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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.