Saturday 11/26. Yep, right after Thanksgiving and the mandatory days off. Instead of Sunday-Thursday, I will now work Tuesday - Saturday. I told my hair dresser this past Friday and he said, "You can't go through the holidays with those roots!" He colored my hair and told me that I could send him the money.

It's Official

2011-11-20T20:34:00.001-08:00

I signed the papers this past Tuesday, I was fingerprinted on Thursday. My first day at the old branch as the manager is this Saturday.6 months probation, no vacation, or my probation period will be extended. I found out after all the paperwork was signed that I will only work at my branch part of the week. The other days of the week, I will float to wherever I'm needed(Oh JOY.)The Sunday staff gave me a going away party this afternoon. No food, just desserts. My co-worker(librarian) told them that I like chocolate, so there was a chocolate sheet cake, mini red velvet bundt cakes, candy, a mango cake, chocolate chip cookies. I had made them Cinnamon Rolls, not knowing that they would have all of that.I began clearing my desk. I've been at the same location for 5 years. I found stuff that I don't even remember bringing to work. I've only tackled three drawers, I have two more drawers, then the shelves. Each time I find another stack, I think to myself, "And they say my cubicle is bare, if they only knew."

I've been meaning to mention this for about 2 weeks now

2011-11-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

One afternoon, a patron came to the reference desk and asked me where the scrap paper is. I proceeded to show him the 3x5 pieces and pointed to the bin where the 8x11 pieces are. Before I could state why I was pointing toward the other end of the desk, he began to yell. "I DON'T WANT SMALL PIECES OF PAPER. I NEED BIG PIECES OF PAPER."I explained to him that if he had let me finish explaining where the paper is located, he would have seen the larger pieces of paper.He went to get some paper, but he first had to choose each piece of paper based on the amount of print on the opposite side. As he was doing this, another patron squeesed pass him because he was blocking a walkway. This guy began yelling, " YOU TOUCHED ME, YOU WERE TOO CLOSE! YOOOOUUUU TOUCHED MEEEE, YOOOUUU TOUCHED MEEEE!" Yet another patron yells from one of the computers, "DUDE, YOU NEED TO CHILL AND TAKE A PILL WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!"The floor supervisor picked up the telephone to call security. The patron began walking toward me again and he said, "IT'S OKAY, I HAVE A PROBLEM!" I told him, "I know." She stayed on the telephone with security, so the guy started walking away from the reference desk. He turned to me yet again and said, " I HAVE A PROBLEM!" I told him, "THAT'S OBVIOUS!"As he walked away, he said, " THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY MEN AND I'M WRITING A SCREENPLAY ABOUT IT!"

Why did you even show up?

2011-11-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sundays the library's hours are 12noon until 5pm. My co-worker arrived at noon and left at 2pm. She was complainig
About a sore throat. Now we all know that if it was sore at noon, it was sore when you woke up.

Today, yet another co-worker announces at 9:15am that she's leaving to go to the docter and will return by 1pm. We start work at 9am and the library opens at 10am on Momdays.

Both of these women left me wondering why they even bothered to come to work.

Yes, they both have a history of calling-in sick. I can't believe they think leaving early is much better than calling in sick. In both
instances, they are causing a shortage in reference desk coverage.

We found someone's stash

2011-10-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, my co-worker went to service the self check-out station. It was a paper jam of some sort.

He unlocked the lid to the receipt paper and he found two morphine pills. I said whoever stashed them there wasn't thinking longterm. The lid has a lock on it and the opening is short and very narrow.

I interviewed for a promotional position last week. I had my second interview this week. I was told that I should have an answer next week. This particular promotion would mean me working in the hood (at the same branch as before)again.

It feels odd, but I look forward to the possiblity of walking to work again. I don't look forward to the creeps though.

New Copiers

2011-09-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have new copy machines. These are special, you can print from the internet computers, you can scan, email, and fax documents, in addition to making black/white copies, or color copies.

Management said they're cheaper. They are also a headache for the staff and the patrons.

The machines don't take change. You can only use a copy card which can be purchase for $1. All day long:
But I only need 1 copy.

I don't have small bills.

Why do I need a copy card.

Why doesn't anyone know how to work these things.

Why can't we use the old printers (they are still on the floor, in the same spot.)

Blogger is not my friend tonight

2011-09-27T22:42:00.001-07:00

I have retyped this post three times and lost it two times, the other time, I could make any corrections, so I deleted.

For the past month or so, there were protests across the street from my job. These protests occurred on Mondays only. The first Monday, I waited 45 minutes for a outbound bus. The protest are against BART, but after an hour, they were taking there movement to Market Street. This meant that they were blocking traffic. There wasn't anything going outbound.

Two weeks ago, I saw three nude men standing in front of the Orpheum Theater. I turned to check and see if the foot patrol had passed and in their place were the nude men.

Unfortunately for the men, there were four teenage girls. The girls proceeded to clown the men. According to the girls, the private parts on display were extremely small. I heard loud laughter and then....."

I've been holding out!

2011-08-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

I've had this since Thursday evening. My co-worker walking into the library behind this individual this past Wednesday morning around 11:15am. My co-worker said the guy was just walking around on the first floor.

I never saw him on the 3rd floor, so I don't know how long he stayed in the building.

I'm glad that it wasn't me!

2011-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, the teen librarian was checking the teen center, to make sure everything was okay. You know, no perverts hanging out, no criminal behavior, things of that nature.

What you ask did she stumble upon for me to entitle this post "I'm glad it wasn't me?"

As she cleared the stacks, she saw two teens, a male and a female. The male was sitting on the desk facing the female. The female was sitting in a chair facing the male. Her head was in his lap.............FACE DOWN.........Yes, you read that correctly.

Sitting near them were some develop mentally disabled adults and their monitor.

What did the librarian do, you're wondering? She screamed, "WHAT THE HELL DO ARE YOU DOING!!!" She starttled the teens, knocked the monitor out of her daze, and caused the security officer to run over to the area.

The security officer took over the situation from there.........The teens claimed that the female was simply "resting her head."

The teen librarian felt guilty the rest of yesterday and most of today. She said it was because of the way in which she reacted. I told her that I thought it was the way in which I think a lot of librarian's would react. Today, I told her that I don't curse, but I'm pretty sure that I would have yelled.

Today, the teens returned. When the same librarian approached them because they were yelling, the male told her that she should appologize for her language yesterday. She did appologize to the teens, and they in turn appologized to her. They're sticking to their story that all the female was doing, was resting her head in the male's lap, face down.

Change is around the corner

2011-08-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

My supervisor is retiring in two weeks. This means that our floor will then be short two supervisors. It also means that his work schedule is up for grabs. I found out today that the most unreliable supervisor will take over his schedule.

This is the same woman who scheduled herself to work one Sunday and didn't show up (She didn't call either.) The following Tuesday, she arrived to work and said, "OH, I forgot." Really, and you're a part of the management team? She was the acting Chief of the Library that day. This not only put a strain on our floor, but the whole library. A manager from a different floor had to step in and be the acting Chief. It left my floor short staffed. We had to scramble and put together a new desk schedule, in addition to closing one of the reference desk. It is my opinion that this woman shouldn't be allowed to work a Sunday shift EVER!

When my co-worker told me that the lady decided that she wanted to be the Sunday Floor Manager, I said, "Well that's not going to do us any good. We will be all alone again."

It was already bad, but ........

2011-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had just finished telling my co-worker that I wasn't feeling well. Dealing with messy patrons was not something I felt like dealing with.

One of the pages came over to tell me that he had awakened a patron who then began cursing at him.

I walked with the page back toward where the patron was sitting. As I approached the patron, he began yelling at the page that he didn't have to go and tell on him.

I explained to the patron that the page was only doing what I or any other staff member would have done when he woke him up. The patron was yelling, "YALL AIN'T BOTHERING NONE OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE! WHY DID HE HAVE TO POINT ME OUT?"

I said, "You were sleeping and it's against the library rules and regulations to sleep inside of the library." I repeated this at least 3 times, because the patron kept asking why he had to be awakened.

He then said, "I just got off work, and I was trying to get some sleep before I got on BART." For the 4th/5th time, I said, "Sleeping isn't allowed inside of the library!"

The whole time that I was talking to the patron, he kept cursing at the page. I finally walked back toward the reference desk, so that I could call security. The patron apologized to me as I was walking away. He said that he wasn't cursing at me, he was taling to him(the page.)

Well........I never made that call to security........because when I got about 5 aisles away........ I heard, "Step up then!!" Who said that you ask?.......... The page said that. I turned around and rushed back toward the patron because I knew those where fighting words.

What do I see? The patron was in the page's face yelling for him to do something. I jumped in between them. Facing the patron, I said, "You will not be DOING anything in here. You have two choices, 1. Sit back down, or 2. Leave. I don't care which one you choose, but you won't be doing anything else."

He yells at me, "Why are you talking to me, you need to be talking to him(the page.)"

I told him that I would speak to the page, but I first had to take care of him. The patron was still lunging toward the page. Then all of a sudden, he turned, got his stuff and said he was leaving.

I got right in front of him, walking backwards, to make sure he didn't sneak in a punch to the page. As we passed the page, he lunged toward him (with me right with him, blocking the page,) and said, "Fu*k yo job and see me outside. I bet I whoop yo a*s."

I once again, began guiding the patron toward the elevators. He was cursing the page the whole time, but I stayed on him, nudging him forward. When we got about halfway, my co-worker approached us and said, "I think it's best that you just leave. The elevators are that way."

The patron replied, "Fu*k you,BITCH!" My co-worker said, "I'm calling security on you!" The patron told him, "CALL THEM FAG*OT!"

An elderly African American woman was standing at the reference desk and she said, "You need to just go ahead and leave." The patron told her, "You a B*tch too, because you taking the fag*ot's side." We had finally made it to the elevators, when my supervisor arrived.

The patron asked him if he was a manager. My supervisor said that he is(he's the acting floor manager because our mgr is on vacation.) The patron told him that he wanted to complain about the page because he threatened him.

Thankfully, security stepped off the elevator at that time and took over. The patron went into the security office to file a complaint against the page. I had to file a incident report. My co-workers kept asking me all day, "Were you scarred? Are you okay?" I kept telling them that I was fine because the patron wasn't directing anything at me. I was only involved because it's our job to protect the page staff.

I knew the page didn't know what he was doing/saying, when he told the patron to step up. It turns out, the page was trying to tell the patron to step up and be a man. As I completed the incident report, my supervisor explained to the page what step up means to certain individuals.

The page kept apologizing to all of the librarians involved in the incident and especially me.

Ummmm......And That Makes You Special .....Really

2011-07-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

I took 3 days off, so I've been gone from this place for 5 days. My first day back, my first hour at the reference desk had just ended. My co-worker who had come to relieve me, went to wake up a patron.

The interaction was taking a little longer than usual. It turns out the 20-something didn't think the library's rules applied to him, because according to him, he's not homeless. SAY WHAT NOW???

As she awakened the patron from his sleep, she informed him that patrons aren't allowed to sleep in the library. His response, "Oh, but I'm not homeless!"

With a straight face, she informed him once again, that sleeping isn't allowed in the library.

Aggressive Panhandler

2011-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the floor manager asked when he came to the reference desk to relieve me, if security had been inside the Education Center. I told him that I had seen the security guard, but I didn't see him go toward the Education Center.

He told me that there was a man in there eating and he had called for a security guard to speak with him.

I'm in charge of the Education Center, so I went to see if the guy was still in there. I had sent a woman in there to look at some college handbooks and I wanted to make sure he wasn't bothering her.

We have a two-sided sign on the table in the Education Center that says you can only be in the room if you are using the education reference materials.

The woman wasn't in there. I see the guy and he's slouched and eating. He has broken chips and crumbs all down the front of his jacket. I asked him if he was using the materials in the room. He shows me a magazine that was from another floor. I told him that he could only be in there if he was using the materials in that room, while showing him the sign. As he was speaking, I noticed food in his mouth. I told him that eating wasn't allowed inside the library. He told me don't insult him and myself. He also stated that a security officer had already been in there to speak with him, so he didn't understand why I was bothering him.

This man stands across the street from the library almost everyday. He isn't there payday(the 1st of the month,) and about 2-3 days afterward. Every time he sees me, he asks me for money. I give him none. He then says that I know I can give him some money. I usually look at him like he's crazy. He will then tell me that I don't need to look at him like that.

When he comes into the library, he is always breaking the rules. When I catch him and tell him that what he's doing isn't allowed, he always talks loud and tries to go off. I will call security and he usually leaves before they get there. He will not say anything to me outside after he's had outburst in the library.

I told my co-worker that he's going to catch me on the wrong day and I'm going off on him. He only talks smack to the black folks when they don't give him any money or pay any attention to him.

What did you say?

2011-07-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

This white woman walked up to me at the refence desk and said, "I'm not a RACIST, YOU ARE! Can you tell
me where I can find the St*r W*rs graphic novels?"

I steeped back and gave her a side-eye(the Assistant Chief of the library and my Floor Manager were standing near me.)

I walked toward the books and the woman was still standing at the reference desk. I told her
that she needed to follow me. I walked over to the teen graphic novel shelves and pointe out the St*r W*rs gn's.

What I learned while trying to grill this evening

2011-07-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

I went to a BBQ two Sundays ago, and I went to another one this past Saturday. Those two events inspired me to BBQ today. This isn't something I do often, because I hate the way the smell gets in your clothes and your hair. I just end up feeling grimy.

On to what I learned. I lit the charcoal bricks and the flames grew fast. I threw the cover on the grill and the flames died just as fast. I mean very few bricks glowing. Those that were glowing, were barely hanging on. These were the pre-treated bricks. You are supposed to be able to light them and not worry about your fire.

The fire kept going in and out. I tried lighting paper and tossing it in with the charcoal, nothing happened.

Finally, I asked my Mom what did they do before lighter fluid. She told me that her grandmother threw bacon grease on charcoal before lighting it. We didn't have any bacon grease. Low and behold, vegetable oil works just as good. That fire was burning in no time flat. The smell isn't as gross as that of lighter fluid.

Why would you get THAT drunk?

2011-06-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

A patron approached my co-worker at the reference desk. He wanted to use one on the internet computers. The man was beet red in the face.

When the man walked away, I said, "He was really drunk." My co-worker asked, "Oh, can you smell it over there?" I said, "No, he's just so red."

The patron logged onto a computer and five minutes later, he was gone. My co-worker had walked the floor and when he finished, he asked me who was on computer #314. I told him that it was the drunk guy. I wondered aloud, "Where could he have gone?" My co-worker said, "Well, he left a bag in the seat and he's still logged onto the internet."

I said, "Watch, he's going to return and not remember what computer terminal he was at."

The patron returned to the floor after another 10 minutes. He went to the online catalog and stood there.

I asked my co-worker, "What is he doing?"

My co-worker said, "He did like you said, he can't remember where he was."

The man stood there for about three minutes. He then approached me at the reference desk. He tried to straighter himself up and look sober. He said, "Um, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I don't remember what computer I was on."

I told him #314. He said, "OH, you remember me?" I just said told him yes. When he walked away, I said, "How could I forget?" I asked my co-worker, "Why would you get that drunk?"

He wasn't one of our regulars. He had on a blazer, dress shirt and slacks. It was in between 1-2pm.

I get a 3 day weekend

2011-06-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

I know it doesn't mean anything to most people, but I'm so HAPPY!!!

My work schedule is Sunday through Thursday, so when everyone else has a 3 day weekend, mine is broken. We're almost always open on Sunday. The one exception is G*y Pr*de Weekend. From experience, management has learned that parade Sunday is too much for the library.

For the past 4 years, I have looked forward to the last Sunday in June.

The bus driver redeemed herself

2011-06-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

This morning when I turned the corner she was just pulling off. When she got closer to where I was, she opnened the door for me.

Really? It's one of those days

2011-06-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and thought it was my off day(tomorrow.)

I missed the bus I normally catch. The driver turned the corner, honked the horn and waved at me.

I sit down at my desk, search my purse and realize that I left the key to my desk at home.

I know that it's been a while

2011-06-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

But, guess what? I hate logging onto the computer once I get home. I hate typing post on my blackberry while at work.

I sit in front of a pc while at my desk in the staff area. When at the reference desk, I'm either sitting or standing in front of a pc. By the time I get home, I don't want to go in the 2nd bedroom and sit in front of yet another pc.

It's not that there hasn't been a lot to share.

There's the incident where a patron's dogged jumped up and took another patron's identification out of my hand. I was trying to wake up the owner of the dog, because he needed to gain better control of the dog. The dog was laying in the middle of an aisle. The leash was attached to the dog. The owner had his foot on the leash, but it didn't prevent the dog from walking into the aisle and blocking it. Someone trying to walk past, would have to either step on the leash, or step over the dog.

The newest supervisor on our floor(1 year,) has abandoned us for the 4th floor. She thinks the grass is greener. Her last day on our floor was this past Friday. Yesterday, she was back on our floor at 9:15am(we open/start at 9:00am.) 95% of our floor was through with her anyway. When she was at the reference desk, she didn't want to be bothered. She was always late when relieving another librarian from the reference desk. We try to arrive 5 minutes before our shift begins. She was always 3-5 minutes late. No, she wasn't going from one reference desk to another, she would just be at her desk doing whatever. And the complaining, it was nonstop. The bad part, she complained about her assigned duties.

So you think it's my fault

2011-05-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a couple was sitting at one of the internet computers near the reference desk.

The guy approached the desk and said, " My girl needs your help. She can't log on to the computer."

As I walked over to her, he said, "We are scheduled to attend the basic internet instruction class tomorrow and I told her that she should just wait until tomorrow."

I explained to the woman how to log onto the computer. I then asked her what website she wanted. She said fb. I logged her onto fb, thinking she had an account. NOT. I told her that she would have to set up an account before she could enter the site.

WELLLLLL, it turned out that she didn't have an email account. She wanted to make up a fictitious account. I told her that she should just set up an email account and then set up her fb account.*****Meanwhile, ol boy is mumbling behind me that she needs to just wait until they attend the internet class.

She said that she wanted her email account to be with y*hoo. I showed her where she needed to be and told her to follow the set-up instructions. I believe the main problem was comprehension. The guy came back over again and said that she was having problems and I needed to help her one more time. I told him that she would probably need more help, but it's okay.

As I explained to her why her password wasn't acceptable and why they asked for a second email address, ol boy was behind me snickering once again. He was saying she needed to wait. I turned around and told him that he needed to STOP SNICKERING, BECAUSE HE WOULD BE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING IN THE BASIC INTERNET CLASS.

I went to help someone else. As I was returning to the reference desk, ol boy stopped me and said, "She thinks that you said I was laughing at her." I told him, "No, that's not what I said you were doing. You were continuously mumbling that she should wait until the class and I told you to stop."

He then said, "Well, now she's mad because she thinks I was making fun of her." She had stormed off and was yelling at him at the elevator. All I heard was, "OH I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING."

She just wanted a little knowledge before attending the class. I understood that, but obviously he didn't.

They did it again

2011-05-10T12:41:00.001-07:00

This was on my desk when I arrived to work this past Sunday. Some thoughtful patron left the book jacket along with the call number and the barcode. This does make it easier to locate which book is missing. I marked the book missing and ordered a replacement copy.

This time, the book will probably be shelved in the staff area. Main floor shelving is no longer an option.

Warm weather doesn't encourage people to go outside

2011-05-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, three men were in the library together. I found out after the fact that they were together.

I watched a man doze off and on for a half hour. Finally, he began to snore. I walked over to him and said, "My only problem with your behavior, is that now you've begun to snore." As I was doing this, one of his friends yells from one of the Internet computers, "You're sitting in the front, you have to watch what you do!"

I returned to the reference desk. The sleeper then goes to use the computer that his friend was using. The friend then joins the third guy with them at the table facing the reference desk. They turned their chairs so that they were facing me and began talking loudly.

Guy1: I like white girls, you know Latin, Asian. I don't like black girls at all.

Guy2: Yeah, I like Asian and Latin girls. I don't like black girls either.

They kept going back and forth about the problem with black women.
When my co-worked returned to the reference desk, I told him what the men were doing and how annoying it was. I knew that they were doing it just to work my nerves. My co-worker walked over and had words with them. I didn't ask what was said, but they stopped talking.

Sunday was a nice day. Relatively hot(for this city,) and the library was crowded all day.

A patron called and began to argue with me about the way in which a book was classified. She had given me the wrong title. When I finally found what she was talking about, she told me I was wrong. After searching the shelves for another title, she then told me that she didn't want to place a hold on the book.

Yesterday, I had to speak to a man watching p*orn. The public monitors are 17" Flat screens that are raised. Each time that I turned to my right, I saw a woman's legs spread with a man's head in between. I walked over to the man and said, " I believe in free speech and that everyone is entitled to look at whatever they want on the Internet, but I'm don't want to see that." This fool said, "It just popped on the screen." That man had been selecting different windows for at least 20 minutes.

After his hour was up, he came to the reference desk and starred at me, looking me up and down. I finally said, "Do you have a reference question?" He then said, "I'm sorry." I said, "Yeah, okay."

Mr M Cool(In his mind)

2011-04-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm telling you in advance that this is about the custodian assigned to our floor.

I saw the custodian outside this morning when I arrived. Supplies in hand and he was walking away from the
Building. This man has a mean pimp walk and it looks like his feet hurt in sneakers.

The day shift starts at 6am, so a break at 9am is expected.

When I arrive to my desk, my recycle bin had the same debris from last night.( they took away our trash cans.)

I went to the restroom and it was the same as last night.

I went to the reference dest at 10am, neither the trash nor recycle cans had been emptied from yesterday.

I spoke to my co-worer at 12:30@m regarding the lack of service from our custodian.

My co-worker said, "He's in the supply closet sleep, if you're looking for him."

Finally, at 1:00pm, he began emptying our recycle cans. He leaves at 2pm.

I know it's mean, but I don't care!

2011-03-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

The public school system is on Spring Break. It started on 3/18. I want it to be over, effective YESTERDAY!

I thougt it was next week(the reason I'll be on vacation.)

I saw a teen in thigh hi boots today(they were flats.). Who buys thigh boots for their teenage daughter??

The nerve of her

2011-03-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, one of the major vacation hogs approached me. She wanted to know if I was willing to give up my vacation day(this Sunday.)

I told her no and kept it moving. When I mentioned the conversation to my co-worker(who sit next to me,) she said that she
had been approached also.

The woman who approached us is ALWAYS on vacation. She takes the time from Thanksgiving until New Year's every year. If she changes her mind about vacation, she will cancel at the last minute.

My Monday view

2011-03-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

For 1 full hour while at the reference desk, I had to look at a Swatika tattoo. The owner of the tattoo chose to use one of the
Internt computers that faces the reference desk. The tat is on his hand. Every movement, I saw the tat out of the corner of my eve.
It's one of those black/grey sloppy jobs.

Homey kept dozing, off and on. It just so happened that a security officer was passing by anf tapped the guy. Tattoo Man then told his girl(I'll let that one go,) that we called security on him.

REALY! That's your complaint

2011-03-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, a woman walked up to the desk to complain about a man who walks around the floor in circles all day long.
Sometimes, he changes his routine and circles the outside of the building a few times before returning to our floor. There are days when he even sits down for
A while. It's obvious that he's a special needs adult.

Back to the complaint. She wanted us to stop the man from walking in circles, because
it was getting on her nerves.

My co-worker explained that there's no library policy that prevents anyone from
Walking the floor all day long.

I forgot to mention that this woman parks herself at the encyclopedia tables for about 5hrs everyday. She argues with other patron if they are sitting
Where she usually sits.

As she walked away, I told my co-worker, "We don't complain about her sitting on this floor all day."

Staffing Shortages

2011-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

So, another department is suffering from lack of man power. This time around, my department was TOLD by management that every librarian would be
required to spend 1hr per week at the Information Services Desk until further notice. I told the librarian who does the desk schedules to make sure that I'm
the last one on the list. Well, because of my work schedule I'm the next to last.

I made this request because no one shared the duty with me of 4hrs per week in the Government Information Department.

This afternoon was my first stint at the Information Services Desk.

Why did the patron(black man) walk up to me and say, "Oh, you normally work on the other side of the room(borrower services desk!)"

I told him that I didn't work on that floor at all.

He then said, "Yes you do, you're the woman that no one goes to for help!"

Once again, I told him that I didn't work on that floor.

He said, "OH WELL, I GUESS YOU HAVE A TWIN THAT WORKS OVER THERE!"

I told him, "I DON'T HAVE A TWIN AND I DON'T WORK ON THIS FLOOR!"

I missed 1 day

2011-02-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, I stayed home sick. On Tuesday, I was informed that a woman stapped a man in the face
With his umbrella.

The librarian's on my floor reported seeing roaches crawling out of one of the Atlas' and at a public
computer. I told them that they are most likely coming from the patrons. No one has reported seeing them in the 4 1/2 years that I've been there.

Predictable

2011-02-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

I work until 7pm on Wednesday and Thursday, because Sunday is a short day. I need to make up 2hours each week and the extra hour for two days is what I chose.

Most evenings, the only Librarians left in our department are those who are working the late shift that evening.

Wednesday evening, "Mouth-All-Mighty" was at her desk after 6pm. I thought, she must be staying late because she won't be in tomorrow. Like clockwork, when I arrived on Thursday morning, she had called in sick.

Something's going on today.

2011-02-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

When I arrived this morning, the desk schedule was being revised. It took 30 minutes, but we were finally informed that today's staff meeting is cancelled. The Floor Manager isn't in the office today. We were told the meeting will be rescheduled. I'm hoping they finally decide the monthly meetings are a waste of time and money.

A waste of time and money

2011-01-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my co-worker arrived to work and said, I don't feel well. I'm going to go home."

This is a woman who has an hour or more commute on Sundays. I asked my supervisor, "Why didn't she just call? Did she really think it was better to come in and leave?"

So, instead of yet another sick call-in, you'd rather turn around and go home. Not work an hour or two and leave, but leave after 5 minutes.

HOW RUDE!

2011-01-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

My last hour at the Reference Desk today: The ditzy supervisor was assigned to work with me. The supervisor that she was supposed to relieve ended up calling her. Why, you ask, well she was still at her desk because she didn't realize that she was supposed to be at the reference desk. Yes, that's exactly what she said.

8 minutes before our hour at the desk was up, she said, "I'M LEAVING THE DESK BECAUSE I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM AND I DON'T WANT TO BE LATE FOR MY MEETING!"

I just looked at her like YEAH whatEVER!!!! She then said, "THAT is, if you don't mind."

I didn't give her an answer.

So the problems with her mess:

A copy of the daily reference desk schedules are across from her cubicle.

The Floor Manager meets with the floor supervisors every week at the SAME TIME.

The Floor Manager also has a copy of the desk schedules.

Staff Meetings

2011-01-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

I detest them. All I ask is that they be forever cancelled. Librarians, in my experience can drag a topic out. Why should it take over 20 minutes to discuss the first item on the agenda. The meeting was only an hour and there were 6 items on the agenda.

That's just and example from today.

I must admit that I'm the reason for the first item on the agenda. Last month, I answered a patron's email question. He wanted to know why the books that he was interested in, were library use only. Well, he happened to want to check out HIGH THEFT ITEMS. This is the reason they've become library use only and are shelved in the staff area. What subject could these books possible fall under you ask? Why they are extraterrestial, occult, things of that nature.

What did the patron do? I answered the question using my work email account. The patron contacted me this month with a borrower services problem. In bold type the email said, since I gave such a quick and thorough response previously, he just knew that I would do so again.

What's happening at the library so far

2011-01-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

Thursday December 30,2010: A woman hid on my floor and entered the staff area after closing. She tried to steal a co-workers hard drive. She was
Not successful. She then stole a hard drive from the International Center Reference Desk. She was seen on the security video exiting the building with a large black trash bag.

I guess our floor is being punished. Management still hasn't approved the request for a replacement hard drive. *****I had to change this because it wasn't replaced.***

I took an exam last week. It was so that I can once again be placed on the promotional list. They renew the list every three years. A co-worker was at the exam who I later found out had been AWOL. He was at work today, like business as usual.

No Parking Baby

2010-12-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, I just happened to glance at the laptop table. On the floor, leaning against the Self-Checkout Machine, was a No Parking Sign.

Yes indeed, one of our loyal patrons stole a No Parking Sign(probably from in front of the building) and left it for our custodial staff to dispose of.

When I mentioned the sign to one of my co-workers, he picked it up and placed it behind the reference desk.

This afternoon, when I arrived at the reference desk another one of my co-workers had it under her arm as she left the desk. I asked her if that was her way of letting us know that she didn't want anyone visiting her desk area too long. She replied, "Yes, especially between the hours of 12 midnight and 6:00a.m.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before

2010-12-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

The woman who calls the reference desk regarding us(the librarians) correcting her spelling/gramatical errors has been fired.
I know this because two weeks aga she called and asked me to help her with an email. She wanted to know where they wanted her to leave the laptop and her security badge on 12/31.

She forgot a few things when she revealed this to me. I had asked her a few years ago, why she didn't use the spell/grammar check in word. She told me she didn't have a computer.

Well, yesterday she was sending an email. She was trying to ask when her exit interview was being conducted. She kept saying it was an exit and I kept asking her if it was an exit interview that she was referring to. After trying to explain what I was saying a few times, I finally asked her if her office conducted exit interviews. She told me that they did and asked me how to spell it. I thought she meant interview. Ater taking the time to spell the word slowly, she said, "No, not that. How do you spell exit?". My co-worker said that I should 've given her the incorrect spelling. He said, "They are firing her anyway. They know that she can't spell!"

Pet Rooster

2010-12-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

No, the title isn't a mistake. While walking to the library this morning, I saw a rooster strutting along the edge of the grass. As I got closer, I realized that there was a homemade leash attached to the rooster.
When I entered the library, I asked one of the security officers if the man with the pet rooster is a regular. I found out that he is a regular patron and the rooster's name is Champ.

It began this past Monday morning

2010-12-11T23:26:00.000-08:00

We open at 10am on Mondays. I was at the reference desk with my supervisor. I answered the telephone, the patron stated that she couldn't hear me and asked that I speak louder.

I said, "GENERAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, MAY I HELP YOU?"The patron said, "NO YOU MAY NOT, F*CK YOU!" Then she hung up.

My supervisor asked, "Did they have a question?" I told him what happened and he replied, "Well, I guess that's how our week will go."

Tuesday afternoon, this man walked pass the reference desk cursing like, well, you know. He then returned to the desk and asked me what happened to the truck with books that were in the biography section on Monday. I told him that the books had probably been shelved.

He told me that I was wrong, because it was too many books. He then said, "The were about celebrities." I told him that he was on the wrong floor, because celebrity biographies are in the Art & Music Department. He had the nerve to tell me that I was wrong. I said once again, slowly, "You want the Art&Music Department on the 4th floor, you are on the 3rd floor." He replied, "YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, I'M ON THE WRONG FLOOR!"Wednesday, a patron decided that he wanted to argue with me about one of the library rules.

He asked me,(while standing two rows away) what the minimum number you could have for your library card pin. I told him one. He told me, "NO, YOU'RE WRONG, IT'S MORE THAN THAT!" I repeated myself. He then put up his hand as if dismissing me.

Holiday/Winter and the library

2010-12-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

We usually start to notice a change just before Thanksgiving, or the weekend after. The regulars start to fade away. There are fewer patrons in the evening. This year has been a little different.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, it was CROWDED. It seemed as if no one wanted to leave. There were quite a few new faces who have now become regulars.

As I'm typing this, I realize that it may have a lot to do with that new Sit/Lie Law that passed.

I've seen some mentally ill, that I haven't seen in months.

Why did my day have to end like that

2010-12-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Mr. TIGER BAL.M himself chose to approach me at the reference desk. He mumbles and I couldn't understand half of what he was asking. I told him to write down whatever it was that he was looking for. He admitted that he should have asked for it downstairs, because it's probably fiction.

I finally found the book that he was looking, translated into English and it is fiction. Fiction is on the first floor, where he came from. I told him this and he argued with me about why there was probably a copy on the 3rd Floor. I finally stopped him in the middle of his rant and said, "I can't understand half of what you are saying, so quit talking to me and go look for your book!"

He then asked me what the largest country is in Africa, I told him I didn't know. He then said, "Why not, haven't you been there?" I told him no. He then asked me, "Why not?" I said, "Why haven't you been there, you're the one with all of the questions?" He then said, "Oh, you haven't been there because of money. I haven't been anywhere."

He then starts with me about the dictionaries. He asked me where the dictionaries are. I began telling him where they were and he yelled, "OH YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW!" I said, "If you know everything, why are you asking me?" Once again, he started up, talking about the size of dictionary he wanted. I told him that he better leave me alone, because I was done talking to him because he wasn't speaking clearly anyway.

When he finally left, my co-worker said, "He always has to be correct, even if he's wrong and you show him the answer written in black and white. Then he has to have the last word."

Not one of those days, one of those weeks

2010-12-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

There's a woman who visits our floor occasionally. If anyone corrects her or asks her to move, she's writing a complaint form about their behavior. I've been the victim of her rant before. She fills the complaint form from top to bottom, on both sides. There is so much writing that you'll give yourself a headache trying to read it.

Sunday, another regular came to the reference desk and complained that he had booked a computer and she was sitting at it. Since this has happened numerous times with this woman, I asked her if she had booked that computer in advance. She said yes, so I told her that I would check the other patron's library card. I checked his library card and he had written down the wrong information. His computer for that time slot was on another floor.

I went on to help someone else. While on my way back to the reference desk, I noticed the woman sitting at the laptop table. She rolled her eyes at me(which is normal behavior if she is complaining about you,) as I walked past her.

Yesterday, I noticed her complaint form about me at the reference desk. It hadn't been turned in yet, so I don't know if management has stopped submitting her complaints.

Monday

I had to have security escort a drunk man out of the library.

As he walked toward the computers, I noticed that he was swaying. When he decided on a computer; as he made an attempt to sit in the chair, he fell. He stayed on the floor for a minute and another patron helped him into the chair(I was calling security to escort him out.)

When security arrived, they smelled his water bottle. They then asked him if he had been drinking. He said, wait for it..............."YEP, ALL DAY, EXCEPT WHILE IN THE LIBRARY!"

Today

One of my co-workers who is on a scheduled vacation, called in sick. One of the floor supervisors who is also on a scheduled vacation was today's Reference Desk rotation.

And the beat goes..............

2010-11-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I was informed that the man from the Monday October 25, 2010 story was suspended from the library for three days yesterday.

Get this, he was so wasted that he forgot and the floor manager saw him wandering the floor with his eyes closed today. His suspension was extended today, he is now banned for 7 days.

I told the floor manager that he probably won't remember today, and will return to the library tomorrow.

What is it about Mondays?

2010-11-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

I wasn't at work last Monday, but they had another unresponsive drunk. They said he was breathing, they just weren't able to wake him from his vodk.a induced slumber.

Today, a page alerted the librarians to two men who were seen chugging a bottle. When I arrived at the reference desk, I didn't catch them. I just kept giving them the evil eyes. After 15 minutes of this, they made their way to the elevators. There was a black plastic bag in the hand of one of them(the type given at the liquor store.)

I've been watching you all day and..........

2010-11-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

You haven't done any work all day.

That's what a patron said to me after she dropped a stack of books and her library card in front of me at the reference desk. I told her that if she wanted to checkout her books, she would have to do so at the self checkout or with a clerk on the 1st floor. That's when she told me that whole mess about watching me. If she really had been watching me, she would have seen that I had just returned to the reference desk. I had just shown a patron how to use the self checkout machine.

I was so tired of kooky people yesterday, I didn't even argue. I said, "I'm sorry that's not something that is done at the reference desk.

This has been my luck for the past few days

2010-11-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday

I was locked out of my car with my purse and cell phone inside, while the car was on. I had gotten out to make sure that I was not blocking the cross walk and close enough to the curve(I had parked downhill.) A breeze and the door closed. I then heard a click click, which meant the car was being locked(there's a electrical problem going on.)

Sunday

After work, I went to visit my Mom. I arrived home and realized that my door/gate keys were inside, where I had left them the night before. I called my Mom, to see if she had her keys to the gate with her and went back to the hospital to get them.

Tuesday

While on my way home to drop my car off, I was rear ended. The guy who hit me kept apologizing, and saying that he didn't see the cars stopped. We were on a street that has parking lot traffic 24/7. He then gave me bogus car insurance information. Luckily, I had taken a picture of his license plate.

Odd things from the library

2010-11-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

There is an old man who comes to my floor everyday, sits down, takes off his shoes and proceeds to rub tige.r bal.m on his feet and legs. He had the nerve to get offended when he was informed that he must keep his shoes on, when in the library. The security guard even said, "Or you can just do that in the bathroom, but not out in the open area."

The telephone number in the government information department has been changed. Instead of obtaining the new number, our operators simply transfer the calls to the general collections department(my department.) Yesterday, I finally took it upon myself to call another department on the same floor and ask them to find out what the new extension is. When I answered the telephone yesterday, the patron said, "I asked to be transferred to government information, YOU AREN'T THAT DEPARTMENT!"

Almost a week later

2010-11-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Gia.nts Celebration was a nightmare. The end of the parade route was across the street from my building. When I got to work, there was no in and out of the building. You were taking your chances, if you did. There are three public entrance/exits, and one staff entrance/exit. Two of the public entrance/exits were closed because of the crowd.

When the crowd discovered that our building was open, some of them had the bright idea to look out of the windows on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. I went to the 5th floor for my normal Wednesday 1-3pm shift, and one whole side of the floor was standing room only. People were listening to the speeched on their radios. The only instruction from management, was to monitor the crowds.

When I left work at 7:00 p.m., there were still people lingering. Police cruisers were driving up and down the streets four deep.

If I didn't have to work that day, I wouldn't have been anywhere near that place.

What a Monday

2010-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

The end of my second hour at the reference was ending soon, when I noticed a man sleeping at the Encyclopedia Table.
I went over to attempt to awaken the patron. My raps on the table went unnoticed. The patron was slowly learning closer to the floor. There was a stream of snot hanging from one nostril, and he was lightly snoring.

Unable to wake the patron, I returned to the reference desk. As I began a call to security, the patron fell on the floor. My co-worker went over and said that I should call 911 because the patron wasn't waking up.

Security officers arrived, turned the patron on his side, and still didn't get a response from the patron.

The paramedics arrived quickly. They were unable to get a response from the patron. He was taken to the hospital.

FOUND among the patrons possessions, an EMPTY PINT OF VODKA, and a pack of PILLS.

That's how my Monday is going thus far how about yours?

21 years ago today

2010-10-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

There was a earthquake in San Francisco. Normally, this day has come and gone before I realize it.

Today, the similarities and differences struck me. October 17. 1989 was a hot day(SF standards,) it was muggy, and there was a slight smog in the air.
I was a full-time student during the day and worked a night shift from 3pm-12 midnight. The night-shift looked forward to 5:00pm, because the day shift departed and the building got quiet.

Well, this day, at 5:00pm the building began to shake. I duked under one of the old wooden desk. I didn't get up until the building stopped moving.
We went outside to the parking lot across the street. There was a head count to make sure the night shift was accounted for.

We discovered that a brick wall on the 6th street of the building had collapsed. A lot of our cars had been damaged. Some were crushed and resembled metal suitcases. One woman from the day-shift lost her life when the wall collapsed.

***SIDE NOTE***My car was famous! My godmother called the next day and told us to turn on the To.day Sh.ow. There was my car. It has risen in the air and landed on a pile of bricks from wall that collapsed.

Fast forward 2010******

It began raining this morning as I prepared for work. I look forward to 5:00pm today, because the library closes and I get to leave for the day.

Some things can't be explained!

2010-10-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in passing, my co-worker informed me that security had found two 19yr old men/boys having sex in the 1st floor men's restroom.....My mouth hung open....THE DESIRE WAS THAT URGENT???

Has anyone ever gotten mad at you because they were wrong, and you had the unlucky pleasure of informing them??? Yea, well it happens to me everyday, but not before the person has a chance to argue their position.

Why did I get an email assignment yesterday(Tuesday) and the deadline is this Friday. I don't work on Fridays, so my deadline is Thursday. I sent the woman questions today and got no answers. The previous deadline was September 30th. She ended the email by stating that the deadline was so quick because SHE was going on vacation.

I see strange people

2010-09-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

This is a given when at work, but it happens on the bus, while walking downtown, or while on my way to the p*st o*ffice. Last Thursday, while walking to the post office, I saw this lady. I wasn't able to get a good picture. I think my shock had a lot to do with it. She looked like the living version of L*ttle B*Peep.

She had pigtails, tied with little black bows. There were black sheep on her skirt, which had a crinoline, with patent leather mary janes. I snapped the picture while I was crossing the street.

if I've said this before, please forgive me in advance

2010-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

I HATE WHINERS!! I especially HATE GROWN AZZ PEOPLE who WHINE!

What brought on this confession, you ask?

A librarian called in sick today. We are short staffed on Mondays, because some of the librarians don't work. They have a Tuesday - Saturday schedule.

So the old grumpy part-time complained because she was scheduled to work 4 desk hours and everyone else got 3.5

She whined until my supervisor volunteered to work the extra hour.

I'm usually the one who receives the short end of the scheduling stick. I, on the other hand don't complain. I know Mondays are tight and it's hard to make sure everyone is treated fairly.

This past Sunday

2010-09-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

There was a man walking around with a stack of blank payroll checks.

He said they wouldn't cash his personal check at the check cashing place. They told him that the only accept payroll checks. He said that he wanted to type his own payroll checks. He then began talking about having just completed shooting a film. I told him that he couldn't use his personal paper in the library printers.

About 5 minutes later, he came back talking about having $400 in the bank that he couldn't access until Monday.

I told him to try kin*os.

What a day

2010-09-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

An old woman stopped at the reference desk and stared. I asked her if she needed help.

She said, "I guess they're changing things around here!"

I said, "In reference to what?"

She then said, "Like you! You haven't worked here long, because I've never seen you!"

I said, "Yes, I've been here for a while."

She told me, "WELL, I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE; SO YOU'RE NEW!!". She continued to mumble this over and over, as she walked, while pushing a walker.

A man who is a regular approached me a the reference shortly after the incident above.

He said, "You must be new, because I've never seen you before."

I said, "I've been here for a while."

17 minutes before closing, a young goy approached me at the reference desk and saidn "I want a book that tells me where all of the ports in the U.S. are."

He told me that it's very important to know where all of the ports are. He went on to tell me how he didn't trust new information and he only wanted old books.

Just when I think I have them figured out

2010-09-08T20:25:00.001-07:00

The crazies that is. I've got the 3rd floor regulars locked in my memory. I now have to recognize and remember the 5th floor regulars.

This afternoon, after spending 20 minutes search for information on a topic that a patron gave me, the other librarian at the desk informed me that she is one of the disturbed regulars. He said, " Oh, she always gives you these crazy subjects that don't match anything and wants you to find articles."

I was able to find something, but it didn't match everything that she had written. It was a blog post, but the author had cited his sources. It was 15 pages long and I wasn't printed all of it. I printed 5 pages of the post, and 2 pages of the citations.

The other librarians seemed to be surprised that her jumbled subjects were actually part of a story.

She is finally leaving

2010-09-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

They are saying that she's retiring, but how can you retire from a job where you've only been employed for three years?

They gave her a "Retirement Party" yesterday and I chose not to attend. My co-worker said I was being mean. Why should I attend a party in honor of someone who annoys me? I'm also glad that she's leaving.

Her voice sound like finger nails scraping a chalkboard. I hate being anywhere nearby whenever she is speaking. I wouldn't be able to hide my facial expressions in a room full of people.

I found out this past Tuesday that the lady is 72. Now I understand why she found every excuse available to explain why she couldn't finish shelving books.

It has happened again

2010-09-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I was not at the reference desk when this occured(thankfully.)

The one who's always calling in sick was. She told me what happened later in the day.

A patron approached her at the reference desk. He told that it was the second time that this has happened to him at the same computer terminal. He gave her a bed bug. He then said that he would check his home, to make sure that it's not HIS problem.

My response: It might just be his problem because a lot of people use that computer EVERYDAY
and he's the only one reporting a bed bug siting.

After a few hours and many telephone calls, someone from custodial sterilized the area.

I caught her in the act today

2010-08-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Almost everytime that I have a perfect desk schedule, there's a floor supervisor who will rearrange it so that mine sucks and hers is glowing.

You see, I'm late almost everyday(that says something about my feelings for my job, I know.) It's usually somewhere in between 5-15 minutes. Today, the bus driver was working in my favor. She was on time and she went the speed limit(she's usually early and I miss the bus.)

Well this supervisor takes advantage of my not being at my desk. Meaning, she doesn't have to ask me about any schedule changes. Today I went to check the schedule and she had just switched me with her. I said, "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" She said, "AND WHY CAN'T I?" I then told her that I was scheduled to work in another department during the timeslot that she wanted me to be on the reference desk.

Instead of taking my word for it, she had to double check what I said. After she saw the written proof that she was in the wrong, she said, "Oh f**k, I guess I have to work that hour afterall."

A continuation of the patron incidents from last week

2010-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, my co-worker informed a patron that he was sitting in a designated teen area and he had to move.
The policy is that an adult must be accompanied by a teen, when sitting in the
teen area.

Okay, no biggie. The man then came over to me and said, " I want to know that librarian's name because I'm going to write a letter to the city librarian." My co-worker then came over to where we were and said, "We don't give out our names, but you can have my badge number."

The patron stated, "YOU HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE" and walked away. We thought nothing of the incident, because it happens all of the time.

Sunday when I arrived to work, my supervisor asked me about the incident. He wanted to know if it was me or my co-worker that the patron was complaining about. I told him what happened.

He then explained to me that the patron did send a complaint letter to the city librarian and he now had to appologize to the patron.

My co-worker followed proceedure, but because a complaint was made to the city librarian, the patron now has to receive an appology. He also needs to be reassured that my co-worker will be reprimanded.

Another problem caller

2010-08-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday evening 2 times, I returned to the reference desk and heard my co-worker say, "I'M NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU YELL AND CURSE AT ME." She would then hang up the telephone.

10 minutes passed. A clerk calls, I answered, he began yelling, "YEAH, IT'S THAT PATRON AGAIN"

I stopped him mid sentence and said, "I haven't spoken to you or that patron today, so I don't know what you're referring to. Just transfer the patron."

The patron starts in, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS". I stopped her and said, " I didn't speak with you earlier and I don't need a recap of what happened. I just need to know the titles of the books that you're looking for." Only 1 title ended up being circulating.
I put the book on hold for her. She then asked, "Can you transfer me to the manager for Information Services, because I didn't yell, or curse at anyone."

I transferred the call.

Who knew

2010-08-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

If you act a fool on the telephone, you get results.

Wednesday, I heard my co-woker tell a patron via telephone that she has fines and they need to be resolved before she can check out a book.
The patron had requested that a book be placed on hold. My co-worker explained to the patron that she'd had to override the block on her record. My co-worker then told the patron where she could pick-up the book. The patron was yelling and screaming so loud, she didn't even hear what was being said.

My co-worker hung up the telephone as the patron was in the middle of her rant.

The patron called back and she was transfered to our floor. My co-worker said, "I'm not speaking to her again!"

I picked up the call, and the caller was trying to play the innocent victim. "Yeah, you hung up the the telephone in my face without even telling me where I could pick up the book."

I said, "I didn't hang up on you, and she did tell you where the book would be."

Patron: "If you didn't speak to me, how do you know what I'm talking about?"

I told her that I was standing at the desk when she called. The patron then began another rant, "I want her name and I want to speak with the manager. If the manager isn't available, then I want to speak with whoever's in charge!"
I put the patron on hold, so that I could transfer the call. She hung up.

This happened two more times.

Thursday afternoon, we found out that she had complained to the Chief of the Main's office, and her fines disappeared in the process.

The Vapors Patron returns

2010-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday her issue was the library's windows. They don't open, we need ventilation, and fire exits. I told her that the windows don't open, but we do have a ventilation system. She then said, "Well the windows in city hall open!" I said, "City Hall is a much older building. This building opened in 1996." She then stated, "There are city regulations that say buildings must have windows that open and fire escapes."

I said, "Well you need to take that complaint to city hall." She then asked for one of the library's comment/complaint forms.

After completing the form, she said to me, "No make sure that you give that to the correct person."

To be appreciated

2010-08-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

An elderly woman approached me at the reference desk and said, "I'm not too good with new technology". I asked her what she was looking for.
She told me that she only had 80% of her hearing. I asked, "What is it that you're looking for?". She put the books that she had in her hands on the counter and said, "I need you to make some copies for me."
I stopped her by saying, "Oh, no, I don't do that. You need to go over to the page desk, which is across from the copy room.". She learned onto the counter and said, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?". I wrote page desk on a piece of paper and pointed in the direction she needed to go. She then said, "OH, THAT'S NOT A PART OF YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION, EXCUSE ME FOR OFFENDING YOU!"

As she walked away, I thought, "You can't hear, but you knew exactly what I said."

An old man was after her. He told me I wasn't listening to him. I told him the search terms that he needed to use for an online catalog search. I let him finish rambling, and the same terms were needed for the search. I also told him that he wouldn't find the books he wanted on the 3rd floor. I showed him the titles and he wanted me to print out each one he was interested in. I finally explained to him that all of the books are shelved near each other upstairs.

I helped a woman who was looking for books with information about harems. I asked her if she had done a keyword or subject search. She told me that she had done every type of search and wasn't able to find anything.
I asked her what country did she want? She told me whichever one had results. I did two keyword searches and found quite a few books.
She said, "I need to learn your search skills."

Are evil thoughts okay?

2010-08-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

This evening, I had to wake a patron who had fallen asleep while at one of the internet computers.
I knocked on the table near him, he didn't budge. I took a reference book from the index table and threw it down on the table near the patron. He still didn't budge. I walked toward the reference desk(I was going to call security,) and one of the observers yelled that the patron had finally awakened.
I returned to the patron's side and told him that he had slept through his internet session and needed to move.

Instead of believing me, the patron continued to sit in front of the computer. He was trying to log in and use the time that he slept through.

While trying to wake the patron, I thought, "Now if I kick him, he'll wake up and I'll be in the wrong!"

Our Library has vapors

2010-08-03T19:33:00.001-07:00

That's what a patron told me yesterday. She proceeded to explain to my that she could see the vapors. She also said that in order for me to view them, I had to take pictures with the camera set on natural light exposure. This is when she pulled from her many backpacks, pictures of things like trees, the side of a house, and a toilet. All of the pictures had the glare of light.

I listened with grave difficulty. I was trying so hard not to laugh in that womans face. I just kept nodding and looking at her as if she had lost her mind. Thankyfully, she finally said, "OKAY, you have a good day now and walked away."

What I learned today

2010-08-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

While in the Government Documents Department, a patron who frequents my floor had just left the reference desk when I arrived. The other librarians were saying how much humor they get out of their interactions with him. He has given one the name of Glorious Librarian, the other he gave a police badge sticker and she's a Sargent Librarian.

They asked me if I had any experience with him on my floor. I told them yes, and it's never as pleasant as theirs. I explained that whenever he approaches me at the reference desk, I can't understand what he's saying. I'm always asking him to explain slowly, what he is saying. He ends up grunting at me and walking away. He then rolls his eyes at the reference desk every time that he walks by afterward.

Well, the GIC Librarians told me that I must never try to figure out what he is saying. They said that I must just nod in agreement with everything that he is saying. When he is done, he will ask, "Do I have permission to leave?" I must tell him yes, and he will walk away quietly.

I failed to mention that he wears some type of foreign service uniform, topcoat and all daily.

Prior to yesterday, it had been quiet in the staff area

2010-07-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

The LOUD mouth who sits in the cubicle one aisle over has been out. I believe it's been for a little over a week. All I noticed was the quiet, that is until another co-worker mentioned that the lady had been out sick.

I still didn't think anything was wrong. This woman has been working up to going out on disability leave for the past month. I thought she must have figured out how to get it approved.

No such luck. LOUD mouth returned to work yesterday, because she ran out of sick and vacation leave.

I have to give it to her, she played her part, coughing up a storm.

Today, she's not coughing, but she was on the telephone for the first 1 1/2 hour of work. Talking loudly about nothing as usual. Now, she missing, she just returned as I'm typing this.

I'll just wait and see how this plays out.

After posting about the weird people

2010-07-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

You know, the ones with stalker tendencies.

Last Monday was the third day of my three day staycation. My Mom wanted me to take her to the big box store in town. I really wanted to go to the location one city over. I told her that I always see someone that I'm not trying to be bothered with there. Well..........she won out.

As soon as we walked in, who do I see, my work stalker.

I pointed him out to her and explained who he is. He would repeatedly walk past the reference desk and stare at me. This was at the community college. When I worked as a children's librarian in the hood, I would occasionally see the same car driving in circles while I walked home. Just before I transferred locations, the driver of the car rolled down the window one night. The driver was this same guy. He had the nerve to say, "Oh, hey!". I thought yea, like I'm going to answer you. I kept walking.

After I had been at my present location for a few weeks, the guy began appearing on this floor. He would do the same thing, walk past the reference desk and stare at me. The other thing he does, is stand at the library catalogs across from the reference desk and stare at me (I know this because every time that I look toward the elevators, he is staring at me.)

After seeing him last Monday, when I returned to work on Tuesday, I was upstairs in the GIC and dude came up there. Going through the usual motions of walking past the reference desk and staring at me.

Well he finally got his nerve up yesterday and approached me at the reference desk. He said, "Uh yea, I saw you last week at Co*tco. You never go there." I said, "No, I don't.". He then asked, "Well, what brought you there?". I answered, "My Mother."

I get the creeps whenever I see or talk about that guy. After I typed this post, I went upstairs to the GIC and guess who I saw? Yep, you guessed it. I guess he felt that me acknoledging him yesterday, meant that it would happen again. He kept walking past the reference desk and staring at me. I kept reading an article online.

One downside to a customer service occupation

2010-07-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

My personal shopping choices are altered. A new grocery store opened closer to my home, I had been reluctant to try it. One Saturday, I just decided to go for it. I saw so many regulars at the library, I began to wonder what they were doing there. I now know one of the places they go, when they aren't at the library.

This past Friday, I decided to try another location of the same chain, that's a neighborhood away from the library. I hadn't even reached the entrance to the store, and I saw two library patrons. Thankfully, they didn't see me before I notice them.

The only solution has been to shop at least 30 minutes outside of the city. This also limits the amount of co-workers that I run into also.

Secure, but not really

2010-07-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

There is a member of the library security who should've never been hired. Well, they did hire him and it's been so long that they're now afraid to fire/layoff/whateveryouwhattocallit him.

He is the first to volunteer to secure our floor at closing. Oh yay, us!! This means that we now have closing proceedures for our floor. We must walk the floor, reminding people that we are closing. We must remain on the floor until the final closing announcement has been given. Lastly, we have to point out to the above mentioned security personnel where the remaining patrons are.

Today, there was a group in the meeting room. I thought they must have been library staff, because no one had informed them of our closing time. I went in the back to check the schedule, and no, it was a community meeting. When they were informed that the library was closed, they said, "They security guard looked in the window and kept walking."

A little bit of this and that

2010-07-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post something new yesterday, but my cell battery died at work. My charger doesn't work when plugged into the outlets in the staff area.

It's super quiet in the Government Document Center. The same folks who act a fool and yell, are even quiet when I see them up there. When they see me, they've been saying things like, "They've got you working everywhere!"

The shim who works my last nerves just kept staring and smiling.

Copyright, patent, and criminal law are the most popular questions so far.

Budget cuts and staffing

2010-06-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

As a result of my library system's budget cuts and hiring freeze, they've developed the concept of cross-training. The line in the manager's minutes read, We will begin cross training in all departments.

What it should have read is, Librarian's from the 3rd floor will be training in all departments lacking sufficient staff. Yours truly is the victim of this scam. I was told that the Chief wanted me to cross-train in the Government Information Center. That isn't the case, my supervisor volunteered me. This is the department with the most vacancies. I'm told that the staff are treated as if they work in a factory.

My first day of training was today. Everyone was all smiles and played nice.

Someone wrote what a lot of us would love to SREAM

2010-06-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent me this link the other day. I thought those of you who read my blog would enjoy this. I've also passed it on to a few librarian friends of mine.

http://librarianavengers.org/worship-2

The link isn't working, so here's the post. Over at the website, they have a great graffic includes with the post.

Why you should fall to your knees and worship a librarian
k, sure. We’ve all got our little preconceived notions about who librarians are and what they do.

Many people think of librarians as diminutive civil servants, scuttling about “Sssh-ing” people and stamping things. Well, think again buster.

Librarians have degrees. They go to graduate school for Information Science and become masters of data systems and human/computer interaction. Librarians can catalog anything from an onion to a dog’s ear. They could catalog you.

Librarians wield unfathomable power. With a flip of the wrist they can hide your dissertation behind piles of old Field and Stream magazines. They can find data for your term paper that you never knew existed. They may even point you toward new and appropriate subject headings.

People become librarians because they know too much. Their knowledge extends beyond mere categories. They cannot be confined to disciplines. Librarians are all-knowing and all-seeing. They bring order to chaos. They bring wisdom and culture to the masses. They preserve every aspect of human knowledge. Librarians rule. And they will kick the crap out of anyone who says otherwise.

Public schools have only been out for 1 week

2010-06-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm ready for summer to be over already! There's a group of three boys ages 11-13 who have been pressing their luck. I had them escorted out of the library last Wednesday. They were arguing with me, trying to tell me what the library rules are. They did what they wanted, after I informed them of the rules on our floor. They were arguing with each other. I called security because of other patrons. The responding officer saw the three boys and decided to observe them. He then asked me what happened. After explaining that they refussed to follow rules, they were told to leave.

Thursday, two librarins spoke to two of the same boys on two different occassions. They had girls with them. They were teasing the girls and throwing books at them. All involved were told to separate. All they did was return an hour later, when the desk staff changed. My supervisor when to verify what they were told. They noticed him eyeing them and left the floor.

Early this afternoo, they were kicked out for identity theft( it was discovered that they were using multiple library card numbers to aCcess the internet.)

Time away

2010-06-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

I made the decision last month, to begin taking one vacation day per month. Sometimes I feel as if I need a break from the patrons and my co-workers. I put my request in for 6 months of one day vacations, and it was approved.

It's very rare that I take a vacation day, and 1 week of vacation almost never happens. The biggest obstacle is my co-workers. They block up months in advance in the vacation calendar book.

Last Thursday, my co-worker(who talks LOUDLY and sits in the cubicle adjacent to mine,) came to my desk with the vacation book. She said, "If by any chance you decide not to take October 26th off, can you let me know because I plan to go on vacation that week. Before she finished her spiel, I said no. I then told her that I'm taking one day per month off.

This woman calls in sick three out of the four Tuesdays every month. Her work schedule is Tuesday - Saturday. As she was talking to me, I was thinking that she just needs to work the other three Tuesdays that month, so she can call in sick on the 26th. We already know that she won't be in to work that day.

Pet peeve

2010-05-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this annoys anyone who deals with the public on any level. We close at 6:00pm on Mondays.

I watched the patron exit the elevator onto the floor at 5:45pm. He made a point to walk around the reference desk. At 5:55pm, just as the closing announcement was being broadcast, the patron approached the reference desk. He asked if I would help him find a book. I said, "You just had to wait until 5 minutes before closing?" He replied, "I thought I could find it on my own."

I look up the call number for the book, and it's a reference book. I informed the patron that he wouldn't be able to check that book out, but I told his where it was located. He then asked me to look up another book. That book was one that he could checkout. I took him to the shelf and handed him the book. I informed him that he needed to hurry up, if he intended to check the book out. He decided to browse the book. I then watched him return the book to the shelf at 5:59pm, and select another book.

He was looking for books on the occult. This happens to be the my order area. There is a high theft rate for books on that subject. The bulk of the books have been made reference because of this.

Finals month

2010-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

It seems as if that's how long finals last. Sundays are classic for elementary/middle school/high school/college students to approach the reference desk. They request help in finding books related to their topic/assignment.

In actuality, they want us to find the books/articles, and point out the information needed. Some even want us to narrow their broad subject. When it is explained that we don't do that, we get blank stares. You hear all of us repeating the same thing over and over, "We can show you where the information is, but it isn't our job to find everything."

Using the computers, they always seem to need more that 1 hour because they can't complete everything during that time.

This past Sunday, a patron asked me how to save something in his email. I explained to him how to copy and paste. He gave me the classic BLANK STARE! Of course, when he approached me for help, he only had 5 minutes left on the computer. I copied the document and pasted into a new email. I told him to type an identifier in the subject line and save it as a draft. I pointed to the save as a draft tab. Two minutes later, the patron ran over to me and said, "I don't know what happened, it just disappeared."
I went over and it was gone, but the word document was still there. Time was running out, so I got a flash drive and tried to save it, but there wasn't enough time.
This man turned on me that quick and said, "I DON'T KNOW WHY THESE COMPUTERS CUT OFF AND ERASE INFORMATION. I GO TO THE ART INSTITUTE AND THE COMPUTERS STAY ON THERE."

I said, "My only advice to you is to come back tomorrow and ask for help earlier."
His response, "I'M NEVER COMING TO THIS LIBRARY AGAIN!"

At the same time this was going on, another patron was yelling at my co-worker because it takes money to retrieve a print job. She wanted to know why she couldn't pay with a debit or credit card. She also said the she should have been informed before she began using the computer, that she would have to pay for her print jobs with a copy card. My co-worker said, "We aren't mind readers!"

What a week

2010-05-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

And it's not over yet.

It began last Thursday, May 6,2010

A local news reporter was touring my floor. Accompanying her were a camera man, the library's public liaison, and the social worker.
They found a man at one of the study tables along the wall. He just happened to be pleasuring himself. Security was called and everything from the confrontation to the man being escorted to the security office was filmed. I'm sure that the library will be exposed on television soon.

Sunday May 9, 2010
The staff toilets were working, but we couldn't use the sinks.
We were told to wash our hands in the kitchenette sink.

A patron was banging the computer mouse on the table and cursing the computer.
He was upset because he couldn't use the computer(it had been booked by someone else.)
I told him that he could use an express terminal(there was a line.)
He told me that if he felt like waiting, he would have reserved a computer.

He then went over to the express computers and jumped the line. Security was called.
When the officer arrived, the man didn't like what he was told. He sucker punched the officer. They began to tussle, and the officer put him in a choke hold.

Monday May 10,2010

We arrived to work and were told the only working restrooms were on the 1st and lower level. We couldn't run any water at all. We were told it would only last 30 minutes. An hour later, they sent an email saying everything had been repaired EXCEPT the 3rd floor. We had to wait until the afternoon. That afternoon,
the toilets were back working, but the sinks only had cold water.

As of today, May 19, 2010, the staff restroom sinks are still running just cold water. We were told that a replacement part was ordered for the sinks.

This is your reference question, really?

2010-05-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Caller: What day is cinco de mayo?

Me: May 5th, today!

Caller: It's always been May 5th?

Me: Yes

Caller: Always, even in the 70's

Me: Yes, even in the 70's

My Co-worker has jokes!

2010-05-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

I had a staycation April 22- May 1st. As I approached my cubicle this morning, my co-worker asked me, "Are you HAPPY to be back at work?". I replied, "That was not nice."

Technology challenged

2010-04-22T15:19:00.001-07:00

That's how he phrased it.

An eldery gentleman asked me to help him locate the call number for an author. I gave him the call number, and he set off to find the book. He returned to the desk, and told me that he wanted to copy one of the poems, but the book was too heavy.

I asked him what the title was, located a copy of the poem online, and printed it for him. He said, " I didn't know that thing could do that. You just type in what you want and then it appears?" I laughed, and told him something like that.

Eatin funny

2010-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, for once it was quiet. To my right, I heard a noise. I looked, I saw 4 teen girls, hands quickly moving to get under the table, and mouths chewing. They looked up at me with expressions of surprise.

I said, "YES, I SAW YOU! EATING ISN'T ALLOWED IN THE LIBRARY!"

The ringleader rushed to put the candy in her tote bag. I kept peeking to see what they were up to, until they finally moved. They left their belongings in the care of their friend while they moved out of my sight.

About 10 minutes after that............

Another group of about 8 teens exited the elevator. They walked back and forth for a minute. They located the woman that they were looking for. The woman happened to be using a laptop. Well, they had the bright idea to turn the music up on the laptop and start dancing in the middle of one half of the floor.

So, you think LIBRARIAN means all knowing?

2010-04-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday evening, a patron kept circling the reference desk, while trying to smile at me.
I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I kept my eyes glued to the computer screen.
Finally, he walked up to me and asked if I was busy? I asked him if he had a question, or needed help.
THIS FOOL had the nerve to say, "I WANT YOU TO SHOW ME HOW TO DO PERCENTAGES.". I told him to go to the 4th flr and get a math book.
Yesterday, a patron approached me at the reference desk and said, "What's the difference between a author and when it says edited by?"
Today, a patron called and asked my co-worker if we have a lot of books on WWII. He told him that we do. The patron then asked, "What's the best WWII book?". My co-worker told him that he would have to come into the library, look at the collection, and determine the answer for himself.". The patron then asked why he couldn't just tell him over the telephone. My co-worker told the patron that he couldn't determine the best source, because of the size of the collection. The patron then said, "Why don't you know, you're a librarian, aren't you?"

How does one forget a computer

2010-04-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, a patron brought a Ma*Book with the charger attached to the reference desk. He said that it had been on top of one of the cabinets for quite a while. I told my co-worker to take it to security. I didn't want to be responsible for anything like that.
NO ONE came to the desk to ask about it.
How do you forget about a computer? A Ma*Book at that!

Yesterday, I did the Teen Librarian's job

2010-03-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

She was working the Teen Reference desk. She was tidying up the paperback book racks. As I walked past the Teen Center, I noticed a couple on top of each other, and I let her know. She said, "OH NO, NOT AGAIN, THEY ARE AT IT EVERYDAY! I just said something to them yesterday, can you speak to them today?

I walked back over there and said, "IF YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT AT HOME, THEN YOU CAN'T DO IT IN THE LIBRARY EITHER! You(the girl) need to get a chair and sit in it, by yourself." I turned to leave and noticed their friend laughing at them.

Teen Center news

2010-03-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

There are signs on the tables and computer workstations in the Teen Center. The signs say that the area is designated for teens, adults are only allowed if they are accompanied by a teen. There have been many violations of this rule, so now the signs are in 3 languages.
One of my co-workers, is adamant about enforcing the rule. A few weeks ago, she approached World Traveler(she will sit and stare at the globe for hours.). When World Traveler saw her, she said, "I know the sign says that adults must be accompanied by a teen. I'm sitting here, hoping that one of my children will stop by."

When my co-worker told me what happened, I told her, "Well, there isn't anything you can say about that one.". World Traveler's response was classic, it was like she had her response memorized.

Even now, I think about what World Traveler said and laugh.

You can now use the library as a charging station

2010-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

There are a few patrons that use the library to charge their wheelchairs. Cellular telephone charging has become the norm, but I still can't get used to seeing the random wheelchair.

Yesterday morning, I had gone to the first floor, to give security a identification card that had been left at the reference desk. As I exited the staff elevator, I saw a wheelchair against the wall, near the large print books. The wheelchair was plugged in. Sitting across from the chair, was it's owner, who had the nerve to give me the 'side-eye(yes, Jazzy, he did') Thrown to the side of the patron was a prosthetic leg.

Upon first glance, it seemed as if the leg didn't belong to the patron. After closer inspection, I saw that it did.

When I returned to my floor, I relayed this story to my co-worker. He said, "Was the leg being charged also?"

On to the good news

2010-03-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening, just before I left work, as I was helping a patron, I noticed Radio Man blowing his nose ONTO THE CARPETED FLOOR. When he saw me, he popped up like nothing had happened.

Since it was time for me to leave for the day, my co-worker agreed to file the paperwork and deal with security.

Sunday, I found out that RADIO MAN IS BANNED FOR 90 DAYS!!!!!

Mine arrived this past Saturday

2010-03-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Since Friday is my scheduled day off, I received my pink slip along with Saturday's mail.

The effective date is May 8, 2010. Sunday, while at work, I learned that the union is working on a solution. Meetings were scheduled to explain what we are to do after receiving the pink slips. I didn't attend any, because they didn't fit my desk schedule. I thought that I'd wait until next week. It's a good thing also, because maybe we'll receive solid answers.

Pink Slips

2010-03-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

That's been the topic around here since yesterday. It all started when the City Librarian forwarded a memo to the library staff that was written by the mayor.
Pink Slips will be issued to all city departments tomorrow. All classifications will be included in this mass layoff.
Supposedly, some of those laid off, will have the option of being re-hired part-time. The part-time hours aren't to exceed 37.5 hours.

Yesterday, the whinner came to my desk and asked me, "Are you worried?". I told her that there wasn't anything that I could do to prevent being laid-off, so I can't worry about that.
Later, one of the women who liked to call in sick on or after pay day, was in a tiff about the rankings list. I just let her talk. I chose not to explain that the rank is where you were on the eligibility list, when you were offered your current position.
Today, they've been standing around whining about the possible outcome tomorrow. I'm just tired of hearing them talk about the same stuff. It's 4pm and one of the main complainers just said,"Let me go get some work done."

I don't know if I've mentioned "Radio Man"

2010-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

There's a man who likes to frequent the floor that I work on....Often I think, he likes to annoy the staff. I realize that's his way of gaining attention, being loud and abusive. Yesterday, I had to speak with him about his behavior, because he was disturbing the people around him. As I was walking away, he said something smart, I whipped my head around and gave him a look that said, "TRY ME!"

Today, he came strolling onto the floor around 2:30p.m. When I saw him, I told my co-worker that I really wasn't in the mood today. Radio Man decided that he would hang around the reference desk talking loudly. He was trying to work my nerves, because as he walked past the reference desk, he looked me dead in my face. I turned my head, and every time that I looked up, he was looking at me to see what my reaction was. I fixed him, because I told my co-worker, "I need to call security and tell them that they need to come and get their friend." He walked away from the reference desk when I said that.

His favorite ways to annoy us, are to play his DVDs loudly, listen to music on his radio(that he carries daily,) or play his bongos. His preference is to sit at a table where there are quite a few people on their laptops, or reading.

I have personally had security escort him out of the building on numerous occasions. Other times, I have told him, "You have two choices, leave now on your own, or I'll call for you to have a security escort." I usually end up calling security because he will start saying some slick mess to me.

On the way to the bus stop this morning

2010-02-22T21:35:00.001-08:00

I was minding my own business, walking while listening to my ipod. Out of the corner of my right eye, I see a police van stop. I thought nothing of it, because they often cruise the other end of my street. Then.......the driver's side window opens slowly. As I got closer to the van, I saw that it was my former co-worker.

Mr. Officer: " I couldn't just drive past and not stop."

Me: "Hi, how are you? Are you still at the high school?" (There's a high school near my home)

Mr. Officer: " Yes. Do you still bake?"

Me: "I haven't in a while, but yes, I still bake."

Mr. Officer: "Do you think you could bake me a cake or pie?"

Me: "You're not right because you would sit in front of the school and eat it in front of the kids!"

****Here it comes*********He asked, "So, you're not married yet?" I respond, "No, WHY, do you ask me that everytime that you see me?"

Mr. Officer: "I ask because you're a good girl and you deserve to be married."

Me: "You need to tell your friend that." (He is friends with my ex.)

NOW FOR THE CLENCHER, WHAT HE HAS BEEN DYING TO ASK, ALMOST AS LONG AS WE'VE KNOW EACH OTHER. HE HAS ASKED AROUND THIS QUESTION IN THE PAST************************

Mr. Officer: "Do you still talk to Re and La?" (women we used to work with)

Me: "Not Re, but I email La sometimes."

Mr. Officer: "You pretty much keep to yourself"

Me: "Pretty much."

Mr. Officer: "Oh, so you can keep a secret?"

Me: "Mr. Officer, I'm not trying to mess with a married man!"

Mr. Officer: "WHAT!!! Why would you come at me like that?"

Me: "Because you said, you can keep a secret."

Mr. Officer is married, his 2nd marriage at that. When we worked together, he was married to his 1st wife. He messed around with Re for a minute. He quite that job to become a police officer. He then began messing with a supervisor at our old job. He then divorced his 1st wife, to marry the supervisor.